Who Wrote Your Favorite Book?: Famous Titles Penned by Ghostwriters

Many of the top-selling, critically acclaimed below on the shelves came into being thanks to the intellectual labor of someone other than the person whose name is on the cover. You might even be surprised at some of the titles on the list below, so closely are they linked to the prestige and expertise of the author to whom they’re credited. Of course, the fact that a ghostwriter was working behind the scenes does not take anything away from those authors’ brilliance. Ghostwriting is just a conduit that allows the author to channel his or her creativity and vision and insight into a book by strategically leveraging the writer’s way with words and grasp of the book market.

Such partnerships (between client/author and ghostwriter) can produce magnificent works that remain perennially popular, as this list demonstrates.

1. Iacocca: The seminal CEO memoir achieved non-fiction bestseller status in 1984 and 1985 and remains part of the canon for ambitious go-getters, entrepreneurs, C-level executives, or anyone who loves a good self-made-millionaire story. It was co-authored by William Novak, who penned many other celebrity memoirs.
   
2. Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy, and other big-time paperback authors: Sometimes, a genre author who achieves staggering sales numbers (and the TV and movie and merchandising deals that go with it) becomes a franchise unto himself. If Tom Clancy is going to release a book, a LOT of people are going to buy it. For such authors whose readership virtually guarantees a hit, it makes good business sense to outsource the work to ghostwriters who are adept at story craft and can mimic the author’s voice (as any talented ghostwriter should be able to).
   
   This practice has been used for some novels by Clancy and other blockbuster writers such as Michael Crichton. Crichton actually never used ghostwriters when alive, but after his death, writers were brought on to satisfy the enduring reader demand for his unique brand of techno-thriller.
   
3. The Art of the Deal: Perhaps one of the most famous (or infamous) ghostwritten books, The Art of the Deal was a huge hit when it was published in 1987 and has sold well ever since. It earned ghostwriter Tony Schwarz a small fortune ($250,000 up front plus half the royalties), but Schwarz has publicly expressed remorse for writing The Art of the Deal, which helped create the Trumpian myth of a shrewd real estate tycoon and dealmaker (it’s in the title, after all!) – a myth that paved the way for his evolution as national figure and eventually head of state.
   
   Regardless of what you think of Trump as businessman or politician, The Art of the Deal does exemplify the potential of a book in permanently cementing a certain reputation or image for an author. Given the book’s enduring impact, hiring Schwarz was probably one of Trump’s best investments (though perhaps that doesn’t say much considering how many of his other investments tanked! Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
   
   An interesting story behind the origin of the book: Trump became familiar with Schwarz after the latter published a devastating expose about Trump’s practice of illegally evicting rent-controlled tenants from a building he acquired. Trump actually liked the piece and handpicked Schwarz to write his memoir. (I myself have yet to attempt to recruit any prospective clients by writing up a damning report of their business practices.)
   
4. Life: Keith Richards’ (of Rolling Stones fame) memoir was brought into being with the collaboration of ghostwriter James Fox. A ten-page extract led to a $7 million deal with Little, Brown and Company for the future bestseller. Fox (and Richards) must have hit all the right notes because it was praised by critics and, unsurprisingly given Richards’ status as a rock superstar, generated tremendous sales figures.
   
   In truth, most books “by” celebrities are written exclusively, or with the help of, a ghostwriter. You really think Beyonce has the time to sit down and churn out multiple drafts of a 300-page tome?
   
5. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Yes, ghostwritten also! I have not read this touchstone of the self-help genre though I have friends and colleagues who say, without exaggeration, that it changed their life. High praise indeed, and Stephen Covey (and his co-writer) should be proud to have created a work whose lessons never go out of style.
   
   I reckon an eighth habit could be, “Hire professionals to do time- and labor-intensive tasks, like book writing, so you don’t have to do them yourselves but can reap all the rewards!”