Archive · 31 Oct 2025
6 Books You Didn’t Know Were Written by Ghostwriters
Imagine your favorite celebrity wrote a book, but they actually had a helper who did most of the writing.
That's called ghostwriting!
It's like when a chef cooks a meal but someone else serves it.
Many famous books are written this way.
For example, after the first Jason Bourne books were written by Robert Ludlum, another author, Eric Van Lustbader, wrote many more.
Alex Haley helped write 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X' by talking to Malcolm X for a long time.
Sachin Tendulkar's cricket memoir, 'Playing It My Way,' was written with sports writer Boria Majumdar.
Malala Yousafzai's story, 'I Am Malala,' was written with journalist Christina Lamb.
Tennis star Andre Agassi's book 'Open' was written by J.R. Moehringer.
And even some books by James Patterson are written with co-authors.
These hidden writers help tell amazing stories, even though we don't always see their names on the cover.
Ghostwriting is a common practice in publishing where one person writes a book credited to another.
Examples include the later Jason Bourne novels by Eric Van Lustbader, 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X' by Alex Haley, and Sachin Tendulkar's memoir 'Playing It My Way' by Boria Majumdar.
Malala Yousafzai's 'I Am Malala' was co-written with journalist Christina Lamb, and Andre Agassi's autobiography 'Open' was written by J.R. Moehringer.
Bestselling author James Patterson utilizes co-authors for many of his popular series, including the Alex Cross novels.
Ghostwriters are often unseen contributors who shape narratives, giving voice to subjects who may lack writing skills or time.
- Who
- Various authors, journalists, and co-writers including Alex Haley, Boria Majumdar, Christina Lamb, J.R. Moehringer, and Eric Van Lustbader.
- What
- The practice of ghostwriting, where books are written by individuals other than the credited author, is highlighted through six specific examples.
- When
- The ghostwritten works span several decades, from the mid-20th century to the present.
- Where
- The phenomenon of ghostwriting occurs within the publishing industry globally.
- Why
- Ghostwriting is employed for various reasons, including the need to maintain popular book series, to capture the story of influential figures who may not be writers, and as a business model for prolific authors.
- Ghostwriting
- A practice where one person writes content credited to another.
- Examples
- Jason Bourne Series (post-Ludlum), Autobiography of Malcolm X, Playing It My Way, I Am Malala, Open: An Autobiography, James Patterson's Alex Cross Novels
- Notable Ghostwriters
- Alex Haley, Boria Majumdar, Christina Lamb, J.R. Moehringer, Eric Van Lustbader, various co-authors for James Patterson
- Common In
- Memoirs, autobiographies, and popular book series