Episode Details

In the podcast, Dr. Eli Joseph and Dr. Janice Gassam Asare interview Tim Vandehey, a ghostwriter with more than three decades of experience in the profession and around 70 nonfiction books to his credit, who has been listed as a bestselling ghostwriter by the New York Times. Tim became a ghostwriter unintentionally despite his training as a journalist, working in advertising and leaving for freelance work when he was only 30. In 1999, a client asked him to write a book, and he was introduced to the world of ghostwriting through contacts made while working on the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. While by 2004 he began to write as a full-time ghostwriter, Tim describes ghostwriting as a purely journalistic undertaking requiring enough interviews and extensive structure before any actual work can be done. He is also of the opinion that being a ghostwriter is not immoral, as the practice of ghostwriting has been around for ages. According to Tim, ghostwriting is affected by the introduction of AI into publishing, with newcomers being the worst hit while veterans manage to avoid the damage as they are shielded. Tim believes that AI is capable of providing the user with a book requested rather than the book that the user needs, as AI is unable to conduct interviews or delve into someone's painful past. 

Some agencies now require clients to sign the "no AI" pledge, while client expectations regarding speed have drastically transformed. Anyone seeking to join the field will have to learn about success from experience rather than through education, as there are no formal requirements for becoming a ghostwriter. Therefore, Tim mentions different online platforms and services that are worth consulting. Ghostwriters' hourly pay may be lower than the pay journalists receive, but the salaries paid to ghostwriters do increase in time and surpass journalism pay. Tim does not find it particularly encouraging to accept that first-time authors rarely feature in the bestseller list, adding that he has only experienced one first-time author who ever made it to the list. He emphasizes that Jonathan would have liked to be among bestsellers, stressing that authors should position themselves long before publishing anything. He says that an author needs to publish content regularly to be successful. Apocalyptic or tragic events become the top source of material for film or television adaptations. He takes the position that ghostwriting would not work for him. Tim highlights that books are special to their authors, which means they should be considered with care.

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