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AI vs Human Ghostwriting: Which Is Better for Your Book?



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Table of Contents

  1. What This Blog Is About

  2. What is AI Ghostwriting?

  3. What is Human Ghostwriting?

  4. AI vs Human Ghostwriting: Big Differences

    • Cost Differences

    • How Long It Takes

    • How Good the Writing Is

    • Understanding Your Ideas

    • Showing Feelings in Writing

    • Creative Ideas

    • Research Skills

    • Making Changes

  5. When to Pick AI

  6. When to Pick a Human

  7. Using Both AI and Humans Together

  8. How to Choose What's Best for You

  9. Another Option for Your Book

Key Points

  • AI is cheaper and faster but not as creative or emotional

  • Human writers understand your voice and feelings better

  • AI works well for simple books; humans are better for personal stories

  • Your money, time, and book type help you decide

  • You can use both AI and humans together

What This Blog Is About

Want help writing your book? You have two main choices: AI ghostwriting or human ghostwriting. Both can help you make a book, but they work very differently. This guide will show you AI vs human ghostwriting and we’ll look at what's good and bad about each. By the end, you'll know which is better for your book.

What is AI Ghostwriting?

AI ghostwriting uses computer programs to write. These smart programs (like ChatGPT or Claude) create text based on what you tell them to write about.

AI writing tools have gotten much better lately. They can now write stuff that sounds more like a real person wrote it. Some AI writing tools are:

These tools can write blog posts, articles, and help with books.

What is Human Ghostwriting

Human ghostwriting means hiring a real person to write your book. The writer talks with you to learn your ideas and how you speak. Then they write a book that sounds like you wrote it.

Human ghostwriters are professionals who write for a living. They get to know you through:

  • Talking with you

  • Phone or video calls

  • Emails

  • Reading your writing

  • Learning how you talk

The human writer creates your book based on what you share with them.

AI vs Human Ghostwriting: Big Differences

Cost Differences

AI Costs:

  • Monthly fees: $20-$100 per month

  • Full book projects: $500-$5,000

  • Much cheaper than humans

Human Costs:

  • New writers: $15,000-$30,000

  • Skilled writers: $30,000-$60,000

  • Top writers: $60,000-$100,000+

AI is way cheaper. You can get an AI-written book for much less money than hiring a person. If you don't have much money, AI might seem better.

How Long It Takes

AI Speed:

  • First draft: Days or weeks

  • Full book: 1-2 months

  • Much faster than humans

Human Speed:

  • First draft: 3-6 months

  • Full book: 6-12 months total

  • Takes time for talks and research

AI works much faster. It doesn't need to sleep or take breaks. If you need your book done fast, AI is quicker.

How Good the Writing Is

AI Writing:

  • Good at basic writing rules

  • Can follow simple patterns

  • Often sounds boring

  • Repeats ideas a lot

  • Can sound like a robot wrote it

Human Writing:

  • Can write with feeling and style

  • Creates fresh, new content

  • Avoids saying the same things

  • Sounds natural all the way through

  • Can write in different styles

Humans still write better books. AI has improved, but often lacks the smooth, natural writing that humans provide. Human writers make sentences that flow well.

Understanding Your Ideas

AI Understanding:

  • Limited understanding of the world

  • Misses deeper meanings

  • Cannot truly understand human life

  • Gets confused by complex ideas

  • May include wrong information

Human Understanding:

  • Fully understands real life

  • Gets subtle meanings

  • Has real life experiences

  • Can handle complex topics

  • Can check facts

Humans understand things in ways AI can't. A human writer can better grasp what your book is really about. They know what readers will connect with.

Showing Feelings in Writing

AI Emotional Skills:

  • Pretends to have feelings but doesn't

  • Misses emotional details in your story

  • Cannot truly care about readers

  • Struggles with sensitive topics

  • Handles emotions in basic ways

Human Emotional Skills:

  • Can feel and express real emotions

  • Understands emotional details

  • Can care about how readers feel

  • Handles sensitive topics carefully

  • Creates writing that moves people

For books that need emotional depth, humans are much better. If your book is about personal struggles or inspiring stories, a human writer will create a more touching book.

Creative Ideas

AI Creativity:

  • Limited to what it's seen before

  • Cannot truly think up new ideas

  • Creates predictable content

  • No real-life experiences

  • Cannot brainstorm original ideas

Human Creativity:

  • Can create truly new approaches

  • Thinks beyond what's been done

  • Brings fresh viewpoints

  • Has real-life experiences

  • Can suggest original ideas

Human writers can offer creative ideas that AI simply can't. If your book needs fresh thinking, a human writer will serve you better.

Research Skills

AI Research:

  • Limited to information it already knows

  • Cannot get new information after training

  • Cannot talk to people for research

  • May include old or wrong information

  • Cannot tell if sources are good

Human Research:

  • Can find current information

  • Can talk to people and get quotes

  • Can check many sources

  • Can find special information

  • Can tell if sources are trustworthy

Humans are better at research. They can find specific information your book needs and check that it's right. This matters for non-fiction books that need correct, up-to-date information.

Making Changes

AI Changes:

  • Makes changes right away when asked

  • May not understand what you want

  • Cannot discuss options

  • You must tell it exactly what to change

  • Cannot explain why it wrote something

Human Changes:

  • Can talk about what needs changing

  • Understands why changes are needed

  • Can suggest other options

  • Takes initiative to fix problems

  • Can explain their choices

The revision process with humans is more helpful. Human writers can discuss changes and offer ideas to improve the book. With AI, you must direct all changes yourself.

When to Pick AI

AI ghostwriting might be better when:

  • You have very little money

  • You need your book super fast

  • Your book is simple and factual

  • You're writing a basic how-to guide

  • You don't mind fixing the AI's work

  • You already know exactly what to write

  • You're making a first draft to rewrite later

  • Your book doesn't need emotional stories

AI can work for certain types of books. Technical guides, simple how-to books, and basic information books might work OK with AI.

When to Pick a Human

Human ghostwriting might be better when:

  • Quality matters most to you

  • You're writing about your life

  • Your book needs emotional depth

  • You want a unique style

  • Your topic is complex

  • You want creative suggestions

  • You're not sure how to organize your book

  • You want the book to sound like you

  • You need someone to help tell your stories

Human writers are better at books that need a personal touch. Life stories, inspiring tales, complex business books, and thought leadership usually work better with human writers.

Using Both AI and Humans Together

You don't have to choose just one. Many authors now use both:

  1. AI helping human writers

    • A human writer uses AI to help with research or ideas

    • The human creates and fixes all content

    • You get good human writing with some AI speed

  2. Humans fixing AI writing

    • AI creates the first draft

    • A human editor greatly improves the content

    • You save money while still getting quality

  3. Split work

    • AI handles simple chapters

    • Human writer creates complex or emotional parts

    • You save money while getting quality where it matters

Using both can give you benefits of each option. It often provides a good mix of cost, speed, and quality.

How to Choose What's Best for You

To decide between AI and human ghostwriting, ask yourself:

  1. How much money do I have? Be honest about what you can afford. If you have less than $5,000, AI might be your only choice.

  2. How fast do I need my book? Need it in weeks? AI might be better. Can wait a year? Human might be better.

  3. What kind of book am I making? Simple books might work with AI. Personal stories need humans.

  4. How much help can I give? AI needs more guidance. Human writers need less.

  5. Do I want readers to feel emotions? If feelings matter, pick human writers.

  6. How unique should my book be? More unique books need human creativity.

  7. How good does my book need to be? Higher quality needs human ghostwriters.

Trust your gut when making your choice. Remember that you want a book you'll be proud of.

Another Option for Your Book

If you don't want to use AI or human ghostwriting, there's another choice. British Noble has ready-made books with great stories. You can publish these under your name with a Bestseller Guarantee!

This gives you a good book without waiting long or paying a lot. Visit BritishNoble.com NOW to see their ready-to-publish books and become an author faster!


About the Author:

Katherine Ryan has worked in publishing for 15 years. She helps writers create books and get published. She has also worked with both human writers and AI tools. She has helped more than 30 people publish successful books. Katherine helps first-time authors understand their options.


 
 
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