Death of the Writer

The ethics of ghostwriting fiction

The tension in the room becomes nearly unbearable as Lois Duncan, her face etched with grief, utters the words her publisher is clearly dreading: "I can't write anymore. Not after Kait."

Lois has been a bestselling young adult author for decades, making her publisher millions with book sales and optioning the film rights. But now her daughter is dead, killed by exactly the type of man she writes about. It’s too real. She can’t do it anymore.

As Duncan pushes away from the conference table, her editor exchanges a worried glance with the publisher.

"Lois, wait," the publisher calls out, a note of desperation in his voice. "What if... what if we could keep your stories alive? We could find someone else to write in your style, under your name. Your readers—"

Duncan whirls around, her eyes flashing with a mix of pain and indignation. "You want to hire a ghostwriter? To pretend to be me? After what happened?"

The publisher doesn’t respond, but the look on his face says everything. The money was…