In the publishing industry, ghostwriting is a prevalent practice, especially for nonfiction books. It entails hiring an author to create a book on behalf of another person, who is acknowledged as the author of the work. Using ghostwriters is nothing new; it has been practiced for years. What percentage of works are ghostwritten, then, is the question that arises?
Since there is no official statistics on the subject, it is difficult to estimate the precise percentage of ghostwritten works. But it is widely acknowledged that a sizeable fraction of novels released each year are ghostwritten. A study by the book publishing website Reedsy found that almost 40% of all published novels are ghostwritten. Based on replies from more than 2,000 authors, editors, and other publishing industry professionals, this number was calculated.
In the nonfiction genre, where many books are produced by authorities in their disciplines but do not have the writing skills needed to produce a well-written book, the usage of ghostwriters is particularly common. These professionals frequently work with ghostwriters to organize their knowledge and thoughts into a well-written book. In the memoir genre, ghostwriters are frequently employed by famous figures and celebrities to assist them in telling their own life experiences.
So how can you determine whether a book was authored by a ghost? Searching for acknowledgments in the book is one technique to determine this. It is obvious that a book was ghostwritten if the author acknowledges a ghostwriter or co-writer in the section. The lack of such acknowledgments does not always imply that the work was not ghostwritten, as not all authors opt to credit their ghostwriters.
Examining the writing style for discrepancies is another approach to determine whether a book was ghostwritten. A book is more likely to have been created by a single author if it has a distinct and consistent writing style throughout. However, if the writing style varies throughout the book, it can mean that several authors—possibly even a ghostwriter—were engaged in its creation.
In conclusion, it is widely acknowledged that a sizeable part of novels released each year are ghostwritten, despite the fact that there is no official data on the precise percentage of ghostwritten works. In the nonfiction and memoir genres, where specialists and public personalities frequently use ghostwriters to assist them in writing their books, ghostwriting is especially common. Look for inconsistent writing styles and acknowledgments to determine whether a book was ghostwritten.