Where I have a problem is when a ghostwriter does the entire project with no input from the person whose name is on the book as the writer. I find this deceptive, especially when the finished product carries the name of someone who claims to be an expert in the subject.

If I buy a how-to book written by a guru in a field, I think I’m entitled to that person’s advice – not the research of a writer hired for $300 to write an e-book that sells for $29 each. It’s a completely different matter if the expert provides the source material, then reviews and approves the finished document.

When I first wrote my post on this subject, I was defining ghostwriting much more narrowly – one person taking sole credit for another person’s work with no input into the process. Dictionary.com defines ghostwriter as “a person who writes one or numerous speeches, books, articles, etc., for another person who is named as or presumed to be the author.”

When you write for a company, usually no one else is claiming that they wrote the piece. A manual generally isn’t attributed to an “author.” For many types of business writing – brochures, Web content, resumes, ad copy, etc. – no one is named as the author. So I’ve never thought of that as ghostwriting.

When an individual hires a writer to write their autobiography or a president commissions someone to write a speech, the writer may do the actual writing, but the ideas are those of the “author” or president. Although that fits the definition of ghostwriting, I don’t have an ethical problem with it.

And writing a blog as dog or any other situation where people know the “author” is not the actual author is fine.

The situations that I find ethically challenging are those where the “author” who takes credit for the work has no input into the process: a romance novel credited to a well-known cover model who hasn’t even read the book or an e-book of expert advice credited to an industry guru that was written by someone hired to research and write, with no input from the guru.

Those situations seem deceptive to me, and therefore I wouldn’t do them. But I have no problem writing manuals that don’t credit an author, collaborating with a businessperson to write a newspaper article that is credited to the entrepeneur, or helping an individual write a memoir or family history. I do these things all the time and expect no credit for my work.

I always tell my clients that my goal is to make the work sound like them, only better. If the book or article reflects the ideas and voice of the “author” who has a byline, there is no deception, even if they had help with the actual writing. After all, every book published by a traditional publisher and every article published in a magazine or newspaper goes through an editing process, often quite significant.

Thanks for continuing this conversation, Laura.