One of the trends I have found encouraging in recent years has been the push for greater recognition of everyone involved in producing the books people love. First, there was widespread acknowledgment that illustrators were as responsible for captivating readers as writers. More recently, translators have taken their rightful place on book covers. Now, the conversation has turned to ghostwriter recognition, with a focus on ensuring these often-overlooked contributors receive the credit they deserve.
ALLi News Editor, Dan Holloway
This is especially timely, given the high-profile comments about the way celebrity writers can dominate the charts, particularly in the children’s market. It might well feel only fair that when this happens, the public and wider media see behind the curtain to realize that not everything is as it seems with many of these books (though not, of course, all). Many of these titles rely on the tireless, often poorly paid, highly pressured, and little-acknowledged work of ghostwriters.
Campaign for Acknowledgment
The Society of Authors has launched a campaign to get more acknowledgment for ghostwriters. At the very least, there is a desire to see the people who do the bulk of the hard graft on the books that bear celebrity names receive credit on the main page or cover.
Ghostwriting is, of course, one way that many indies supplement the income from books they publish under their own names. I have always found it a fascinating but strange world. On the one hand, it feels like a place of smoke and shadows where NDAs are the main currency. On the other hand, I’ve always wondered how ghostwriters laden with NDAs manage to push their CVs.
Survey and Next Steps
The Society of Authors’ statement on the matter hints there is work to come in 2025, and invites ghostwriters to take part in a survey to help inform this work.
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