Lessons from the top
Spare became the UK’s fastest-selling non-fiction book ever, notching up sales of 400,000 copies, across hardback, ebook and audio formats, on its first day of publication. In a lengthy piece for The New Yorker, Harry’s ghost JR Moehringer told how the journey towards penning the searing memoir was anything but smooth. While the tabloids zoomed in on the stories of royal rifts, it shone a spotlight on the ghostwriting trade too.
Here are seven key takeaways from a ghostwriting viewpoint.
1. Ghostwriters know what readers want to read
Harry, like all authors, knew his story best and wanted to tell it his way. His insistence on relating the full story behind a military exercise led to a long-running row between him and his ghost. The exercise simulated what might happen if the royal was captured by terrorists and, after some brutal scenes, culminated with his ‘captors’ making a vile dig at his mother Princess Diana. After the episode, one of the participants apologised to Harry. The conflict with his ghost came about because Harry wanted to end the dramatic scene with the pithy comeback he made to the captors. JR Moehringer argued forcefully that the story shouldn’t end in this way. The ghost said that the reader didn’t care as much as Harry did about his captors being cruel about his mother. The drama of the torture scene was the focus. And, at the end of the day, it is the readability of a book that counts. After a long back and forth, Harry relented.
2. Ghostwriters need to stand their ground
Related to the above story, incidents like this are tough on ghostwriters. Ghosts are being paid by authors to write their book. At best, it can feel uncomfortable to keep pushing to follow a particular direction. As JR Moehringer says, it can feel like being a ‘demanding parent or a tyrannical coach’. At worst, there is the risk that the author will say; you are fired. Ultimately though, at times it is important that ghosts push back. Some points will be won, some lost, but if ghosts don’t stand up for what they believe will be the best outcome, they are nothing more than a ‘glorified stenographer’.
3. Ghostwriting is not the easiest choice of career
Most people who enjoy writing must have, at least at some point, have fantasised about doing so for a living. After hearing about JR Moehringer’s discussions with his fellow ghosts, they may think twice. His ghostwriting friends describe being ‘disrespected, dismissed, shouted at, shoved aside, abused in a hilarious variety of ways’ by their co writers. It goes with the territory. Some named authors find the process unsettling, particularly when ghosts push them hard and ask penetrating questions to get the best possible version of the story. Others secretly want to write their own book and either don’t have the skill, or capacity, to do it. There are few ghosts who don’t have at least a few horror stories about the odd conflict with authors in their repertoire. Fortunately, these incidences are usually greatly outweighed by the very pleasurable collaborations.
4. Ghostwriters must check their ego at the door
JR Moehringer’s first ghostwriting gig was for the tennis great Andre Agassi. By all accounts, it seemed like a harmonious collaboration. Then, once the book was published, Agassi hit the PR circuit to promote the book. When his ghost saw a TV interview where the presenter praised the writing of the book, he was infuriated that Agassi didn’t acknowledge his co writer’s work. He even began yelling ‘say my name’ into the screen. This, however, is the job. Ghosts are writers for hire, nothing more, nothing less. The pleasure must be found in getting paid to write and for producing the best possible version of a book, not in receiving plaudits.
5. Ghostwriters have no control over the outcome of a collaboration
Not all books will make it onto the shelves. Twice in JR Moehringer’s career he has been a position where an author killed the final draft of a book and it never got published. For a ghostwriter, this can be heart-breaking. For months they’ve poured their life and soul into a manuscript and yet it will never see the light of day. It’s tough, but it does happen. There is little choice but to regroup and move onto the next collaboration.
6. Building a rapport takes time, but pays dividends
JR Moehringer describes how he got to know Harry, mostly over Zoom during the pandemic. As the trust between them grew, the royal invited his ghost to meet his inner circle. When face-to-face meetings were allowed, Meghan and their son Archie would visit, bringing him food, when he stayed at Harry’s guesthouse. Over time, the author and his ghost amassed hundreds of thousands of words and, with each interview, Harry became more candid. It can sometimes be complicated carving out time in an author’s diary, particularly if they are extremely occupied with the ‘day job’. However, generally speaking, the more quality time that a ghost and author spend together, the better.
7. Ghostwriters provide a vital service
In among the acres of media coverage about Spare, there were many snide digs and untruths about JR Moehringer, his fee and his trade. He was even doorstepped by a tabloid journalist at his home. Ghostwriters don’t speak out though. That’s the deal. Most of the time, there is no opportunity to defend themselves, or correct the record, however unfair the jibes. It’s fantastic that JR Moehringer has had an opportunity to do so in his piece for The New Yorker and, indeed, to speak positively about the profession of ghosting as a whole. As he says, this is an art. Ghostwriters provide a crucial service to the publishing industry and, of course, book lovers. The majority of titles on the bestsellers lists were penned by someone other than the named author. JR Moehringer should be congratulated for his achievement with Spare, and for lifting the lid on the profession to show it in a positive light.
You can read the full piece in The New Yorker here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/05/15/j-r-moehringer-ghostwriter-prince-harry-memoir-spare