Society of Authors calls for celebrity memoir ghostwriters to be credited

Mark McCrum, who co-authored Somebody Someday by Robbie Williams (above), said ghostwriting is ‘highly skilled work’. Photograph: Gus Stewart/Redferns

The Society of Authors (SoA) is calling on celebrities and the publishing industry to properly acknowledge the writers behind celebrity books, particularly those aimed at children.

In a statement published on Monday, the SoA – the largest trade union of writers, illustrators and translators in the UK – said that many celebrity titles, especially those for children, involve ghostwriters and other “co-creators”.