Celebrity books: The truth behind ghostwriters

With the release of Stranger Things actress Milly Bobby Brown’s new book Nineteen Steps, a new wave of questions has emerged around the ethical use of ghostwriters. Although, the most prominent question seems to be: why are celebrities allowed to take credit for someone else’s work?

It is a natural response to feel a sense of betrayal when you find out the new book by your favourite celebrity was written by someone else. However, the industry of ghostwriters is more prolific than it seems, with some statistics stating that 50% of non-fiction books on the bestseller list are written with the help of a ghostwriter.

Nineteen Steps, by the nineteen-year-old actress, is based on her grandmother’s experiences in World War Two during a fateful air raid. The reaction to the book has been overwhelmingly negative after Brown revealed it was ghostwritten by Kathleen McGurl.

The novel is described in reviews as “a good novel and a page-turner, just don’t expect to be surprised.” It is praised as a debut with many of Brown’s fans buying signed editions and attending sold-out book tours. Her celebrity status, as expected, does seem to be the driving force for the book’s moderate success.

Brown revealed in an interview that the book was ‘co-written’, with her presenting McGurl with ideas via Zoom while McGurl wrote the novel. Brown has been open about using a ghostwriter, but it is hard to ignore the fact that it is Brown’s name on the cover of the book while McGurl is briefly mentioned on the first page, in a significantly smaller font.

Before criticising Brown too much, we should acknowledge that more celebrity books are ghostwritten than we think – and this is not the first time a celebrity has been criticised for it.

Anyone who was a YouTube fanatic in 2014 will probably have read Zoe ‘Zoella’ Sugg’s Girl Online series about a shy, awkward blogger who embarks on a whirlwind relationship with a mysterious singer. When it was first released, Girl Online broke the record for the highest sales of a debut author since 1998 and became the highest-selling book of 2014.

However, reports soon revealed that she did not write the book independently which sent ripples of shock through her devoted community of fans. Sugg was attacked online for lying to her fans and some even started showing up at her house.

The reaction to Sugg’s use of a ghostwriter was significantly worse because her fans unquestionably believed she had written the book herself. Before YouTube, Sugg had begun her career as a blog writer so fans assumed she could write a book. There was more acceptance from Brown’s fans who probably understand that with her busy schedule, it is unlikely that she had time to write a whole novel.

Why are people so angry about ghostwriters?

The act of writing a book is typically equated with intelligence and prestige. It requires a talent for writing, hours of editing and a unique idea that will set it apart from the hundreds of books that line the shelves of bookstores. Once written, there is the added level of difficulty for unknown authors to even get their books published. Most authors reveal that they were rejected by multiple publishers before finally being accepted. While other aspiring authors must settle with manuscripts that will never be published.

So, when a successful celebrity announces a new book that flies straight to the best seller list, and on top of that, they haven’t even written it themselves – it can be frustrating. It is also easy to admit that there is a degree of jealousy, especially with a celebrity like Milly Bobby Brown, who at nineteen is already a multiple Emmy and SAG award nominee.

It is important to acknowledge that the backlash faced by both Brown and Sugg was significantly more extreme than their male counterparts, with their criticisms focusing heavily on their gender. The idea of successful young women still seems to terrify people.

Is it ethical to use a ghostwriter?

Although there have been issues with ghostwriters not being credited or being underpaid, there is now more protection for them. In recent cases, celebrities have been much more open about using ghostwriters and giving them the credit they deserve.

Such as Spare by Prince Harry, which was ghostwritten by J. R Moehringer – a memoir that revealed the details of growing up as a royal. Although met with mixed reactions, readers were never under the illusion that Prince Harry had actually written the book and were happy to read it anyway.

Perhaps the use of ghostwriters will be more accepted as long as the celebrities are transparent about it and give them the credit they deserve.