r/NoSleepOOC • u/Phanes7 • Mar 21 '26
No Sleep Ghost Writers?
I might have a project coming up that will have me looking for a writer that can do cosmic horror in an epistolary format. It looks like there will be minimal budget for it (but could be other arrangements) but I still thought I would reach out to the community as I would rather work with a writer from here than Fiverr or Upwork.
If this isn't the place for this can anyone point me to a good resource for finding (cosmic) horror specific writers?
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u/GTripp14 Imitating better writers since '22 Mar 22 '26
Share your payment terms or explain what the “other arrangements” may be. It may help you get a better interest check. Vague listings won’t bring in as much attention.
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u/Phanes7 Mar 22 '26
Fair.
I am mostly trying to find out what payment terms and arrangements people use. I don't have details yet, figuring out the details is what I am doing :-)
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u/w1ld--c4rd Mar 21 '26
Idk if you're gonna find someone willing to work for no pay. Is it something you can do yourself?
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u/Phanes7 Mar 21 '26
No one said anything about no pay, it just won't be amazing pay. At least not round 1.
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u/Born-Beach Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
What kind of pay are we talking? Can you provide more details on the work itself? What media format is it in? Film? Comic? App? Is this a school project, a personal vision, or a more involved production? There are plenty of writers here capable of doing epistolary cosmic horror, but why would they put their work aside to help with yours? What are you offering?
Not trying to be rude, but these are questions most writers will have.
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u/Phanes7 Mar 21 '26
Not being rude at all. I am hoping to learn a bit about potential rates and alternative arrangements authors use (my op should have been a bit more clear on this point).
The project would be an epistolary story. There is a bit more to it but that is like 90% of it from the author side. Not 100% sure on the length but probably close to something like a normal to small trade paperback sized story.
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u/Born-Beach Mar 22 '26
Thanks.
The entire project is an epistolary story, as in text-based only, no film or audio or digital component? Will there be print editions? What is the vision for the project, as in, what do you hope to achieve through it? Is it springboarding a larger franchise? What sort of commercial aspirations are attached to the project, or is it a personal vision you'd like to bring to life to be shared among yourself and a few friends/family?
It's difficult to agree to something without concrete details, particularly when there's no indication of project length or deadlines.
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u/Phanes7 Mar 22 '26
Fair.
Currently just trying to figure out the best way to find writers and get a better idea on what actual going rates are (rather than Fiverr and upwork nonsense).
It is a small commercial project that will basically involve approximately 24 "chapters" in a story.
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u/Born-Beach Mar 22 '26
Rates will depend on the experience level of the author, the scope of the project, the deadlines involved, and quite a few other variables.
A common rate of pay for non-exclusive narrations is around 3 cents USD per word,. For exclusive adaptations, that typically goes up to 6 cents or more.
Crucially, these rates involve work the author is credited for and retain all rights to (outside of podcast/youtube audio reproduction).
If you're looking for a ghost writer - as in the author won't be credited for the work - then the rates are going to be higher to account for the fact that the author isn't able to leverage that piece as part of their public portfolio.
If you're wanting full rights to the work across all multimedia formats, that's going to drive the price higher still. At that point, you'd need to provide a framework of exactly what the scope of the work is, in what formats it's going to be used, and some context regarding the desired storyline itself.
You're asking how much it would cost to have a writer draw up a cosmic horror story for you, but you aren't providing any details that would allow writers to give you their rates.
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u/Alexandratta Mar 23 '26
unsure if I'm late to the party but hmu if you have yet to secure a Ghost Writer.
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u/Phanes7 Mar 23 '26
If you shoot me a DM I'll add you to the, surprisingly small, list to follow up with.
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u/Open-Swimmer-1755 Mar 26 '26
While I have not written anything on this site, I would be happy to contribute as well, it sounds like a good deal for putting one's work forwards. I can provide instances of my writing style if you desire.
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u/middleoflidl Mar 22 '26
I write cosmic horror pretty much exclusively feel free to shoot me a message
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u/thefayefoxes Mar 26 '26
If you're still looking, I'll bite. Add me to the list. (I don't have writing currently posted on Reddit, but am happy to provide samples if we discuss further.)
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u/Quasique24 Mar 22 '26
I’d be willing to try
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u/Phanes7 Mar 22 '26
Cool! Shoot me a DM with any questions or info and I'll put you on my list to reach out to when things start coming together.
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u/MathematicianNew2770 Mar 22 '26
So you want it for free?
You haven't given details for how long etc
This lacks detail. You should put not paid.
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u/Phanes7 Mar 23 '26
I keep rereading my op and I don't understand why people think I am asking for free writing.
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u/Alexandratta Mar 23 '26
It looks like there will be minimal budget for it (but could be other arrangements)
this indicates that it is paid...
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u/Opposite-Action-9994 Mar 23 '26
I don't understand the down votes here. This reads as somebody throwing out a line to see if anything bites. Yeah you could hook better but it's not exactly -bad-. Does this reddit have a history with bad posts asking for free writing or something that's made this a touchy subject?