WRITER'S FORUM

www.michaelwalsh.es

Bestselling author Wilbur Smith is following the example of novelists like Jeffrey Archer by engaging ghost-writers to write his books. The South African born writer’s novels have so far sold over 122 million copies.

The deal, worth £15 million, ensures that the 79-year old writer will produce six further titles over the next three years. He will outline each title’s plot and then hand it over to a ghost. Each story will be then fleshed out in the same style as that of the writing maestro.

Ghosting books is common practice; Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler and James Patterson are just some of the famous authors whose names appear on books written by unknown writers. It is estimated that 40 percent of books are ghost-written; 80 percent in the case of celebrities.

Local ghost-writer Michael Walsh is unsure of the morality of the trend. “Ghosts are needed, but my clients provide far more than a scribbled plot. They provide at least 40 percent of the content. I flesh it out by adding dialogue and flair.”

Wilbur Smith is estimated to be worth £100 million plus. He recently abandoned PanMacmillan for HarperCollins. The first book will be a sequel to his 1993 novel River God. Its publication will mark his half a century as an author.