Stop Using Fiverr For Ghostwriting

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Stop using Fiverr for ghostwriting your books. In my tests the writers were often not native English speakers, the books needed heavy editing, and some copied text from the web. I now use ghostwriting companies that vet their writers, and I check every manuscript for copying and AI before I pay. Below: why I left, what the alternatives cost and how I check the work. My full test is in I used ghostwriters on Fiverr.

Why did I try Fiverr for ghostwriting?

Because I could not write fast enough. You can self-publish by writing every book yourself or by hiring ghostwriters, and I have done both. When I started, I learned how much the right keywords matter: with the right keywords in the right market, a book can bring in good money from Amazon. I mean good non-fiction books that still get four and five star reviews, not junk. But you can only write so many books so fast.

So I tried hiring other people to write books in profitable niches, and the cheapest way I could see was Fiverr, where sellers once offered services from $5. My first experience was very positive. I had some short books ghostwritten, published them with the process I had learned on my own books, and some of them started outselling the books I wrote myself.

That was the shock. Some topics keep selling lots of copies, and the topic you personally care about may not be one of them.

Then the problems started. Much of the writing was done by people who were not native English speakers. The books needed a lot of editing, readers complained about the quality, and even my narrator said the editing was poor. Poor books also put your KDP account at risk, so read what an ex-employee warns about Amazon KDP.

Who do I use instead of Fiverr?

I moved to ghostwriting companies. A couple I used back then, Epic and Writer Solutions, may no longer exist, so check before you hire anyone. The Writing Summit, which I used to recommend, has put up a closure notice saying it is “officially closing its doors” (The Writing Summit).

One to look at now is The Urban Writers. Companies like it find writers (many of them from sites like Upwork), test them, and manage the orders, so you get quality that depends on how much you pay. I always chose the top tier.

The price is higher. In October 2026 The Urban Writers listed nonfiction at $4.13 per 100 words (Rising), $4.86 (Urban), $5.36 (Top) and $5.61 (Premium), and $6.60 for finance and tech specialists (The Urban Writers nonfiction).

For that you get a manuscript readers will like, and if you chose the right keywords, the book sells.

How do I check a ghostwritten manuscript?

I run every manuscript through Copyscape before I publish. I did it on Fiverr and I still do it on every ghostwritten book. I’m not an affiliate of theirs; it is just the program I use.

On Fiverr there were one or two cases where the text had been copied from other places on the internet, and those sellers’ accounts were banned. If I had published those books without the check, I could have been accused of stealing someone else’s content, which is grounds for Amazon to close your account. So use Copyscape or another plagiarism checker, every time. If you worry that KDP could close your account even when you follow the rules, read will KDP ban my account if I follow the rules.

The newer problem is AI. Fiverr allows freelancers to use AI tools in every category, and it says clients who don’t want AI must say so clearly before the order or right after (Fiverr AI guidelines). Ask any writer in writing whether they use AI, and say what you will accept. KDP requires you to tell it about AI-generated text, images or translations, even if you edited them afterwards (KDP content guidelines), so you need to know. The Urban Writers also sells a separate AI nonfiction package, so check which one you are ordering.

After that I run the text through Grammarly, and I make sure the company gives me native English speakers at its top level. Since I started doing all three checks, I have not had a problem.

How do I get top-level writers?

Some people think ghostwriting is wrong and that you should only publish what you write yourself. If you want to write every book, do that. If you want to pay other people to write some of them, that is fine too. I see it as an investment, like stocks or bonds: you put money in, and the books pay it back.

What I do insist on is that you learn the self-publishing process yourself, formatting included. Then when a ghostwritten manuscript comes back, you can format and style it to the standard of a professional book without paying anyone. As my income grew, I hired a team and trained them to do the same thing.

If you can’t afford a company, look for writers on Upwork yourself and check their samples. Just know that nobody has tested or vetted them for you, so the quality you get back may be good or may not.

The research matters more than who writes. If you start with the marketing before the book is written and choose the right keywords and categories, the book will sell whether you wrote it or a ghostwriter did. Hiring writers just lets you put books out faster.

Why does one book not get you the sales you want?

Many authors think one book on the market should be enough. It isn’t. One or two books won’t do it; you need a series. Keep putting books out, and you will get faster. If you are wondering about timing, read is now a good time to publish a book.

With the money coming in, you can hire a team. I find my virtual assistants through OnlineJobs.ph (an affiliate link). I have been growing my team there; it is easy to find skilled people for formatting, editing and the other jobs in the process.

But for ghostwriting, I would stay away from Fiverr. If you want to talk through whether ghostwriting fits your plan, book a free 25-minute discovery call with me.

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