The Ghostwriter Phenomenon, or How Celebrity Autobiographies are Penned

It’s an interesting phenomenon. Countless ghostwriters are at this very moment hard at work writing books for other people and the bestseller lists are often stocked with celebrity memoirs and novels bearing different names to the people who actually wrote them. What, you mean Nicole Richie, Katie Price and David Beckham can’t actually write? Take a second to mull it over, is it really that much of a surprise?

By all accounts ghostwriting can be a rewarding experience, both creatively and financially, but how did this phenomenon gain a foothold in the publishing industry? The answer is, quite simply, that ghostwritten celebrity novels and memoirs are frequently bestsellers and are therefore a safe and often lucrative choice for publication.

Examples of stellar celebrity works written by ghostwriters include Pamela Anderson’s Star, Hilary Duff’s Elixir, Nicole Polizzi’s A Shore Thing, Nicole Richie’s Priceless, Katie Price’s Being Jordan and David Beckham’s My Side. These books seem to be more branded products than literary works. After all, the people who read these books do so because of their interest in the celebrity, or the nature of celebrity itself, rather than an interest in literature.

Parallels have been drawn between ghostwritten celebrity books and branded fashion lines and fragrances. They are an extension of the celebrity’s domain, their presence in the publishing industry that slots into the PR schedule alongside TV appearances and film roles. TV and film studios always seek the big stars to ensure their productions are hits, is it so shocking publishing houses have started to do the same?

Despite sometimes getting a brief mention on the acknowledgments page, ghostwriters usually remain shadowy spectral figures whose name is only whispered between agents, editors and the publishing house, a secret kept from the prospective book buyers. It could be argued that two authors on the front page might be confusing, but the main reason for only the celebrity’s name appearing must always go back to the notion of branding and commercial interests.

The reasons for publishing houses embracing celebrity ghostwriters may be clear, but what do the ghostwriters think themselves about standing to the side and letting the celebrities take centre stage? Well, the successful ghostwriters behind the books seem quite comfortable, both professionally and financially, and they also get to leave the promotion work to the cover stars.

David Beckham received an award for his extremely successful ‘autobiography’ My Side, turning up in person to collect it, yet the writing was the work of broadcaster Tom Watt, formerly an actor who played Lofty in Eastenders. Watt conducted hours of interviews with Beckham, his family and his friends, but feels no pang of jealousy or disgruntlement over missing out on the limelight. When questioned he responded that he had his own life to get on with.

Interestingly, Watt likened his ghostwriting experience to his former profession of acting. He received someone else’s words and tried to give them an authentic voice, to convincingly bring them to life on the page rather than the stage. Watt views his ghostwriting as a collaborative effort to bring a famous person’s life into print by assisting the star to overcome their lack of literary ability. Beckham had lived the life, wanted the story told and well over a million readers bought the book.

Andrew Crofts, one of the most successful and prolific ghostwriter in the UK, is equally at ease with letting the person and their story adorn the cover, while he reaps professional fulfilment and financial rewards from his ghostwriting. Despite having ghostwritten some celebrity memoirs, Crofts prefers to write for unknown people with extremely interesting life stories. He ghostwrote Kevin Lewis’ The Kid, a story about childhood abuse, and Zana Muhsen’s Sold, the tale of a girl forced to become a child bride in Yemen, both of which were bestsellers.

How does Crofts feel about the ghostwriting process? In an article he wrote for the Telegraph, the ghostwriter highlighted that the romantic illusion of a single author had been overturned by collaborative forms of writing like TV and film scripts and shepherded literary series like the James Patterson’s novels, which are now mostly collaborative efforts.

Crofts views the work of the ghostwriter, working with people famous or otherwise who have stories to tell but lack the word skills to tell them, as similar to the work of editors and proof readers, shaping characters, ideas and treatments into more polished books. Loving the writer’s lifestyle, Crofts relishes the process and has made a successful living from his endeavours.

If ghostwritten celebrity memoirs and novels continue to find readers and do good business, publishing houses will continue to publish them. It is doubtful the notion of the author will be profoundly affected by such books and if ghostwriters are more than happy to write them it seems pointless to argue against their efforts.

The most effective way for discerning readers to protest against the immensely popular trend for ghostwritten celebrity works is to leave them on the shelf and purchase a different genre to read. But for now, the books and celebrity ghostwriters are here to stay.

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