Juicy secrets of the celebrity ghostwriters
Never judge a celebrity’s book by its author
Iwrote it all by myself,” said a certain reality star last year, as she plugged her new memoir on daytime TV. “It took me months. I’d work on it first thing in the morning and last thing at night.” This was, of course, news to the book’s actual writer – who’d spent half a year interviewing the star, before moulding her baffling streams of consciousness into glistening prose. And who knew for a fact that not only had the book’s “author” not written her book, she hadn’t even read it. Welcome to the hush-hush world of celebrity ghostwriting.
It’s an open secret that some of the bestselling writers today have had more than a helping hand, and celebs know the score better than most. For them, a book is just another piece of merch, like a branded fragrance or clothing line. And it’s relatively straightforward: they enter talks with a publisher, the book’s commissioned, a ghostwriter (usually a journalist and/or novelist) is brought on board – and months later, they’re published authors. But how much are they really involved?
WORKING TOGETHER
According to entertainment journalist and ghostwriter Christian Guiltenane, it really is collaborative. “In my experience, they’re hands-on and are keen to make the book their own,” says Christian, who has penned several reality stars’ autobiographies. “A lot of the celebs I’ve worked with have a very distinctive voice, so much of what they say goes straight into the book. But I will guide them and encourage them to flesh out certain stories.”
But heat’s Lucie Cave tells us it’s highly dependent on the celeb. “You have to choose who you ghostwrite for wisely,” says Lucie, who pretty much started the celebrity memoir boom in 2006 with Jade Goody’s autobiography.
“Maybe a celeb won’t show up or they won’t be on the phone on time. You still have to meet your deadline. It’s also important that they’re honest. I once did a book that was a complete disaster – the person almost wanted to rewrite her history. She was ashamed of the celeb she’d become, so she kept denying everything.”
Writer Catherine Woods knows what it’s like to have a less-than committed collaborator. “I did a book with a reality star at the height of her fame,” she tells us. “She was supposed to do phone interviews. But she’s not known for her timekeeping and she’d never actually pick up. In the end, I effectively moved in with her and followed her around. She’s not as famous now, but I’m sure she’s just as flaky. I didn’t get the impression she was particularly keen. For her, it was a money spinner – she was being paid a lot.”
TOUGH TALK
This year’s new wave of autobiographies and novels prove the business is still booming – memoirs from Elton John, Demi Moore, Debbie Harry and Emily Atack are flying off the shelves.
But even if the celeb isn’t doing any writing, it can be a tough process for them. They’re unearthing long-buried memories – and more often than not, the ghostwriter becomes their confidante (and hears things they definitely can’t publish). “They cry a lot,” says Lucie, who’s also written autobiographies for Charlotte Crosby, Dani Dyer and Joey Essex. Remembering the
months she spent with Jade, she tells us, “She had so much trauma from her childhood. Her earliest memory of her dad was him sitting beside her cot jacking up [heroin]. You have to gain the celeb’s trust, so they know that, even though I work for a showbiz magazine, I won’t print some things. If they start censoring themselves, it won’t be a good book.”
Catherine agrees, telling us that in some cases, you end up sitting on a gold mine of exploits. That’s where trust comes in – and the lawyers and the NDAS. “It’s fascinating to be privy to so much information,” she tells us. “I’m still sitting on things that have never been revealed. That’s why they get you to sign NDAS. To understand someone’s story, you really need the full picture. I’ve had people call me in the middle of the night, saying, ‘Please don’t put that in!’”
Taking credit
But it must be difficult to spend a lot of time and effort on a product, only to have your work overlooked – or its existence totally denied. But the ghostwriters we spoke to all said they were willing to leave their egos at the door. Every book is different. Some writers get an acknowledgment or dedication; others share the byline; some only appear deep in the book’s epilogue – or not at all. “Most people credit me, but I once worked with a person who was adamant they didn’t want my name in there or to admit that I’d been involved,” says Catherine. “The way I see it, it’s like being a surrogate. When you’re pregnant, you’re really involved. But the minute you give birth, it’s someone else’s baby. I know it sounds cheesy, but seeing someone happy with their book makes up for being ‘invisible’.” The pregnancy analogy is pretty spot on – after all, it’s a pretty intense process, requiring a lot of give and take, some occasional nausea, and one almighty push at the end.
On the plus side, provided the book does well, there will be far fewer tears and tantrums. n
‘You have to choose who you write for wisely’