Ghostwriting
Writing content that gets published under someone else's name. Common in books, op-eds, and increasingly in LinkedIn and X content for executives and founders.
Ghostwriting is the practice of writing content that is published under someone else's byline. The ghostwriter does the actual writing; the bylined person provides the ideas, sources, voice direction, and approval. It is a centuries-old practice, common for political memoirs, executive op-eds, celebrity books, and increasingly, for LinkedIn and X content.
In the LinkedIn and X world, ghostwriting has exploded since around 2020. The standard structure: an executive, founder, or other busy professional hires a ghostwriter (often as a recurring monthly retainer) to draft 8-15 posts per month based on conversations, the client's existing notes, or company developments. The client reviews, edits, and publishes. The ghostwriter is invisible.
Good ghostwriting requires the writer to nail the client's voice well enough that readers don't notice anything has changed. This is harder than it sounds; bad ghostwriting flattens the client's voice into a generic LinkedIn cadence that regular readers can recognize. The best ghostwriters spend weeks studying the client's existing content before producing drafts.
Fees vary widely. Solo ghostwriters charge $1,500-$5,000 per month for a steady stream of LinkedIn content. Larger agencies charge $5,000-$15,000+ per month and include strategy, distribution, and analytics. Top-tier executive ghostwriters working with Fortune 500 CEOs charge significantly more.
The ethical questions are real but not new. Disclosure norms vary by context: a celebrity memoir co-author is usually credited; a CEO's LinkedIn post is usually not. The general consensus is that the ideas and approval need to come from the bylined person, and the words can be shaped by someone else, similar to how a politician's speech is drafted by speechwriters.
AI tools have changed the economics. A ghostwriter using a voice-trained AI tool to produce first drafts can serve more clients at higher quality than one writing from scratch. This is shifting the market: ghostwriters become editors and voice directors rather than line-by-line writers.