Is ghostwriting ethical?

There are always two ways to view a situation or problem at hand. One, the easy way. The other is obviously the hard way. Let’s try and answer simple questions. Are you telling the truth? And can you stand by your decision no matter what? Are you sure you will never regret it? If you have a clear answer in mind, then that’s it. It’s a done deal.

Now, moving back to the topic let’s try and break down situations and scenarios to understand the ethical nature of Ghostwriting.

What exactly is Ghostwriting?

First off, let’s define what ghostwriting is. It’s when a person writes a book, article, speech, or any other piece of content, but their name doesn’t appear on it. Instead, someone else’s name is credited as the author. It’s like I’m writing this article for you, but you’re going to put your name on it and take all the credit. Rude, right?

Some people argue that ghostwriting is unethical because it’s a form of deception. If you’re publishing something under someone else’s name, you’re essentially lying to the reader. They think they’re getting the words of the credited author, but really, they’re getting the work of someone else entirely. But this is a meaningless argument.

Consider this example

Let’s say you’re a celebrity, and you want to write a memoir. You’re a great actor or singer or athlete, but you’re not a writer. You don’t know how to structure a story, craft a narrative, or develop characters. So, you hire a ghostwriter to help you tell your story. The ghostwriter does all the heavy lifting, putting your words and memories into a coherent narrative. You read the final product and think, “Wow, this is exactly what I wanted to say!” So, you put your name on it and publish it.

Now, let’s say you didn’t hire a ghostwriter. Instead, you tried to write the memoir yourself. You struggled for months, trying to organize your thoughts and get them down on paper. You made countless revisions, but you still couldn’t get it right. Finally, you gave up and decided not to publish anything.

Which scenario is better? In the first one, the celebrity gets to tell their story, and the reader gets to enjoy a well-crafted book. In the second one, nobody gets anything. The celebrity’s story goes untold, and the reader misses out on a potentially great book.

Sure, the ghostwriter doesn’t get any credit, but they got paid for their work. And if they’re a good ghostwriter, they probably don’t care about getting credit. They’re happy to help someone else tell their story, and that’s enough for them.

But there’s always an exception

Now, what about cases where the ghostwriter is writing something unethical or dishonest? What if they’re helping someone write a book that’s full of lies, or they’re writing speeches for politicians who are spreading hate and division? Well, that’s a bit trickier.

There are a number of misunderstandings about ghostwriting, one of which is that many people think they need a ghostwriter when in reality they simply need someone to help them create copy that does justice to their ideas. There is no problem with this, of course. An ethical breach occurs when you hire a ghostwriter to create material and then pretend the material was created by you.

And it is also unfair to blame the ghostwriter for the actions of the person they’re writing for. They’re just doing a job, after all. If they refuse to write something unethical, they risk losing their job or damaging their reputation. It’s up to the person commissioning the work to decide what they want to say and how they want to say it.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the ethics of ghostwriting depend on the situation. A good collaboration is always welcome if it offers a win-win situation for both parties involved. There are cases where it’s perfectly ethical, like when a celebrity hires a ghostwriter to help them tell their story. And there are cases where it’s more complicated, like when a ghostwriter is asked to write something dishonest or unethical.

But for the most part, ghostwriting is a perfectly respectable profession. It allows people who aren’t writers to share their stories and ideas with the world. And as long as the ghostwriter is being paid fairly and treated with respect, then it’s a go!