Do Famous Authors Use Ghostwriters? - Letter Review (2024)

FAQs

What popular authors use ghostwriters? ›

Here are some of the more famous business authors who wrote their books with ghostwriters: Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People with Ken Shelton. Jack Welch in Jack: Straight From the Gut, “with John Byrne”

The most obvious sign is when there are two authors named on the cover or title page. As in: by Very Famous Person with Joe Bloggs. More likely than not, Joe is our ghost. However, if Very Famous Person is alone on the cover, take a look at the acknowledgements inside.

Ghostwriters help companies and personalities build brand awareness faster. It's simple. Rather than an executive allocating time to publish quality stories once a quarter – or month, if they're lucky – hiring a reputable ghostwriter can speed up the process of getting your brand's story out there.

A good ghostwriter costs between $40,000 to $70,000. Pricing per project depends on the ghostwriter's experience level and the genre of your book. Based on 2021 data from Reedsy, ghostwriters charge upwards of 30 cents a word to write memoirs, while manuscripts for children's fiction can see a rate of 24 cents a word.

Some famous authors do use ghostwriters, yet many don't. Still, this typically isn't public knowledge unless the author shares it. Often, ghostwriters are legally required not to take credit for publications, and well-known authors are unwilling to admit they hire ghostwriters for help.

Ghostwriters are usually not credited, though some named authors may choose to acknowledge a ghostwriter using “with” or “as told to” on the cover of their publication. Other named authors show appreciation to their ghostwriter on the acknowledgements page.

Ghostwriters are typically seasoned freelance writers who are efficient at what they do. If you have great ideas for what you want to go into your book, but think that you lack the time and/or tenacity to actually make that dream a reality, then working with a ghostwriter can be a great way to expedite the process.

Ghostwriting tends to pay better than regular freelancing. After all, having your name attached to your words is valuable for you as a writer. When you have a byline, you can use that piece of work to showcase your talent, build your reputation, and potentially attract new clients.

Time-strapped business leaders and entrepreneurs. One of the most voracious hirers of ghostwriters are all manner of business executives and entrepreneurs. Business leaders are often subject matter experts (SMEs) who know a lot about their area of knowledge but who are poor communicators.

What percentage does a ghostwriter get? ›

Getting credit as a ghostwriter

Ghosts can get from 8% to 50% of royalties, depending on how negotiations with the author go.

Being a ghost writer can be lucrative.

Businesses are willing and able to pay well for high-quality content. Aside from these extraordinary deals, on average, a ghostwriter can make between $10,000 – $50,000+ for a nonfiction book or memoir. For blog posts or articles, ghostwriters can easily earn between $150 – $500+.

Ghostwriting can constitute serious unethical behavior and could also be a form of plagiarism. It may come as a surprise that ghostwriting can be thought of as a form of plagiarism, but this is how it is defined in dictionaries.

Ghostwriters Are Responsible For All Of the Written Content

Although most ghostwriters will outsource an editor for the final draft, they create the written work in its entirety, from outline to last revision.

In most cases, ghostwriters do not receive royalties for the books that they are hired to write. Similar to copyright, this will all be set out and agreed upon in a good contract, before any writing begins.

You can find good ghostwriters from $25,000 to $40,000, but expect them to either be desperate for a gig or relatively inexperienced. The sweet spot for good ones with credentials is usually within $40,000 to $75,000. The pricing here varies based on 3 factors: The writer's level of expertise.

If you can afford a ghostwriter, that means your time is very valuable. It takes a normal author 1,000 to 2,000 hours to write a nonfiction book by himself or herself. Ghostwriters can reduce that time drastically, taking your time commitment down to 10 hours (or even less).

Ghostwriter Hillary Liftin has written 13 bestsellers. Writer Joni Rodgers has ghosted more than 30 books. Dan Paisner has ghosted some 50 books including working with Gilbert Gottfried, Denzel Washington, Serena Williams and other luminaries.

The top 2% or so of authors make a good living and the most successful authors – including self-published authors – make a tremendous amount of money.” Greenfield's co-author, professor Dana Weinberg, agreed that “The question of money is a tricky one. Publishing a book for sale is a matter of both art and commerce.

There's a question I sometimes hear debated in publishing: Is an Amazon best-seller a “real” best-seller? By Amazon best-seller, they mean when your book goes to the top of an Amazon category, and Amazon starts putting a “best-seller” tag on your book.

What is the truth about ghostwriting? ›

A ghostwriter writes content for someone else as that person. In other words, you do the work while the client who hired you takes the credit. That may seem wrong or unethical, but in reality, what you write becomes their property according to the terms of the agreement. It's an honest transaction.

A talented ghostwriter can earn ​$4​ to ​$40​ per page or somewhere between ​$50​ to ​$150​ per hour, reports Author Bridge Media. Earning income potential is unlimited, however. Ghostwriters have been known to make ​$500,000​ writing memoirs for the rich and famous.

Ultimately, the Ghostwriter will not take credit for the work, they just get paid. Unless the author specifies in the agreement that they give credit, this may be through the acknowledgement page, on the cover or copyright page or in the About the Author section.

While it's unlikely the people featured in the book would sue you, they could. Anybody can sue anybody for anything. Even if you won, the legal fees alone could bankrupt you.

Typically a ghostwriting agreement lays out who retains the copyright in the work. If you don't have an agreement or contract, the law states that the author or a work owns copyright meaning the writer. The ghostwriter will retain the copyright in the work unless an agreement or contract states otherwise.

Many celebrities, athletes, and politicians use ghostwriters to pen their books. They neither have the time or experience to write on, and so they partner with a ghostwriter to get their message out there. Even fiction writers use ghostwriters for their books.

This show's aimed at the 8-12 age group and while early episodes are a bit too serious, they get much more fun the further into it you get.

Writing in somebody else's voice can be difficult, and ghostwriters must learn to adapt to other styles and voices. While a writer might use a conversational tone to write blog posts, a more formal style is suitable for academic documents. The same idea applies to ghostwriting for a client.

What are the consequences of ghostwriting? ›

The consequences of ghostwriting are widespread; by undermining the integrity of research, it removes critical data that influences how that data will then be used, whether it be policy decisions or a basis for further research.

Ghostwriting is deceptive: the author lies to the reader by taking credit for someone else's work. Ghostwriting is lazy: the author bypasses the authentic labor and intellectual sweat equity that is an integral part of creating art.

No. He has written some of his books under the pen name of Richard Bachman. He dosen't need to write by ghost writers. He is an expert on writing.

A ghostwriter is not credited as an author (notice the lack of “author” in the title)—but more than that, she or he is a “ghost” as far as credit goes. Essentially, a ghostwriter does not normally receive any credit for your book because when you hire a ghostwriter, the published book is yours alone.

McConaughey didn't use a ghostwriter which is not hard to believe when you remember he's been writing a version of his own life story in his journals since he was a teenager. He is good at telling stories so it's well-written, but it's not carefully constructed in the conventional way.

In most cases, ghostwriters do not receive royalties for the books that they are hired to write. Similar to copyright, this will all be set out and agreed upon in a good contract, before any writing begins.