Why is ghostwriting controversial?
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who composes articles, books, memoirs, and speeches on behalf of someone else. It is a job that, in most instances, requires anonymity of the actual author or co-author. The ghostwriter is hired for various reasons, including the client’s lack of time or skill. However, there are controversies surrounding the profession, such as inauthenticity, the prioritisation of profit over creativity, or a lack of academic integrity. Despite these arguments, ghostwriting is a valuable profession and can be useful for people with great ideas.
Many people feel that ghostwriting is a dishonest practice because the identity of the actual writer is, in most cases, publicly unknown. This collaboration of the credited author with a ghostwriter can make many feel that they have been deceived and misleaded. That happens especially in autobiographies, when celebrities hire ghostwriters, increasing distance between fans and the celebrity due to uncertainty about the factuality of the book. Celebrities, especially actors or singers, are more likely to be criticised for that due to their fans’ expectations. An example is Millie Bobby Brown’s ‘Nineteen Steps’ novel, which was co-authored by Kathleen McGurl, whose name was not on the cover.
One could argue that since it is in a ghostwriter’s nature to work discretely, why would they be acknowledged? The point of ghostwriting is to elaborate on the credited author’s ideas in a way that people won’t even suspect that someone else is writing the piece for the author on the front page of a book. So blaming the credited author for not publicly recognising the work of their ghostwriter might be unreasonable. On the other hand, people who manage to create a good piece of writing should have some kind of recognition. Even if their name is not written on the front of the book, it would be decent to know that there is also someone else behind the credited person’s work.
Another controversy is the prioritisation of profit over originality. Ghostwriters are hired to write specific pieces to make a living, rather than for the creative process. Additionally, ghostwriters can work on more than one project at a time, making more money. Through various collaborations, ghostwriters can form ties with prominent figures resulting in higher salaries. For some this implies that the focus is on the earnings rather than the writing itself.
But in our technologically advancing world, what does the future of ghostwriting look like? In 2026, Artificial Intelligence has taken center stage in the world of writing. It can be assumed that many writers would use AI as a support for their work, rather than investing in a ghostwriter. While this is tempting, since AI can produce pieces with accurate grammar, rich vocabulary, and specific tones within seconds, AI cannot replicate human creativity and originality. Human ghostwriters can produce innovative ideas, speak openly with their clients, understand their way of thinking and personality, listen to their tone when they speak and incorporate these into writing. Artificial Intelligence is rather mechanical and because it can’t comprehend the client’s world, the writing will lack personality. Even if AI is now greatly used in writing, it can’t take a ghostwriter’s place.
So why do ghostwriters still exist? Why would someone want to be a ghostwriter?
First, ghostwriters work for people who have great potential and ideas, but no way to produce them. Ghostwriters, as professionals, give their full capacity on formulating it into text. Second, they are known for having good organising skills. Usually, time is of great essence and ghostwriters are experts in fast-paced writing, an ability that the client does not have.
At the same time, professionals might choose to become ghostwriters for multiple reasons. Some might write anonymously because they would prefer to stay behind the curtain, where they feel less stress and more comfort, rather than in the public eye. Others find this job even more rewarding than writing their own stories. For example, the ghostwriter Lisa Dickey, who has collaborated with many celebrities such as Jill Biden, Patrick Swayze, and Gavin Newsom, says that understanding all these people and their lives and assisting them to organise and write their experiences is extremely rewarding. She emphasises that she loves putting together a person’s experiences and through this to help the readers with their own struggles.
Ghostwriting is a profession surrounded by controversies. On one hand, there are people who believe it is dishonest, and on the other, those who believe that it is an essential profession. Regardless of this, ghostwriters have been proven to be valuable, as they give people’s words and thoughts a meaning, and are likely to continue doing so in the future.
Image Credit: Grammarly
