Is ghostwriting ethical?

Every now and then when I talk to people about my ghostwriting services, they ask me, “Is it ethical for you to write while someone else puts their name on the cover of the book as an author?”

My answer is: “It depends.” Then, to establish a framework for the discussion, I ask a series of questions:

* Is it ethical for politicians to give speeches written by their speechwriters?

* Is it ethical for CEOs of companies to sign letters to shareholders written by their public relations staff?

* Is it ethical for charity leaders to sign fundraising appeals written by professional copywriters?

A surprising number of people respond: “Everyone knows that politicians don’t write their own speeches, and I don’t think that’s unethical. But I didn’t know that some authors don’t write their own books. If an author puts their name on a book, don’t people have the right to expect that he actually wrote the book? “

That line of reasoning seems to suggest that the problem is one of conscience rather than one of ethics. The implication is that if more people were aware of ghostwriting, it wouldn’t seem so “misleading.”

But that argument loses its meaning.

Ghostwriting really does raise some ethical concerns. And as with many complex problems, the answers are not always clear.

At one end of the spectrum, most people would agree that it is unethical for an author to only name a book that a ghostwriter has substantially written. For example, it turns out that Bruce Wilkinson was not the sole author of the Christian blockbuster, The Prayer of Jabes. David Kopp, an executive at Multnomah Publishers, made very substantial contributions. Some might argue that Kopp actually wrote the book. But the byline “with David Kopp” wasn’t added to the cover until nine million copies were sold. I’m glad that oversight was corrected.

On the other hand, when an author gives the ghostwriter most of the information and guidance for the book, I don’t think it’s unethical for him to keep the ghostwriter’s name in the background. The ghostwriter may deserve some credit on the thank you page for professionally presenting the author’s thoughts, but he doesn’t necessarily deserve a byline on the cover.

Many nonfiction authors use their books to advance their business careers. Some feel that giving their ghostwriter a “con” on the cover will diminish their credibility as authorities in their field. That, they fear, will reduce the effectiveness of their book as a marketing tool.

I empathize with this point of view, but I do not agree. Surveys have shown that acknowledging the ghostwriter does not diminish the credibility of the author. People know that executives are busy and expect their talents to be put to good use. Hiring a ghostwriter is a smart business decision, not an admission of failure.

However, the fiction is different. While non-fiction authors present themselves primarily as experts in their field, fiction authors primarily present themselves as authors. I think it’s smart for fiction authors to hire editors, but it’s not right for them to hand over writing work to ghostwriters.

Is ghostwriting ethical? Depends.

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