UK union demands celebrity book ghostwriters get credited

As book charts are increasingly filled with celebrities who have inexplicably shifted from careers as actors, musicians and socialites to literature, the writers union wants the true authors of their books be credited.

When Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown released her debut novel in 2023, it sparked renewed debate about the way ghostwriters are credited.

Her novel, “Nineteen Steps” was by all accounts a shoddy piece of historical fiction, tied to Bobby Brown by her grandmother’s experience of the 1943 Bethnal Green tube disaster more than through the actual writing.

“Nineteen Steps” had actually been written by Kathleen McGurl. Serving as a ghostwriter, McGurl’s name was scrubbed from the credits so that the famous actor’s name could propel the novel to bestseller lists.

Bobby Brown is by no means the first person to put out a ghostwritten book. Celebrity ghostwritten books are a common tactic by publishers to sell copies. The success of “Nineteen Steps” means a film adaptation is in the works, likely the end goal of the whole enterprise. Prince Harry became a bestselling author thanks to his ghostwriter penning his autobiography “Spare“.

Writing engaging novels and memoirs is neither an easy nor quick task and instead of relying on the unproven literary skills of a celebrity, it’s much easier to hire a tried and tested author to stand in.

The Society of Authors (SoA) notes that celebrity ghostwritten books for children are useful tools given “encouraging children to read in the digital age can be a challenge and that celebrities’ names can help kickstart a reading habit with the potential to benefit the reader for life.”

But SoA believes it’s now time to give ghostwriters their due credit.

“By celebrating everyone involved in the craft, we believe that readers will read more widely for the good of all authors and publishers alike,” their statement explains.

Abbie Longstaff, chair of SoA’s Children’s Writers and illustrators Group, said: “A book is not just a package with kerb-appeal. Creativity and well-honed craft make it special. The real hand that spins the magic should be acknowledged and applauded, particularly in an era when humans risk being drowned out by the generic and derivative outputs of artificial intelligence bots.”

SoA chair Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin (who writes under the pen name Sam Blake), reflected on rugby player Johnny Sexton bringing up his ghostwriter Peter O’Reilly at the Irish Book Awards. “It was a wonderful moment when both story and words were celebrated,” she said.

“It’s high time that ghostwriters got recognition for their hard and highly skilled work,” said Mark McCrum, co-author of singer Robbie Williams’ memoir “Somebody Someday”.

“A ‘with’ or a byline on the inside title page is enough, and ideally joint mention with the named celebrity in any bestseller lists,” McCrum said. “Publishers should understand that this, and a decent split of advance and royalties, is an incentive to work as well as we can, as well as giving the reading public an honest account of how these books come about.”