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Ghost writer vs contract writer

The differences between ghost writers and contract writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a ghost writer and a contract writer. Additionally, a contract writer has an average salary of $91,260, which is higher than the $62,531 average annual salary of a ghost writer.

The top three skills for a ghost writer include blog posts, web content and SEO. The most important skills for a contract writer are web content, SEO, and press releases.

Ghost writer vs contract writer overview

Ghost WriterContract Writer
Yearly salary$62,531$91,260
Hourly rate$30.06$43.88
Growth rate6%4%
Number of jobs10,19223,671
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4642
Years of experience22

Ghost writer vs contract writer salary

Ghost writers and contract writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Ghost WriterContract Writer
Average salary$62,531$91,260
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $98,000Between $61,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between ghost writer and contract writer education

There are a few differences between a ghost writer and a contract writer in terms of educational background:

Ghost WriterContract Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyUniversity of Houston

Ghost writer vs contract writer demographics

Here are the differences between ghost writers' and contract writers' demographics:

Ghost WriterContract Writer
Average age4642
Gender ratioMale, 33.6% Female, 66.4%Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%16%

Differences between ghost writer and contract writer duties and responsibilities

Ghost writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage a team of RFP writers and work with a cross-functional team to meet RFP requirements and establish deadlines.
  • Rewrite author's manuscript into a twenty-plus chapter, fact-base fiction novel.
  • Research and draft return on investment (ROI) kitchen and basement remodeling articles utilizing SEO best practices.
  • Work closely with developers to integrate UI standards into the application and to build intuitive navigation and functionality.
  • Coordinate efforts between web developers, SharePoint site administrators and product support representatives to build and support an active online community.

Contract writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage the proposal lifecycle, including RFP analysis, regular communications, proposal development and production consistent with branding strategies.
  • Manage the proposal lifecycle, including RFP analysis, regular communications, proposal development and production consistent with branding strategies.
  • Interview subject matter experts and process source data to write biographies and profiles.
  • Post social media and hospital promotional/patient testimonial YouTube videos.

Ghost writer vs contract writer skills

Common ghost writer skills
  • Blog Posts, 18%
  • Web Content, 16%
  • SEO, 14%
  • Fiction, 9%
  • Ghost Writing, 9%
  • Press Releases, 6%
Common contract writer skills
  • Web Content, 15%
  • SEO, 12%
  • Press Releases, 12%
  • Blog Posts, 12%
  • Website Copy, 4%
  • Copywriting, 4%

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