Several years ago, I heard through the grapevine that an acquaintance wanted to talk to me about a ghost-writing project. Since I am a published novelist, I assumed I was going to be paid for this effort, especially considering that my acquaintance had recently come into an inheritance. I just assumed he had this novel he had always wanted to write, and was now in a position to hire a professional writer to tell his story for him.
So I met with the guy a few nights later. His idea was bizarre- I can't repeat the exact details, although nobody would ever want to steal them- but it would have been very difficult to write the novel, because the central concept was completely implausible and he didn't see the need to even try to explain it. With some trepidation, I asked him about terms of payment.
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “There's no payment,” he said. “I just thought you'd want to write the book.” He “just thought” I would want to spend a few hours a day for several months writing his book for him without any compensation at all.
I found the whole thing pretty strange at the time, but I've seen much the same offer on Craigslist a hundred times since then. Somebody wants a book written, but doesn't offer to pay anything for it. Or he wants it written for a share in royalties- of which there will most likely never be any.
If I ever do ghost write a novel, I'm willing to do the work for rather less money than a traditional professional ghost writer, who would charge you $20,000 or more. I can't do it for nothing, though. If you're looking for an affordable writer, that's great- but do try to stay within the bounds of reality!