Done-for-You
Novel Ghostwriting
For ideas that deserve to become books—without you having to write them alone.
You don’t lack ideas. Or taste. Or vision. You may even have pages—notes, fragments, outlines, or half-written chapters. What you don’t have is the time, clarity, or bandwidth to carry a book-length project from conception to completion on your own. Ghostwriting exists for this reason.
This is not outsourcing creativity. It’s collaborative authorship—with clear leadership, structure, and execution.
What ghostwriting actually means
Collaborating with an expert ghostwriter isn’t:
A transcription service
A patchwork of your notes stitched together
Handing over the reins to your IP without input
It is:
Deep, thoughtful intake and concept development
Strategic shaping of voice, structure, and narrative intent
Original drafting across the manuscript
Iterative revision based on your feedback
A finished book that sounds like you—only clearer, stronger, and more cohesive
I don’t impose a voice. I extract and refine yours through patient and understanding collaboration, with suggestions and insights based on my decades of publishing experience as a literary agent, book packager, and career editor. I’ve developed and ghostwritten NYT and USA Today bestsellers. Let me bring the same level of care and craft to your project.
Full ghostwriting is best suited for writers and creators who:
Have a strong concept but limited time or bandwidth
Know what they want the book to do, even if they might not know exactly how to build it
Are juggling careers, families, or public-facing work
Want a book that meets professional publishing standards
Value decisiveness, clarity, and follow-through
Many ghostwriting clients come to me with:
Partial drafts or abandoned manuscripts
Nonfiction ideas rooted in lived experience or expertise
Fiction concepts they can envision but can’t realistically draft
A desire to stay creatively involved without managing every sentence
WHO THIS SERVICE IS FOR
my OBJECTIVE with every ghostwritten manuscript
Every ghostwriting project is bespoke, but all of them involve these core disciplines:
Narrative spine: Defining what the book is actually about at its deepest level—and building every chapter, scene, or section in service of that central promise and premise.
Character interiority and motivation: Creating clear, emotionally coherent inner lives that drive action and decision-making, so readers stay invested not just in what happens, but in why it matters to the people on the page.
Robust plotting: Purpose-built story architecture informed by my experience as a former literary agent and book packager on projects that have sold multiple millions of dollars’ worth of books, including New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. This is structure designed to carry a full manuscript, not just a strong opening.
Stakes and momentum: Establishing escalating urgency—emotional, narrative, or intellectual—so the reader always understands what’s at risk and feels compelled to keep turning pages.
Voice consistency: Translating your natural voice, worldview, and sensibility onto the page, then sustaining it with clarity and control across the entire manuscript.
Pacing: Calibrating rhythm at both the macro and micro levels, with particular attention to openings, transitions, and the notoriously fragile middle of a book.
Market awareness: Shaping the manuscript with a clear understanding of where it lives in the current publishing landscape—without chasing trends or compromising the book’s core identity.
This is the level of authorship and execution agents and acquisitions editors expect—but rarely have the time to guide writers through. Full ghostwriting allows me to carry that responsibility directly, delivering a manuscript that is intentional, coherent, and positioned to compete in a crowded, high-stakes market.
How the process works
We begin by getting very clear on what this book is meant to do and how it will connect with your target audience. Through structured conversations and intake materials, we define the book’s purpose, intended readership, tonal register, and emotional core. This stage ensures we’re aligned not just on the idea, but on the executional philosophy—what kind of book this is, what it is not, and how it should ultimately feel to readers. This alignment work is what prevents mid-project drift.
Step One: Concept and alignment
Once the concept is clear, I design a working structure that can actually sustain a full manuscript. This may take the form of a detailed outline, chapter roadmap, or narrative architecture, depending on the project. The goal is not rigidity, but coherence: a structure that supports the book’s core promise and gives us a shared map forward. Nothing moves into drafting until this framework feels solid and intentional.
Step Two: Structure and planning
Step Three: Drafting
I draft the manuscript in stages, building the book in manageable, deliberate sections rather than all at once. At agreed checkpoints, you’ll review the work for alignment, tone, and direction. This keeps feedback focused and ensures the manuscript is developing in the right direction before we move on. My role here is to carry the weight of execution while keeping you meaningfully involved.
Once a full draft is in place, we move into revision. This phase focuses on cohesion, clarity, pacing, and emotional impact—bringing the manuscript into alignment with the original vision we set at the beginning. Revisions are collaborative but contained, aimed at refinement rather than reinvention. The goal is a manuscript that reads with authority, intention, and momentum from beginning to end.
Step Four: Revision and refinement
At the conclusion of the revision stage, you receive a finished manuscript that reflects your voice, vision, and goals. If helpful, I’ll also provide guidance on next steps—whether that’s preparation for submission, further polishing, or simply letting the book rest before its next phase. Every ghostwritten manuscripts receives a bespoke query letter and synopsis, which leverage all of the insights gleaned from my years as a literary agent and gatekeeper. This is where the project stops feeling theoretical and finally becomes real.
Step five: Completion and next steps
Creative ownership and collaboration
Ghostwriting does not mean disappearance. You remain creatively involved at the level that makes sense for you—whether that’s high-level direction, scene-specific feedback, or detailed response rounds. My role is to carry the manuscript, keep it moving, and make sure the final book reflects your intent with precision and care. Trust and clarity are essential. This work only succeeds when we are aligned on vision, boundaries, and expectations from the outset. Once my discrete role concludes, you own all of the IP and work product and the manuscript is yours.
I take on a very limited number of ghostwriting projects each year. These are long-form, high-touch engagements that require sustained creative focus. If you’re looking for speed without substance, or a total hands-off process, this may not be the right fit. However, if you’re looking for a clear path from idea to finished book, a collaborator who understands both the craft and today’s publishing realities, and a manuscript that feels intentional, coherent, and complete, then done-for-you ghostwriting may be your next step forward.
A note on fit
Full ghostwriting engagements begin at $125,000. This reflects a long-term, authorship-level commitment that includes deep concept development, original drafting across the manuscript, iterative revision, and sustained creative leadership from inception through completion. Pricing is calibrated to the scope, complexity, and goals of each project, and all ghostwriting work is taken on selectively to ensure the level of focus and care this process requires.
INVESTMENT
Want revision OF an existing draft instead?
If you already have a full manuscript—or a draft that’s close—and what you need is expert-level hands-on revision rather than full authorship, my done-for-you revision service may be the better fit. This option is designed for writers who want their existing work structurally strengthened, clarified, and sharpened without starting from scratch. It offers many of the same strategic and craft-level advantages as ghostwriting, applied directly to the manuscript you’ve already built.
“Mary is highly professional and a delight to work with. She gets right into the hearts and minds of the characters, inspires you in a way that you have no alternative but to give your best. I recommend her to aspiring and expert writers.”
“Mary has a gift. She takes the story she is given, as an entire entity and picks it apart in a way that truly teaches the writer why elements work or don’t work together. If you are serious about getting published, then Mary Kole is the one to do this with. She is a partner, literature expert and knows what works and what doesn’t. I highly recommend her to any expert or aspiring writer.”