Writing History
I was pretty sure I could produce a manuscript superior to anything [this editor had] ever published before by letting my cat walk over my keyboard a few times.
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Posts Tagged: ghostwriting
The Rumpus Interview with Joshua Cohen
Novelist Joshua Cohen gives an interview, digital, about his new novel, paper, but also digital, about the Internet, digital, subsuming the novel, even his novel, best on paper, Book of Numbers.
...moreInternet Content Mills Have Nothing on the Hardy Boys
Even after eighty years of publication, Simon & Schuster is still putting out several Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew titles each year, thanks to ghostwriters and an assembly-line-like process: Book packagers are a kind of outsourced labor, not unlike factories in China or tech-support centers in Mumbai. They develop new story ideas, recruit and manage freelance […]
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The Rumpus Interview with Sarah Tomlinson
Author Sarah Tomlinson talks about ghostwriting, her father and childhood, the tradition of confessional writing, and her new memoir, Good Girl.
...moreFactory Fiction
For all our worrying about essay-writing robots, it’s easy to overlook the Fordist production models already in place in the publishing industry. Over at Flavorwire, Jonathon Sturgeon considers the implications of literature that is ghostwritten and consumer-driven: Under automation, fiction loses the power to alter what we think is possible. It becomes nothing but a […]
...moreHow to Ghostwrite a Bestseller
Here’s an interesting glimpse into the work behind paperback bestsellers: a short post by a ghostwriter for the recently deceased Tom Clancy. “Great. And one more thing. Book’s due in six weeks. Minimum length: 110,000 words. Though we can deal with 90,000. We’ll send you the series bible, do whatever you want with it.” That […]
...moreLove for “Ghosts Are Real, At Least in Publishing”
Sari Botton’s excellent piece on ghostwriting has resonated throughout the Internet, with coverage from both The Atlantic and Andrew Sullivan. We love you back!
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