Quote:
Originally Posted by vivaldirules
I've found several sources of info about this widespread practice (one article suggests it comprises 40% of what you read) which seems always to be defended as both legal and ethical but alway by people who have something to gain from the practice. Their arguments read like rationalizations not explanations. They stress that no one is harmed since there is a contract between the publisher, "author", and ghostwriter. Apparently, the consumer, who is the clear target of the deception in hopes that some will buy a book which they otherwise would not buy, is of no concern.
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In at least one case - that of the "celebrity autobiography" - ghostwriters are commonly used because the nominal "author" has neither the inclination nor the ability to write a decent book. The book would not exist at all were it not "ghostwritten"; we can leave to another day the question as to whether or not this would be a good thing, but I think that the book buying public is well aware that when they buy the autobiography of some sport's star (or whoever) it was almost certainly
not penned by its nomimal "author".