Imagine buying a riveting celebrity memoir. One filled with heartfelt and intimate details and a tear-inducing narrative, only to discover it wasn’t written by the celebrity whose name is splashed across the cover. You might feel duped and begin to question the veracity of this fascinating journey into the mind of the famous author.
Welcome to the murky world of celebrity memoirs and their ghostwriters. Within the publishing industry, it’s an open secret, with ghostwriting providing the fuel that powers an entire hidden economy. It may be a disappointing fact. But the vast majority of today’s memoirs are both shaped and penned by a ghostwriter who remains hidden from the public eye.
In this article, we take a deep dive into the business dynamics and the role ghostwriters play in biography writing. After all, they bring your favourite celebrity lives to the printed page.
Photo: www.pexels.com/ Andrea Piacquadio
The Prevalence of Ghostwriting in Celebrity Memoirs
Publishing today, whether on paper or e-books, is a cut-throat industry. Coupled with a thirst for celebrity stories, there’s a constant pressure to produce a biography, even if the star is still very young with little to say in practice. On the whole, most celebrities have zero writing skills. They would be completely unable to craft any meaningful narrative. That’s why employing a ghostwriter is now the rule rather than the exception. Surprisingly, an estimated 80% of all autobiographies are penned by ghostwriters.
Celebrities have legions of eager fans willing to shell out for anything related to their star. To feed their desires, publishers commission memoirs that allow celebs to share intimate stories. Consider the polished narrative of Pamela Anderson’s “Love Pamela.” Or Tiffany Haddish’s bestseller, “The Last Black Unicorn”, with its raw humour and honesty. Watching any interviews with these stars, it’s obvious that vocalling a coherent sentence is difficult. Let alone writing a full paragraph.
The Role of a Ghostwriter
Just because there may be some fakery going on with the book’s real authors, don’t assume a ghostwriter is any less of a writer. These are professionals who are capable of capturing the unique voice of the celebrity whilst crafting an engaging and marketable product. This involves extensive interviews to gain a better understanding of the celebrity’s life and personality. They gather anecdotes and piece them into a coherent storyline.
However, to succeed as a ghostwriter requires more than the ability to write well. Not only are you racing against tight deadlines, but you’ll need to remain discrete and adaptable. With creativity and professionalism, you’ll produce a riveting read that mimics the voice of the subject whose name and photo adorn the cover. All the while, you’ll be operating in the shadows, uncredited and unseen.
The Business Dynamics of Celebrity Ghostwriting
With the average salary of a US-based author being around $50,000 per year, it’s no surprise that ghostwriting appeals to authors. After all, a celebrity autobiography can bring in $50,000, with top-tier scribes charging $150,000 or more. As with any business, top fees from a ghostwriter service are a reflection of the expertise required to produce a compelling book.
Today, celebrity culture is the mainstay of most media publications, with a steady demand for memoirs. This ensures a stream of writing opportunities for ghostwriters who are tasked with bringing these stories to life.
Ethical Considerations and Public Perception
Undisclosed authorship has led to debates about the ethics of ghostwriting. Many argue that failing to disclose the real author is a form of deception. Yet other readers feel there’s no diminishing of the story’s value with such a collaboration. However, providing a rough framework whereby the ghostwriter simply fills in details can lead to questions about authenticity.
It’s difficult to gauge how much the public is aware or even care about the ghostwriting process. Many readers are content with a book that’s entertaining and inspiring. The fact it’s actually written by a ghostwriter is inconsequential.
Photo: www.pexels.com/ Min An
Books by Prominent Ghostwriters
To be more transparent, many publishers include a euphemistic “thank you” to a biographer’s real author. For example, a common term of phrase is “this book couldn’t have been written without the help of ****.” Or “thanks to **** for collecting my thoughts.” Yet, some celebrities and their publishers try to maintain an air of authenticity by hiding the ghostwriter’s involvement completely. Here are some famous autobiographies, along with proper credits to their professional writers.
Prince Harry “Spare”
The book enjoyed massive sales of over 1.43 million sales on its opening day. Yet Prince Harry’s publishers were less than transparent about the whole writing process. With his name missing from either the book’s press release or cover, ghostwriter, journalist, and novelist JR Moehringer came out as its ghostwriter.
Miley Cyrus “Miles to Go”
You might think that at just 16 years of age, Miley Cyrus would only muster a memoir the size of a postage stamp. But she was already a child TV star playing Hannah Montana. Ghostwriter Hilary Liftin did the honours of penning the autobiography, reaching the No.1 spot on the New York Times best sellers list for the week of its release.
Donald Trump “The Art of the Deal”
After co-writing Donald Trump’s 1987 bestseller, ghostwriter Tony Schwartz became one of the most sought-after ghostwriters. Having his name on the cover helped secure Michael Eisner’s autobiography, “Work in Progress: Risking Failure, Surviving Success.”
Conclusion
Today, we live in an age where celebrity culture sells a huge range of products, including books. As such, utilising a ghostwriting service is an integral part of the whole celebrity memoir industry. After all, finding the time to scribe an autobiography is impossible for a busy celeb living out their 15 minutes of fame.
It falls to the pens of ghostwriters to produce immersive stories that catch the public’s imagination. In many ways, these hidden authors are the unsung heroes. 111111 are responsible for creating the stories that feed an unquenchable thirst for celebrity lifestyles.
Explore Next: Discovermagazin
