Ghostwriting is nothing new; it has been done since books were published. However, they rarely get credit for writing a book, whereas celebrities get all the credit. The Society of Authors in the United Kingdom calls for celebrities, publishers and agents to acknowledge the writers behind celebrity books, particularly for children.
The Society said in a blog post, “Many celebrity books, particularly those for children, involve professional ghostwriters and other co-creators. We are encouraging our industry partners to recognize and acknowledge the contributions made by all the creators involved, from the celebrities whose names encourage readers to pick up a book to the ghostwriters and, often, illustrators whose skills help to bring stories to life. By celebrating everyone involved in the craft, we believe readers will read more widely for the good of all authors and publishers alike.
Mark McCrum (co-author of Somebody Someday by Robbie Williams) said, “It’s high time that ghostwriters got recognition for their hard and highly skilled work. A ‘with’ or byline on the inside title page is enough, and ideally, a joint mention with the named celebrity in any bestseller list. Publishers should understand that this, and a decent split of advance and royalties, is an incentive to work as well as we can and give the reading public an honest account of how these books come about.”
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
