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Q&A How much work does a (nonfiction) ghostwriter typically do?

I just finished the charming short memoir from actor Cary Elwes, As You Wish, about his experiences while filming The Princess Bride. The voice sounds very much like Elwes, but the cover clearly sa...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Lauren Ipsum‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-13T12:00:43Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/27043
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T06:12:21Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/27043
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T06:12:21Z (almost 5 years ago)
I just finished the charming short memoir from actor Cary Elwes, _As You Wish,_ about his experiences while filming _The Princess Bride._ The voice sounds very much like Elwes, but the cover clearly says " **with** Joe Leyden." Which says to me "ghostwriter."

It's reasonably common for someone who's not a writer to get a ghostwriter to help with a memoir, but Elwes is also a playwright, so it's not like he can't assemble a sentence.

So my general question is this: how much work does a ghostwriter _typically_ do in a nonfiction piece, such as a memoir?

I realize that the answer _can_ vary from "everything and the client waves at it" to "act as more of a heavy copyeditor," but I'm curious to know if there's an industry standard or expectation. I also noted [What to include in agreement with a Ghost Writer. . .](https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/3776/what-to-include-in-agreement-with-a-ghost-writer) but that's more of a contract checklist question, not a "here's what typically occurs" question.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2017-03-06T17:23:27Z (over 7 years ago)
Original score: 5