The world of celebrities and public figures is quite fascinating and their personal journeys truly need documentation as these stories can help inspire millions of people around the world.
That is the reason why a lot of celebrities decide to write memoirs and autobiographies that showcase their struggles and personal journeys as well as their achievements and offer insight into their dynamic lives and personalities.
However, there is this very common phenomenon around autobiographies and celebrities and it is that most celebrities decide to not write their memoirs and autobiographies themselves and often take the help of a professional ghostwriter in order to do with.
People have often wondered why this is the case because it is not like celebrities do not know how to express themselves as some of them are excellent actors and others are excellent at presenting themselves to the public.
There are some very important reasons why celebrities decide to hire ghostwriters in order to write their memoirs for them.
Of course, celebrities are very closely involved in the entire writing process and sometimes they even write a large section of their works but there is always a ghostwriter involved in the process.
The reason is simple and it is also complicated as well and that is exactly why we bring you this blog to explore the role of ghostwriters in celebrity memoirs and understand why celebrities hire ghostwriters.
So, here are the reasons why celebrities hire ghostwriters for writing their memoirs.
Reasons Why Celebrities Hire Ghostwriters for Writing Their Memoirs and Autobiographies
Lack of Writing Expertise
The first and probably the most important reason why celebrities decide to utilise ghostwriters for writing their autobiographies and memoirs is that not every celebrity is a natural writer.
Just like acting and sports as well as leadership, writing is a skill and this is a skill that requires time and practice and mastering this skill can sometimes take an entire lifetime.
Everyone can write but not everyone can write a story that is compelling and polished and ready for the market.
The entire skill of writing consists of multiple skills such as creating a narrative and narrative structuring as well as storytelling and pacing. This skill is as technical as it is like an art.
We must understand that when a celebrity decides to write their legacy into a book, they simply cannot create a substandard product because this book is directly connected with their reputation and their legacy.
This is why celebrities do not take chances when it comes to their memoirs and this is usually the reason why professional help is much desired and the norm.
Lack of Time
The second reason why celebrities choose to hire ghostwriters for writing their autobiographies is simply because celebrities have busy lives.
They might have multiple professional commitments and engagements on a single day with no time to focus on their book.
If they decide to not take these professional commitments seriously then they might have a book in their hands but they will lose relevance in society.
There is a fine balance that can only be achieved with professional help in the form of ghostwriters writing their books as they devote time to their professional engagements.
What mostly happens is that celebrities continue with their busy lives and they schedule some meetings with professional ghostwriters at a time of the celebrity’s choosing so that they can give in-depth interviews and also check up on the progress of the book.
This allows them to do what they are good at and let the professional writers write down their legacy which they can then make changes to if they are not happy with it.
Overcoming Writer’s Block
Writing is already difficult but writing can become even more challenging when you are trying to create your legacy and it is tough work just as with any other professional skill or commitment.
One of the most severe challenges faced by a writer is the dreaded writer’s block. This is when the person who is writing simply does not come up with any more ideas on how to move ahead with the project.
Writer’s block in the case of fiction is when the writer simply does not get to imagine anything new so that they can move ahead with the story and they sort of get stuck when it comes to generating creativity.
Writer’s block when it comes to non-fiction is when the writer simply loses inspiration or a sense of direction on how to carry the narrative forward and convey their experiences effectively.
While this can happen to any professional writer, it mostly happens to people who are new to writing and do not know how to channel their thoughts or create impromptu inspiration.
That is why celebrities might also experience this issue if they are not a professional writer and that is why a professional writer can help them move ahead with the solution.
Writer’s block is a major issue in the world of literature and this issue can be solved with experience and that is what a professional ghostwriter brings to the table.
Meeting Publishing Deadlines
Celebrities are busy people with dynamic lives and dozens of engagements but we must also understand that in order to get a book published they need to work with a business entity in the form of a publisher.
Now the schedules of the celebrities can simply clash with that of the publishers because the publishers have their own set of strict deadlines for publishing.
In a situation like this, we simply cannot ignore and disregard one or the other’s schedule commitments and if the celebrity wants to work out a solution to the situation, then the only solution can be provided by a professional ghostwriter.
Ghostwriters have extensive experience in working with publishers and they not only have experience in meeting publishing deadlines but it is what they are good at.
This means that they can simply gather all the information they need from the celebrity, conduct multiple interviews and create a depository of resources and knowledge that they can utilise to write the entire manuscript and submit it not only at the deadline but mostly before the deadline.
The celebrity is happy that that book is getting published, the publisher is happy that they can finally start the work of publishing the memoir and the ghostwriter is happy that they are able to assist a celebrity in bringing their story to the world.
Sensitive or Emotional Topics
Memoirs are extremely personal pieces of work that go deep into sensitive personal subjects which can range from everything like mental health struggles to facing addiction or even something disturbing like childhood trauma.
We must understand that most celebrities have only reached their position after a lot of personal struggle and sometimes recalling that struggle can invoke chapters of PTSD.
However, if they want their story to come out into the world and inspire others with their struggles then they need to find a way to talk about these emotional topics and challenging subjects without struggling to recall them.
This is when it really helps to have a professional nearby who knows to ask the right questions and probe till the point the celebrity is comfortable.
This is just like learning how to drive for the first time because if a driving instructor is right beside you, things become a little bit easier because you might have never driven before and similarly the celebrity might have never recalled past trauma before for a book.
Professional ghostwriters know when to begin and when to stop asking stuff and this helps the celebrity express themselves in a controlled manner and not just collapse from trauma, which can definitely happen when one has to recall a problematic past alone without any safety checks and guidance.
It also happens to be the case that even if the celebrity decides to recall past trauma and write it into a memoir, things can get all over the place because these are such sensitive topics but since the ghostwriter hasn’t lived them, they can create a detached distance between these experiences and let skill and experience take over.
Creating a Polished Product
Filming a friend’s birthday party with your smartphone is one thing and creating a film about that birthday party is another and that is exactly the reason why celebrities hire ghostwriters.
Any average person in the world will be able to write something about their life and express themselves in the best way they can.
However, that does not mean that this writing is publish-worthy because when non-professionals do something they do not really have the skills or experience when it comes to the technical aspect of that product.
You might be a good bathroom singer but if you want to be an Emmy-winning singer it will take much more than just your singing voice.
That is exactly the case with writing a memoir. There is syntax and there is style and grammar as well as tonality and pacing and on top of that there is the format of the autobiography as well as several dozen other factors.
If you get everything right, you can produce a polished product ready for publishing but it is not the case 99% of the time simply because you might be an amazing storyteller but you might have never had to adhere to strict publishing guidelines or study the untold market guidelines for a book to be successful.
The professional ghostwriter has.
That is why celebrities let ghostwriters take over the project and assist them in creating a polished product ready for the market.
Memoir’s Appeal Across Cultures
When you are living your life, you are doing it in your own culture and you do not have to worry whether your life is fit for a global fanbase.
Frankly, nobody lives their life according to global standards of acceptability and nobody thinks of diverse audiences when they are angry and they are cursing out their friend or expressing joy with an explicit gesture.
However, if you want your life’s story to have global appeal and you want all cultures to understand your story and you also want all age groups to enjoy your memoir, you need to do a lot of formatting in the storytelling department.
You need to make sure that you do not add anything offensive to the story that might upset a large section of your audience and you also need to make sure to bring out the universal themes from within your story.
However, you might have never done any kind of research into that and you might not know global acceptability and global cultural appeals or even how to avoid culturally sensitive missteps.
However, there is this certain kind of professional who does understand acceptability across cultures and has studied it and knows exactly how to highlight universal themes and make sure inspirational stories stay inspirational and appealing to diverse audiences.
That professional is a ghostwriter and this professional can help you mould your story into a global masterpiece. This ensures that your book gets the opportunity for a global audience and is not just limited to your country or your town.
We hope this blog has helped you understand why celebrities choose to hire professional ghostwriters to write their memoirs and autobiographies for them.
It is just logical and convenient.
If you are someone who has done excellent in life and you would like to express your story to the world and inspire millions of people in the process and you are looking for some of the finest professionals with the best experience in memoir writing, we are here for you.
We are Ghostwriting India and we are one of the fastest-growing and most popular ghostwriter-for-hire agencies in India and we will help you bring out your story into the world.
We have extensive experience in memoir and autobiography writing and we can help you express yourself in the best way possible so that we can compile your life’s story into a book worth reading and cherishing.
We would love to work with you and we welcome you to visit our website and check out everything we do.