Ghost Marketplace
Sell themes, integrations, and services for the Ghost publishing platform. Reach independent publishers and content creators building on Ghost.
What is Ghost Marketplace?
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform designed for professional bloggers, journalists, and content creators. The Ghost Marketplace connects publishers with themes, integrations, and services to enhance their Ghost-powered websites.
For developers who understand Ghost, the marketplace offers opportunities to serve a focused, quality-conscious audience.
Why Develop for Ghost
Focused Platform
Ghost's niche creates opportunity:
- Purpose-built for publishing
- Clean, modern architecture
- Built-in membership and newsletter
- Growing among professional publishers
Quality-Conscious Audience
Premium buyers:
- Professional publishers
- Newsletter creators
- Independent journalists
- Serious bloggers
These users expect and pay for quality.
Less Competition
Smaller but growing ecosystem:
- Far fewer themes than WordPress
- Gaps in the marketplace to fill
- Easier to establish reputation
- Direct relationships with users
Ghost Marketplace Offerings
Themes
The primary product category:
| Theme Type | Typical Price | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Magazine/Publication | $49-129 | High |
| Newsletter/Membership | $49-99 | Growing |
| Portfolio/Personal | $29-79 | Moderate |
| Documentation | $39-89 | Niche |
Integrations
Extend Ghost functionality:
- Email service connections
- Analytics integrations
- Comment systems
- Membership enhancements
- SEO tools
Services
Professional offerings:
- Custom theme development
- Ghost setup and migration
- Ongoing maintenance
- Consulting
Creating Ghost Themes
Technical Requirements
Skills needed:
- HTML/CSS (essential)
- JavaScript (important)
- Handlebars templating (Ghost-specific)
- Ghost theme structure
- Responsive design
- Performance optimization
Development Process
From concept to sale:
- Study Ghost documentation
- Analyze successful themes
- Design and develop theme
- Test thoroughly on Ghost
- Create documentation
- Prepare marketing materials
- Launch and promote
Quality Standards
What Ghost publishers expect:
- Clean, modern design
- Fast loading performance
- Mobile-responsive
- Membership feature support
- Newsletter integration
- Clear documentation
- Ongoing updates
Selling Ghost Products
Sales Channels
Where to sell:
| Channel | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Own website | 95%+ revenue, direct relationship | Requires marketing |
| Ghost Marketplace | Official listing | Limited traffic |
| ThemeForest | Large audience | High competition, fees |
| Creative Market | Design-focused buyers | 40% fee |
Most successful developers combine channels.
Pricing Strategy
Set competitive prices:
- Research existing Ghost themes
- Consider your target customer
- Factor in support obligations
- Leave room for sales and bundles
Marketing Approaches
Drive sales without marketplace traffic:
- Content marketing and SEO
- Ghost community participation
- Social media presence
- Showcase on Dribbble/Behance
- Partnership with Ghost influencers
Ghost Development for Digital Nomads
Passive Income Potential
Themes sell continuously:
- No per-sale work required
- Income during travel
- Updates on your schedule
- Catalog value compounds
Location Independence
Work from anywhere:
- Development tools are portable
- Ghost Cloud for testing
- Asynchronous customer support
- Global customer base
Time Investment
Realistic expectations:
| Phase | Time Required |
|---|---|
| Learning Ghost | 20-40 hours |
| First theme | 60-120 hours |
| Marketing setup | 20-40 hours |
| Ongoing support | 5-15 hours/month |
Ghost vs. Other CMS Ecosystems
| Factor | Ghost | WordPress | Webflow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market Size | Growing | Massive | Large |
| Competition | Low | Very High | Moderate |
| Technical Skill | Moderate | Varies | Low |
| Audience | Publishers | Everyone | Designers |
| Best For | Niche focus | Volume | No-code |
Tips for Success
Master Ghost first. Deep platform knowledge differentiates your themes.
Solve real problems. Build what publishers actually need.
Document thoroughly. Clear documentation reduces support burden.
Engage with community. Ghost's forum and community drive word-of-mouth.
Support consistently. Reputation matters in small ecosystems.
Update regularly. Ghost evolves; themes must keep pace.
The Bottom Line
Ghost Marketplace offers developers a focused opportunity in a growing publishing platform. Lower competition than WordPress means quality themes can establish strong positions.
Success requires understanding Ghost's specific audience and building products that serve professional publishers. The effort is front-loaded, with ongoing passive income potential.
For digital nomad developers, Ghost themes provide location-independent income. Build quality themes, establish your reputation in the Ghost community, and create sustainable revenue from a platform with a clear mission and growing user base.
Pros
- Growing platform focused on independent publishing
- Less competition than WordPress ecosystem
- Premium audience willing to pay for quality
- Direct sales model for themes
- Strong community of publishers
Cons
- Smaller market than WordPress or Shopify
- Requires understanding Ghost platform
- Limited marketplace traffic
- Theme sales often through third-party sites
Categories
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can Ghost theme developers earn?
Where do I sell Ghost themes?
What makes Ghost different from WordPress?
Do I need to know coding for Ghost development?
How You Can Earn
- Subscription Revenue
- Per Sale
Best For
- Writers ✍️
- Entrepreneurs 🚀
- Introverts 🙈
Audience Required?
No it makes no difference
