Hiring a GhostWriter: Unethical or Acceptable?

About this video

Dale Roberts examines whether hiring a ghostwriter is unethical or acceptable, especially for self-publishers who have more money than time or who lack writing skills. He defines ghostwriting as a process where a writer produces content officially credited to another person, whether real or fictional, and admits he initially thought it was a scam. He argues it has been around a long time and is more common than people realize, citing professional athletes and financial education experts, and relaying an InspirationFeed.com claim that the Bible is among the most famous ghostwritten works. He then quotes professional ghostwriter Tim Knox from an upcoming interview: hiring a ghostwriter is like hiring someone to cut your grass — paying someone to perform a service or deliver a product — and it would only be immoral to publish a book under someone else’s name that was not yours, such as passing off a book as a John Grisham book. Knox compares writing a 60,000-word young adult mystery to writing a five-page business brochure. Dale says he has used ghostwriters before but now writes all his own material because he has more discretionary time than money.

Key takeaways

• Ghostwriting is defined as a writer producing content officially credited to another person, real or fictional
• Dale frames it as a fit for self-publishers strapped on time or skills, including those with a full-time job treating publishing as a plan B or hobby
• Tim Knox compares hiring a ghostwriter to hiring someone to cut your grass: paying for a service or product
• Knox says the immoral/illegal line is publishing under someone else’s name that is not yours, giving a John Grisham example
• Dale says he has used ghostwriters before but now writes his own material because he has more time than money

Episode details: published July 27, 2017 · 3:51 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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