Do any celebrities really write their own books?

[Rick Lee]

I saw Bristol Palin's "autobiography" in the local grocery store yesterday. I didn't pick it up to look for the ghost writer's credit, but I'm pretty sure she didn't sit down to type that manuscript out. Some of the brainier types seem to put out books just a little too often to have really written them themselves. How do Bill O'Reilly or Glenn Beck, who have tv and radio shows and a newspaper column, find time to bang out a book every year or two? I think the most money Obama has ever made is from his campaign books, which he certainly didn't have time to write himself. Just curious why none of these ghost writers are known to anyone. Perhaps that's the publishers' doing. I make it rule to not buy a book with the "author's" photo on the cover. I don't think too many of them wrote a single sentence by their own hand.

[craigster59]

I've been reading "Life" by Keith Richards. Great book, I can see him doing the narrative. I have heard he's not as "messed up" as they make him out to be, more of an act (like Dean Martin). But then again, maybe he is a burn out. Good book though.

[Rick Lee]

I've read a couple rock stars' "autobiographies" and it was painfully obvious they were just telling stories or being interviewed and recorded and then transcribed. The only one I know writes his own stuff is Neil Peart from Rush and he's a pretty good writer to boot.

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Just curious why none of these ghost writers are known to anyone. Perhaps that's the publishers' doing.

You'll occasionally see an "As Told To" credit, but really the money in ghost writing is being known to publishers, not readers; no one read's a celebrity bio because of who wrote it for them, even though that's often the biggest factor in determining the quality of the book.

[varmint]

most ghost writers are too embarrassed to put their names on those books.


the pay can be quite good though.

[matthew-s]

Originally Posted by craigster59

I've been reading "Life" by Keith Richards. Great book, I can see him doing the narrative. I have heard he's not as "messed up" as they make him out to be, more of an act (like Dean Martin). But then again, maybe he is a burn out. Good book though.

Fortunately, the co-author of that book is clearly credited, and I think they made a good team. It is written in what you'd imagine is Keef's conversational voice, yet it holds together. It does get a tad long in the middle though.

[Zeke]

Dean Martin was not an "act," he was a drunk. While all the cocktails on the stage may not have been full of booze, he usually was. Off the stage he was terrible.

On topic: first a manuscript, then an editor. Then a rewrite. Makes you wonder how much "rewrite" goes on.