“What is…” is an occasional series of definitions related to freelance writing.
A ghostwriter writes copy (books, articles, blog posts, etc.) for someone else. Celebrities, business leaders, politicians, and others hire ghostwriters to write in their name.
Since their work is under someone else’s byline, ghostwriters receive compensation, but not credit, for their words. Many freelance writers (myself included) write both their own bylined work and ghostwritten work.
For further reading, here’s a recent NPR piece on ghostwriting.
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