Ghostwriters: a few myths and truths

This will definitely be the last part of my ghostwriting frenzy, then I'll return to my stories for a while. Or maybe I would put some thought into my list of other ideas, who knows but for now, I hope you enjoy this write-up as well. 

So for the last part, let me just go over some of the few myths that revolve around ghostwriters. 

Ghostwriting is plagiarism and intellectual property theft 

It technically isn’t? Well in a personal opinion, there’s no intellectual property theft unless the ghostwriter legit just copy-pasted something they claimed to have written. The thing is, the ghostwriter is only given an idea and then the rest is their own words. And as I keep mentioning: the ghostwriter has no claims whatsoever of whatever they’ve written once they’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement. That non-disclosure agreement will make sure that the person who hired the ghostwriter gets all rights to the written work. No, the ghostwriter will not receive royalties unless it was also indicated in the agreement, and most of the time, it isn’t. 

It’s hard to find a ghostwriter

Nope, not at all. They’re everywhere, really. Just look it up in Upwork or on the net and you can easily find one but it all comes down to how skilled your hired ghostwriter is. That’s why a portfolio is always needed. If the ghostwriter has a website or blog they use for their portfolio then that’s better. The client can get a better understanding of the ghostwriter’s writing style and if the ghostwritter is capable of switching styles.

Isn’t it illegal to hire a ghostwriter? 

Not at all! As I’ve said, so many famous authors have made use of ghostwriters. Holy scriptures such as the bible may have been the few of the first ghostwritten pieces that sold worldwide (I don’t want to cause controversy but since the “words of God” were passed throughout history by songs and poems, and not by paper and books in the times of the old testament, it is clear that it was ghostwritten. Plus how can He write those down without the aid of a prophet? Again, no controversy, just stating what I've observed). What is illegal is if you literally steal some unknown writer’s work just to publish it as your own because you’re famous. That doesn’t make you cool, it makes you an a$$hole that plagiarizes. 

Is it ethical to hire a ghostwriter? 

Well, that’s hard to answer… but the fact that the practice is so widely accepted so it’s hard to question at this point. I mean, even in the academic field, there’s at least 20-25% of academic journals that were written by ghostwriters, and even among established authors, at least 25% of them actually admit to hiring ghostwriters. 

But now that we’re on the topic of authors and ghostwritten works. I actually want to mention a few because they piqued my interest while I was looking up some fun questions. 

 First on my list is R.L. Stine. Although there was never any statements or proof that he hired ghostwriters for his series it's highly suspicious for just one man to write 62 titles by himself in the span of just 5 years (1992-1995) and to top it off, there came a time where he could release at least 2 books in a month. Although yeah, his works were short that even I could finish it in one sitting, but it still seems highly suspicious.

There's also the holy scriptures but I don't want any controversies so onto the next XD.

It might come as a surprise to see Shakespeare here but based on what I've read, there's honestly not much information on whether he did or did not hire a ghostwriter for his works. I mean, there isn't enough information about his personal life as well. His life was quite a mystery because his works spoke for him. But to whether there was another behind his famous works, I'm interested to find out, actually. But he did create so many playwrights that it kinda makes one wonder how one could pull that off alone.

The last one and probably the one that actually has proof of being a ghostwriter before was H.P. Lovecraft. Here, he was the ghostwriter, he never hired ghostwriters to do things for him. I haven't read any of his works but I want to;;w;; I'm gonna get his books one day.

Back to the topic: In 1924, he wrote a book for Harry Houdini. It was entitled "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" I'm not sure about the story itself and whether Houdini insisted on a different writing style or he just let Lovecraft go with his established writing style but maybe I'll add this to my "To Read" list so that I can find out

That concludes my fascination with knowing about my previous job XD I hope you enjoyed it. There are also plenty of other books that had a ghostwriter behind them and you can look if you're curious but I just listed off the authors I like reading from and those on my list. Anyways, let's see if you'll have the patience for a 10 Chapter full novel next time because I'm publishing my rejected novel.