I let autobiographies have a pass on ghostwriting because not everybody is capable of writing their own bio. There is no excuse for ghostwriting a novel for someone else. Or do what most celebrities do and write a childrens book!
Yes, because the truth matters. It will always matter.
Steven King using his Bachman alias is infinitely better than a celebrity author lending their name to someone else’s work. An alias is dishonest but usually done so as to not distract. A ghostwriter is fraudulently using a known name to get you to buy something.
To quote Stephen Fry quoting Katie Price’s manager:
“Katie just tells them what she wants the story to be about, and they just put it into book words”
So, my opinion is that it really depends on how much input the credited writer has in the process. Sometimes they have a good story to tell and need help with the execution. I can be on board with that. (I’m not plugging her or her book, it’s just a fun quote)
However, I think it was Reagan who said he looked forward to reading his autobiography someday. That low/no level of input would be on the end of the spectrum where I would not approve of a ghostwritten book.
IMO everyone involved in writing it should be credited on the cover, even if the celebrity’s name is featured prominently. Any tools like ChatGPT should also be credited.
It makes celebrities seem even more disconnected and artificial than they already do, and it makes me bitter that they're using their name recognition to enrich themselves at the expense of genuine authors themselves, including the ghostwriters. I so badly wish we lived in an actual meritocracy, where being already rich or famous basically guarantees the ability to get even moreso.
