Celebrity Authors

 

Terry answering our weekly question: What are your thoughts on the celebrity author phenomenon(i.e, celebrities writing mystery novels), including those utilizing ghosts? 

 My reaction to this question is mostly curiosity. Why would someone who is famous in another field suddenly feel the need to become a genre fiction writer? But then, why do I write crime fiction? Because it fascinates me, entertains me, gives me an outlet for talking about justice, corruption, human frailty, greed, fear, anger. The list goes on endlessly. So what’s to say that isn’t exactly what drives someone like Hillary Clinton, for example, to write a mystery novel? 

 I’ve had a recent brush with the phenomenon myself. A man who writes very successful non-fiction books (including a Pulitzer prize) recently approached me to explore collaborating with him on a writing a mystery novel. He has an idea that’s intriguing to me and sounds like it could be a good book. He thinks it will be fun. But he doesn’t think he has the ability to do justice to a mystery novel. I suspect he’s wrong, but maybe he doesn’t want to take the time. But he did say “collaborate.” He’s not looking for a ghost writer. 

 So a celebrity might dip into the mystery-writing world because “it might be fun.” Or perhaps there’s an idea that nags them, just like it nags those of us who write who aren’t celebrities. Stacey Abrams wrote romance novels under another name long before her name became a household word. So now if she wants to put her real name out there to sell more books, more power to her. She’s done the hard writing work long before she was a celebrity.

But there’s another element to it. If a celebrity’s name is on a book, it’s going to sell more copies. So although I hesitate to write this, I wonder if sometimes the idea is to cash in on a very successful genre, the mystery genre. Because of their name, they’ll likely get a big advance and big sales. Does that have an impact on the financial aspirations of some of us mid-list authors who barely make enough money to pay for our book promotion? Possibly, but there’s a thought that “a rising tide lifts all boats,” so maybe the participation of celebrities serves to boost the popularity of mystery novels. That would mean even if they get a healthy slice of the pie, they would also help make the pie bigger.

I don’t know. But I say, if they want to try their hand at writing a mystery novel, or collaborate on one, go for it. 

 The second part of the question is, what about a celebrity using a ghost writer? I have a very different feeling about that. To me, it’s a way of capitalizing on celebrity without doing the hard work. I don’t know how much work some of the “collaborators” do, but at least they’re putting the name of their writing partner on the cover. I feel itchy about those who use their names to sell books, but don’t do the work. They might as well be AI.

They’re capitalizing on someone else’s expertise. I’ve heard of well-known writers using a “stable” of writers to churn out books under their name. The way I’ve heard it works is that the writer has many ideas, and turns the ideas over to their “sub” writers to develop the ideas. They check in with the unnamed writers to keep their writing on the proper course until the novel is written. And then the “famous author” get the credit. Even though, ghost writers often get paid well, It somehow feel dishonest to me. It’s like AI before there was AI. 

 But again, what about the rising tide? Yes, but…. But. It makes me itchy. I’d love to know what other people think about ghost writers. Maybe someone can help me clarify my feelings.