truth versus ghostwriting

Recently, an email group discussion took place among a large number of multi-published novelists about ghostwritten books in the Christian market. This matter is so disturbing. It is bad enough in the ABA (general market), but aren't Christians supposed to hold to a higher standard? Isn't truth important to us? To have one person write a book and have another (usually a celebrity) slap their name on it and show up at book signings to sign copies is flat out wrong. It's a lie, deception.

When I was still in my ABA career, a certain male cover model supposedly wrote three or six historical romance novels. I happened to know the author who actually penned those books so I always knew he didn't write them. But when I was at romance fan events, it was the model who smiled and signed the books and thanked readers when they said they loved those books.

This actually happens more often than perhaps the general reading public suspects. I've never liked feeling like I was duped, which is how I have felt a few times when I've learned a book that I read was not written by the famous person who's name was on the cover. And as much as I disliked that feeling when it's happened in the general market, it breaks my heart to know it also happens in the Christian market.

So, as a result of this lengthy exchange of emails among writers, over 65 authors attached their names to a letter sent to CBA publishers. It reads as follows [and if you've already read the letter on another blog, please scroll to the end for a final comment and link]:

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Dear publishing management team:

We are Christian novelists who have become concerned and dismayed about the practice of ghostwritten novels. We know the practice continues in the Christian publishing industry (because some of us have been offered these jobs), and we believe the situation is deceptive, a form of false advertising, and ultimately demeaning to the work God has called us to do.

Erickson’s Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology defines honesty as “truthfulness, openness, and fairness in all of one’s representations and business dealings.” Scripture tells us: “False weights and unequal measures—the Lord detests double standards of every kind” (Prov. 20:10). Ghostwritten novels deceive the book buying public, and scandals arise when this occurs even in the secular marketplace. Why should this sort of dishonesty be condoned in the Christian publishing industry?

What are we talking about? A ghostwritten novel lists one person as the author when someone else has actually written the book. We are not talking about dual author teams where one person supplies ideas and research and another does the writing. We’ve seen many of these duos in recent years, and we have no complaint when the writer’s name is listed with a partner’s. We trust that they have come to an equitable arrangement to share the work, the reward, and the responsibility.

Our concern is with the purely ghostwritten novel. A novel is an art form that arises after years of work and studying the craft. We are committed to excellence in our fiction, and we write to glorify God. For a publisher to propose that a novel be cranked out, stamped with a celebrity’s name, and sold to an unsuspecting public demeans our work and dishonors our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Truth and tells the Truth.

We know that some publishers have decided to no longer publish ghost-written novels. If you have a policy against ghostwriting, it would be helpful if you would inform us of this. We do not wish to be accusatory and assume that you engage in this practice just because some others do. Regardless of your position on this matter, we would welcome any input, clarification or correction you have to offer us. Thanks so much for your consideration.

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Randy Alcorn — who is both a friend and someone I would hope to emulate in matters of faith, honesty, and integrity — wrote a piece about the Scandal of Evangelical Dishonesty. It's not dated, and I don't recall how long it's been since I first read it. But I encourage you to take a moment and read this essay. It is well worth your time.

In the grip of His grace,
Robin

Comments

[Pamela Meyers]

Robin,
I read about this on Angie Hunt's blog, too. I'm soooo glad you guys are doing this. It has always bugged me. So many times I see a book suddenly out with a famous person's name as the byline and I think no way did that person write that book.

A few years ago a certain colorful NBA star put out a book in his name and it really irked me. Here I am struggling to get my first book contract and this guy hires someone and takes all the credit. Of course the book never said as told to or whatever, but I knew better.

Recently a man from my church mentioned to me he wanted to write a book about his life but he was looking for a ghostwriter because he had no writing skills. I told him I would never consider writing a book for someone unless I got the writing credit. I gave him pretty much the same reasons outlined in the letter you shared here.

I hope the publishers pay attention!

Pam Meyers

[Lillie Ammann]

Robin,
I totally agree that a book, column, or article should not be written by one person but show someone else as the author. However, I have several clients who have me actually write something for them - especially articles. In every case, however, I have the person whose name will appear on the article either give me a written draft or dictate to me what they want to say. I will transcribe what they say and heavily edit it, but I never create the material from scratch. The work is always the author's with a lot of help from me. Using a ghostwriter to write a book that is published by a Christian publisher as being written by someone else is not right.

[DLE]

If the moral issue here is representing yourself as something/someone you are not, doesn't this extend to pseudonyms, also? I suspect 90% of the CBA would go down in flames if pseudonyms got tossed into this mix.

I don't see a problem with ghostwriting IF:

1. The celebrity name goes first on the cover, followed by "with" and the ghostwriter's name in smaller text below. One could argue that the project isn't technically ghostwritten then, but we all know the "with" signifies the second name did most of the writing.

2. The celeb provides the basic idea plus general project supervision.

[Robin]

Dan, you are right in your two points. But that isn't ghostwriting and our letter made it clear that we weren't saying it was. If the writer's name goes on the cover with the celeb's with an "as told to" or a "with" then the celeb isn't trying to pass off a book as their own work. They are saying they worked with someone to create the book. In fiction, there are a number of examples of writing teams where one is the expert in some area and one is the novelist: LaHaye and Jenkins; Smalley and Kingsbury; LaHaye and Blackstock (to name just three).

As for pseudonyms, I can only speak on the fiction side of things. I haven't met very many novelists who write with a pseudonym in the CBA so I doubt it would cause even 10% to go down in flames, let alone 90%. But even when someone uses a pseudonym, it is usually not to fool the public. The author isn't trying to say someone else wrote the book. In the ABA, for instance, Nora Roberts is a pseudonym, but the woman known as Nora Roberts is Nora Roberts. She did write the books. She doesn't write them and then send someone else out to sign them and pretend to be the author.

Sometimes someone takes a pseudonym because there is already an author with their name or readers cannot pronounce their name and thus forget it or because two people are writing the book and so they take one name so it will fit on the cover. (This is common with husband and wife writing teams.)

No easy answers but things important to talk about.

Robin

[DLE]

Robin,

What if I have a talent for writing a particular genre I don't wish to be known for? Let's say that I want to be taken seriously as a literary author, but at the same time I can crank out some truly engaging Westerns to pay the bills. The literati won't think much of the Westerns and will probably hold them against me. Should I not write them rather than use a pseudonym? What if I ask my wife to stand in as the author of those works at book signings? At what point does it become deceptive?

I'm with you on the ghostwriting, particularly in the non-fiction realms. If some famous pastor/teacher "writes" a book on Christian living, but then it comes out that someone else wrote it, that only blackens Christianity's eye.

[Robin Lee Hatcher]

Well, Dan, I would ask why would you write anything that you would be ashamed to acknowledge as your work? If your literary work is good, the literati might look down their noses at you for writing a western, but it wouldn't make a bit of difference in sales of either your literary or your western books. So if your work is good enough to sell to both markets, what is your concern? Is it only your pride that makes you want to hide behind a pseudonym and/or your wife?

Again, a pseudonym can be a marketing tool. Nora Roberts used JD Robb when she began writing futuristic suspense because the name seemed better on the cover of that genre. But it was no secret that Nora Roberts *is* JD Robb, and eventually they even started packaging the books as "Nora Roberts, writing as JD Robb."

I believe a pseudonym becomes deception when you try to fool the public into believing that someone else wrote them. Deception, I would think (in most cases), would depend upon motivation and if you lied to hide your true identity.

Robin

[Lillie Ammann]

Robin,
I just posted a message on the ethics of ghostwriting on my blog and linked to this message.