Public opinion reflects new stance
Many of the world's favorite memoirs, tell-all's, and even works of fiction aren't written by the person on the front or back cover. In fact, almost 60% of the last three decades' bestselling nonfiction works were written by ghostwriters.
Ghostwriting isn't just reserved for the TV personalities and celebrities who you'd never expect to write a book, either. Some of the world's most famous and well-respected authors, whose fame is built on nothing but their writing skill, have made use of ghostwriters.
There are a lot of books in the world, and nearly all of them have the name of the author right there with the title. The name listed, however, isn't always the name of the book's true author. Sometimes, the true author is a "ghostwriter."
Alexander Dumas, one of the most famous and widely-read poets and authors in the history of France, might not actually deserve all the credit he receives. Dumas' most famous works, including 1844's 'The Count of Monte Cristo' and 'The Three Musketeers' from the same year, along with 18 other works, were actually co-written by one Auguste Maquet. Maquet's name was never mentioned in the works that made Dumas famous, and the two ended up in a grisly legal battle over the matter.
James Patterson is one of the most financially successful authors alive today, with an estimated income of US$700 million over the course of a single decade. Patterson, who has published everything from science fiction to mystery to romance, has been lauded for his prolific catalogue and impossibly fast writing speed. Turns out, it actually is impossible, and Patterson has made quite the habit of hiring numerous ghostwriters to keep his novel business raking in the cash.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama's 2018 memoir 'Becoming' was the number one selling book in the United States that year, the writing of which was described by Obama herself as a "deeply personal experience." In actuality, rumors have circulated that the former White House resident used a ghostwriter-rumor started by her husband, Barack Obama.
Pete Bennett, the English TV star who first rose to prominence after winning the seventh season of the hit show 'Big Brother,' was also helped by Andrew Crofts to write his memoir 'Pete: My Story.'
See also: Do you know the 35 authors of the Bible?
Kathy Etchingham, once-girlfriend of Jimi Hendrix and a documentarian of London's 1960's counterculture, is known today for her books chronicling her life in London and the life of the many rock stars she associated with. But her most famous work, 1998's 'Through Gypsy Eyes,' was ghostwritten at least in part by Andrew Crofts, one of England's most famous ghostwriters.
Pablo Fenjves is famous for not only testifying against O.J. Simpson in court, but also for penning his infamous autobiography 'If I Did It: The Confessions of the Killer.' After spending five days alone with Simpson to collect info for the book, Fenjves said he never doubted for a second that Simpson was truly guilty of murder.
Hillary Clinton, former secretary of state and presidential hopeful, is no stranger to controversy. In 1996, Clinton released 'It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us.' While touring for the book's release, Clinton claimed repeatedly that she alone had written the book, saying once, "I had to write my own book because I want to stand by every word." This statement was quickly refuted by the book's real author, Barbara Feinman Todd. She is said to have worked with Clinton on interviews but wrote the majority of the book on her own, and has yet to receive proper accreditation for her work.
Retired soccer star David Beckham was quick to jump on the bandwagon of bestselling sports memoirs. He enlisted the talent of author Tom Watts to write his 2002 so-called autobiography, 'My Side.'
Responsible for introducing the world to the most famous fictional spy of all time, Ian Fleming is known as the creator of James Bond. While Fleming did, to the best of our knowledge, write all of the Bond books, he frequently employed friends and associates to ghostwrite his newspaper commissions so that he could focus solely on spy novels.
Before Donald Trump was president, before he was even a reality TV star, he was primarily known as the incorrigible businessman-turned-author of the bestselling book 'The Art of the Deal.' It is now widely known that Trump actually had very little to do with the writing process of his book, which was really penned by journalist Tony Schwartz. Schwartz has since called writing 'The Art of the Deal' his "greatest regret in life, without question."
One of literature's biggest open secrets has to do with the authorship of the hugely popular and influential series of 'Nancy Drew' detective books. On every book's cover, the stories are credited to one Carolyn Keane. Keane, it turns out, isn't actually a real person, but is a pseudonym used by a whole team of ghostwriters.
R.L Stine's spooky 'Goosebumps' books have been an integral part of countless childhoods since the prolific author started writing the series in 1992. Today, there are no less than 160 books in the 'Goosebumps' series, prompting many to call Stine the Stephen King of children's books. However, according to the original publisher of the 'Goosebumps' series, Scholastic, Stine only wrote the first 16 books himself and began employing freelance ghostwriters to write the majority of his books after that. This accusation caused Stine's contract with Scholastic to fall apart in the year 2000.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, author Tom Clancy found international renown as the writer of suspenseful military thrillers. Upwards of 100 million copies of the 20-plus books credited to Clancy have been sold, but apparently Clancy isn't the only person involved in his success who deserves recognition. Overwhelming popularity led the author to hire a team of ghostwriters over the years to keep up with demand.
Sheryl Sandberg, who served as COO at Facebook until stepping down in 2022, is an inspiration for many looking to climb the corporate ladder quickly and efficiently. In 2013, Sandberg published 'Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead,' a book filled with what she believed to be the keys to her success The book, however, wasn't written by Sandberg alone; she had help from Nell Scovell, media writer and creator of the hit TV show 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch.'
Former American president and victorious Union general in the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant's autobiography 'Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant' was once one of the most popular books in the United States. It turns out, Grant didn't write the book on his own; large portions of the work are now credited to Grant's longtime friend, Mark Twain.
In 1957, then-Senator John F. Kennedy was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Biography/Autobiography for his 1956 book 'Profiles in Courage.' Kennedy graciously accepted the prestigious award, but soon came under fire by journalist Drew Pearson, who announced on NBC that it was in fact Ted Sorensen, Kennedy's speechwriter, who was responsible for the lion's share of the book. On television, Pearson said, "John F. Kennedy is the only man in history that I know who won a Pulitzer Prize for a book that was ghostwritten for him."
The legacy of William Shakespeare, arguably history's most popular writer, has been a popular topic of debate for decades upon decades. Many experts and scholars insist that Shakespeare—if he existed at all—wasn't quite the talent that he is thought of today. Skeptics have named various other artists as the 'real' Shakespeare, from Earl Edward de Vere to Francis Bacon.
Actress and businesswoman Gwyneth Paltrow is now arguably more famous for her various Goop-related scandals than for her career as a entertainer. One of many controversies began when The New York Times claimed that Paltrow used a ghostwriter, Julia Turshen, to create both the recipes and the anecdotal commentary for the 2011 cookbook 'My Father's Daughter.'
Creator of the immensely popular Jason Bourne series, Robert Ludlum wrote no less than 27 books before passing away in 2001. But thanks to the magic of ghostwriters, more than a dozen books have been credited to Robert Ludlum since his passing.
Former First Lady Laura Bush is said to have had the help of journalist Lyric Winik when writing her autobiography, 2010's 'Spoken from the Heart,' which is widely seen as a meticulously calculated political tool defending her husband George W. Bush's decisions while president.
Legendary escape artist Harry Houdini wasn't known for his writing skills, but did nevertheless appear in a number of short story magazines. His most famous work, 1924's 'Imprisoned with the Pharaohs,' was actually written by H.P. Lovecraft.
Caitlyn Jenner employed Buzz Bissinger, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who wrote the 2015 Vanity Fair story that introduced her to the world, to write her official 2017 memoir 'The Secrets of My Life.'
Nicole Richie, adopted daughter of Lionel Richie and once partner in crime with Paris Hilton, has certainly lived an eventful life worth writing about. But Richie's two semi-autobiographical novels, 2005's 'The Truth About Diamonds' and 2010's 'Priceless,' were both written with the help of ghostwriters, according to Richie's publishers.
The famous and prolific author of now classic stories such as 'Jurassic Park,' Michael Crichton never once used a ghostwriter while we was alive. After his death in 2008, however, highly dedicated writers have taken up his name and continue to write in his style.
Prince Harry took the book world by storm in 2022 with the announcement and release of his tell-all confessional 'Spare.' The intimate and revealing memoir, which granted readers an inside look into the messy personal affairs of the British royal family, was written by perhaps the most successful ghostwriter of all time: Pulitzer Prize-winner J.R. Moehringer.
As celebrity memoirs become more and more profitable, more and more stars seem to become accomplished wordsmiths overnight. No matter what their claim to fame might be, from athletics to politics to murder, it seems like anyone can become an author if the money's right. Or can they? It turns out, countless celebrities have used ghostwriters to express their most personal secrets and innermost thoughts while still putting their own name on the cover. To make matters even more surprising, it's not just celebrities publishing memoirs who are to blame. Some of the most famous and well-respected authors, novelists, and storytellers in the world have been known to take credit for writing they never actually did.
So, who are some of the most famous authors, real or otherwise, that have used ghostwriters? Read on to find out.
Ghostwriters: Who are they, and which famous authors have used them?
Famous 'authors' who took all the credit
LIFESTYLE Literature
As celebrity memoirs become more and more profitable, more and more stars seem to become accomplished wordsmiths overnight. No matter what their claim to fame might be, from athletics to politics to murder, it seems like anyone can become an author if the money's right. Or can they? It turns out, countless celebrities have used ghostwriters to express their most personal secrets and innermost thoughts while still putting their own name on the cover. To make matters even more surprising, it's not just celebrities publishing memoirs who are to blame. Some of the most famous and well-respected authors, novelists, and storytellers in the world have been known to take credit for writing they never actually did.
So, who are some of the most famous authors, real or otherwise, that have used ghostwriters? Read on to find out.