What does ghostwriting mean?
Ghostwriting is the practice of writing material for someone else to publish, deliver, or present as their own. The phrase most often implies that the real writer receives little or no public credit, although commissioned ghostwriting can be entirely legitimate when the arrangement is transparent and the contributor is acknowledged. The term is common in discussions of books, journalism, speeches, and corporate communications. Ghostwriting became especially prominent through the literary tradition of professional writers producing books for credited authors. Its association with an unseen collaborator gives the word its central metaphor: the writer is a “ghost” behind the work. While the practice itself is not necessarily fraudulent, concealing material authorship can mislead readers and create ethical, legal, or professional concerns. The related terms ghostwriter and ghostwrite are widely used for the person who performs the writing and the act of doing so.
nounThe practice of writing content for another person to publish or present as their own work, often without the actual writer receiving credit. It can also refer more broadly to writing performed on someone else's behalf.
- The activity of writing material for another person to publish, speak, or deliver as their own, especially when the actual writer is not credited.
"The magazine dismissed the allegations of ghostwriting after confirming that the columnist had authorized the assistance."
"The author was accused of ghostwriting a controversial memoir that appeared under another writer's name."
"Ghostwriting is common in speeches and corporate communications when the person delivering the text is publicly identified as its author."
Usually uncountable; the plural is rare and appears mainly when individual instances of ghostwritten work are being counted.
"The publisher's records included several ghostwritings commissioned for prominent authors."
In the world of books, the byline may be only the visible face of a story written by someone working invisibly in the background.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ghostwriting come from?
Ghostwriting is a compound of ghost and writing. The word ghost originally referred to an apparition or spirit and developed the figurative sense of an unseen person involved in a creative work, while writing is an English formation based on the Old English verb wrītan. The compound arose in the literary world, where professional writers often produced works for more famous or better-known authors. Ghost has Germanic cognates in forms such as German geist and German or Scandinavian gast.
Related word forms
How ghostwriting is actually used
The term is neutral when a writer is openly acknowledged or credited, but it often carries a negative or deceptive connotation when the actual author is concealed. It is especially common in publishing, journalism, speechwriting, and corporate communications.
Easily confused with ghostwriting
Ghostwriting is writing content for another person, whereas ghosting is abruptly ending communication with someone without explanation.