ghostwriter

American

[gohst-rahy-ter] / ˈgoʊstˌraɪ tər /

Or ghost writer

noun

a person who writes one or numerous speeches, books, articles, etc., for another person who is named as or presumed to be the author.

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The author is a ghostwriter, writing coach and former Times contributor.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Newsom’s, written by a ghostwriter—gallantly named in the acknowledgments by the author—is well crafted.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mark Arax, an author and former Los Angeles Times journalist, was his ghostwriter.

From Los Angeles Times

He has also worked as a translator of corporate reports and cookbooks and as a ghostwriter.

From The Wall Street Journal

Often, collaborations involve a ghostwriter or co-author who does the majority of the writing, with minimal input from the celebrity.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023