Celebrity memoirs captivate readers with tales of glitz, glamour and ultimately, humanity. But how much of that writing is actually done by the star themselves?
This was the exact question Kayla S. from Nashville asked in the most recent installment of Ask Us in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now: How often do celebrities use ghostwriters for their memoirs?
Well, the truth is: often!
“Writing a book is hard! So if a famous person — meaning, famous for anything other than being a writer — puts out a book, the chances are extremely high that they had help,” Lisa Dickey, ghostwriter of over 20 titles including New York Times bestsellers like Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi’s The Time of My Life and Jane Lynch’s Happy Accidents, told Us Weekly. “There are a few celebrities who write their own books with only the help of their editor. But that’s definitely the exception rather than the rule.”
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A few stars, such as Matthew McConaughey, opt to write their memoirs solo — “I think I’ll write a book / A word about my life. / I wonder who would give a damn / About the pleasures and the strife?” read the actor’s future-telling 1989 poem that opens the 2020 novel, titled Greenlights — but most enlist a cowriter and share the byline or call a ghostwriter.
“If you’re curious whether a ghostwriter helped with a particular book, just flip to the acknowledgements,” Dickey added. “Many celebs thank the ghost outright for having helped write it. And even those who don’t spell it out so plainly will often thank someone for helping to ‘find my voice’ or ‘get words on the page.’”
But don’t be mistaken: the process of working with a ghostwriter involves much more than just a diary handoff.
“It’s a bit like falling in love sometimes,” ghostwriter Sarah Tomlinson, who has penned more than 20 books including five NYT bestsellers, told Us of the process of finding the right writer for the job. “It’s really a matter of a particular energetic connection of a shared sense of humor, shared sensibility or even a shared life experience that brings you together.”
Tomlinson brings the typically behind-the-scenes process of ghostwriting to life in her 2024 fiction novel, The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers, which follows ghost Mari as she navigates writing about the legacy of a legendary rock band.
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“I often compare what I do to being an engineer or a producer in the recording studio,” Tomlinson — who began her career as a music journalist — said. “Of course, a band or a songwriter has incredible talent with music, and they might have their whole album written, but they still need someone in the studio with them to help them realize it and make it sound as good as they can. I often think of the ghostwriter like that.”
Tomlinson’s latest title, Dancing on the Edge, was co-written with legendary actor Russ Tamblyn. She believes that “it’s a particular calling to write a book,” and while there are plenty of other ways celebrities can use their influence to make money, those who feel compelled to tell their story “feel it very strongly.”
Whether it’s spending a long weekend or several years together, Tomlinson says she gets to know her celeb clients “very intimately.”
Adds Dickey: “I’ve done all kinds of things with my clients: horseback riding, chanting Buddhist mantras, flying on private planes, going to church, attending court cases, traveling to their hometowns. I’ve read diaries, sifted through photo albums, shared difficult stories over martinis, offered embraces when they’ve cried. It’s an intense, personal, incredibly rewarding relationship — and it’s all in service to writing the best book possible, and telling their stories in their voice, in exactly the way they want them told.”
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While ghosts historically stayed true to their nicknames, hiding in the shadows behind the scenes of bestsellers, the culture is changing. Writers behind zeitgeist-defining books like Prince Harry’s Spare (J.R. Moehringer), Demi Moore’s Inside Out (Ariel Levy) and Britney Spears’ The Woman in Me (reportedly Ada Calhoun, Sam Lansky and Luke Dempsey) are becoming bona fide celebrities in their own right.
“There was a funny moment a few years ago, when my wife was standing in line to board a flight,” Dickey recalled to Us. “A couple of guys were talking about Andre Agassi’s memoir, Open, which was famously written by the most celebrated ghostwriter working today [Moehringer]. One guy says to the other, ‘Man, it’s just not fair! Agassi’s a great tennis player, and he’s a really good writer too?’ She just rolled her eyes.”
She continued: “It has been really nice to see that perception change in recent years. You wouldn’t be embarrassed about hiring an architect if you want to build a house, right? Why should you be embarrassed about hiring a professional writer to help you write a book?”
