Is Ghostwriting Ethical?

If you enjoy historical fiction, you’ve likely come across Nineteen Steps. Inspired by the author’s grandmother’s experiences during World War II, the novel follows 18-year-old Nellie Morris, who gets entangled in a love triangle between Billy, her childhood friend, and Ray, an American airman, all while grappling with the hardships of war and loss. Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown is producing the movie adaptation, and she also wrote the novel at just 19 years old.

At least that’s what the cover says.

Soon after the book’s publication, Kathleen McGurl revealed in a blog post that she was Brown’s ghostwriter: “I was sent a lot of research that had already been pulled together by Millie and her family, and plenty of ideas, and we had a couple of Zoom calls.” But only Brown’s name appeared on the book’s cover, heightening the debate over celebrity books written by ghostwriters.

Ghostwriting is nothing new. The profession dates back to ancient Greece and Rome, when logographers and scribes wrote speeches, legal documents, and other texts without getting any credit. In the early 20th century, celebrities and public figures — including Marilyn Monroe, Harry Houdini, and John F. Kennedy — employed ghostwriters to pen their memoirs and autobiographies. The debate over the ethics of ghostwriting has only grown over time — particularly fiction, as proven by the public’s divide over Nineteen Steps.

As The Guardian reported, people’s opinions on Brown’s ghostwritten novel greatly varied: Some believed that Brown used her celebrity status to get the book more publicity — taking away an opportunity that many aspiring writers don’t have, and not properly crediting McGurl. Others defended Brown, arguing that celebrities often put their names on products — perfumes, makeup, clothing — without having a direct role in their creation, so what makes books different? Others praised Brown for being open about the collaboration; she mentioned McGurl in the acknowledgements of the novel and posted a picture on Instagram of her posing with a copy of the book and McGurl with the caption, “I couldn’t have done this without you!”

The dispute over Nineteen Steps died down as quickly as most internet controversies, but the question remains: Is ghostwriting deceptive, or is it a legitimate tool?

Many well-known fiction writers hire ghostwriters to increase their speed, efficiency, and ability to take on more projects, and that has become more common and accepted in the publishing world. Similar to what Brown did for Nineteen Steps, the client usually creates an outline and hires a ghostwriter to flesh it out into a full work, and then refines the final product themselves. This raises the question: If a ghostwriter is creating the narrative, writing the story in their own language, and developing the characters, is it fair to have someone else’s name on the cover?

“As long as the author — not the ghostwriter, but the author — is coming up with the ideas and the plot and things like that … I think that’s an ethical use of it,” says Erik Deckers, who has ghostwritten 11 nonfiction books in the past decade. “But I’ve heard stories of some famous authors who will have other writers churn out their books and stick the author’s own name on it. I don’t think that’s ethical. You need to at least credit the fact that you had a ghostwriter helping you.”

In 2007, it was reported in the Los Angeles Times that sportswriter Joe Avenick worked for noted author James Michener as a researcher on several books, including Chesapeake and Sports in America, basically performing the role of a ghostwriter. Alexandre Dumas was said to have used Auguste Maquet to contribute to some of Dumas’s most well known novels, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, for which Maquet was never credited.

For nonfiction, the ghostwriting process often involves interviewing, collecting detailed notes, and regularly checking to ensure that the author’s voice and message are properly delivered through the writing. Nonfiction, particularly memoirs and autobiographies, gives readers the premise that they are reading someone’s life as told by them, and therefore some think that a ghostwriter can make the story less personal or more prone to misunderstandings. There can be a huge difference between a book personally written by a public figure who is sharing their life and their perspective, and a book written by ghostwriter based on interviews and notes.

The primary issue with ghostwritten nonfiction —particularly self-help, business, or any book purporting to share expert advice — is credibility. If the ghostwriter is not credited properly, the reader might be misled into believing that the author has greater authority on a subject than they actually do. Being forthright about where a book’s expertise is coming from may cause the reader to view a book’s content differently – for better or worse.

On the other hand, hiring a ghostwriter is arguably the best option for those who have a story to tell but lack the writing skills necessary. In many cases, such a collaboration can make a book better.

“When you’re ghostwriting, you need to adapt your writing style to the person you’re pretending to be,” says Kate Shoup, a ghostwriter with more than 50 titles not to her name. “[I may be] hired by a CEO who’s using phrases or words I don’t really use or vocabulary I’m not familiar with.”

Another benefit a ghostwriter might provide is clarity and accuracy; the ghostwriter needs to verify even the smallest details, ensuring that the book is factual and truthful. In some ways, they need to become experts in the topic or person they are writing about.

“Ghostwriting nonfiction is necessary,” Deckers says. “[Some] people have an idea or they have something they want to say [or] they have a legacy they want to leave behind, but they don’t have the skills for that.”

There has been a push by readers to recognize ghostwriters as collaborators more openly. In the past, it was much more common for ghostwriters to not be credited for their work at all. They also had to sign non-disclosure agreements, which prevented them from revealing their clients’ names or the projects they worked on. Now, however, it is much more common for a ghostwriter to be acknowledged in the back of a book, along with editors, literary agents, and other contributors. In some cases, they are even credited as co-authors. One example is James Patterson, who uses ghostwriters to maintain a high output and credits them on the cover or, sometimes, inside the book.

Author-centered organizations, such as the U.K.’s Society of Authors, are also advocating for greater transparency and more recognition of ghostwriters in the publishing industry — particularly for celebrity books. One example is Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, in which he includes his ghostwriter J.R. Moehringer’s name in the acknowledgments as a “collaborator and friend, confessor and sometime sparring partner.” Moehringer also openly talked about his experience of working on the memoir in a New Yorker article, which is rare for the profession which, by nature, involves anonymity.

“I assume that every book has been ghostwritten,” Shoup says. “Especially if it’s by a CEO or public figure. That’s probably because I am a ghostwriter myself.”

Overall, ghostwriting remains a debated writing practice, especially as authors continue to claim sole authorship of works they did not fully write. Many call it dishonest and misleading, arguing that readers should know whether a book was written by a ghostwriter or not. Others believe that it is merely a tool used by people who want to write a book but are unable to due to lack of skills or time, to bring their vision to life — even if another person holds the pen.