Do a Lot of Authors Use Ghostwriters?

This question is such an interesting one, precisely because it’s so difficult to answer. The estimates provided by experts can range hugely, from as little as 1% of published books to as many as 50% or even higher – especially more so in certain genres, such as memoir and non-fiction.

Discovering the true number of books written or co-authored by ghostwriters is almost impossible. The culprit behind this confusion is the prevalence of NDAs. Many authors who want to work with a ghostwriter want to do so in total secrecy. They will sign a contract together ensuring that the ghostwriter can never talk about the work that they have done, letting the author take the credit alone.

Personally, though I’ve worked on over a hundred book projects, I can only talk about a third of them – and a quarter of them are my own books published under my own name! I only have a handful of clients who have been comfortable with letting the world know that I helped them develop their book. That’s quite common, and an expected part of the business.

If we are talking in general terms, then, in my experience, it’s fair to say that almost all areas of the book industry include ghostwritten works. While celebrity memoirs and how-to guides might be expected, I’ve also written a wide range of other genres, including memoirs for less famous people, romances of all sub-genres, detective novels, sci-fi and action novels, young adult titles, and more. My own experience – and my finely-honed ability to sniff out a thank-you to a ghostwriter cloaked in euphemisms in an acknowledgements section – leads me to believe that a lot more books are ghostwritten than we might otherwise think.

So, in answer to the question: do a lot of authors use ghostwriters? I believe the answer to be ‘yes’. Of course, it depends on your definition of ‘a lot’ – but I would certainly argue that it’s a lot more than you think!