E G Logan
Full Member
Booker prizewinner (1991 The Famished Road) Ben Okri said he was "shocked" to find someone falsely claiming to have ghost-written his book. Friends had alerted him to the claim after discussion of it appeared on Twitter.
In an interview with The Bookseller, published today, Okri raised the alarm
about online ghostwriting sites falsely making such claims. For example, "to have written or contributed to bestselling and award-winning books by himself and a host of other well-known authors ranging from Richard Osman and Delia Owen to Hillary Clinton and Will Smith."
He said these websites "often have fake staff rosters with dubious credentials, and charge thousands of pounds upfront for ghostwritten books".
He went on: “The most misleading aspect of the claim, apart from the sheer criminal outrage of claiming somebody else’s work, is somehow giving the impression that anyone can write any book. That you don’t have to have lived in Tolstoy’s Russia to be able to write War and Peace… It’s dangerous for literature, book sales and readers. It has to be stamped out and we have to draw as much attention to this as possible.”
Booker Prize Foundation director Gaby Wood said: "...it is appalling for Ben and galling that the Booker’s name should be dragged into this." Okri told The Bookseller he planned to work with the Booker to do some extra pieces of filming and writing for the website about The Famished Road and how it was written “just to shut down any nonsense”.
In an interview with The Bookseller, published today, Okri raised the alarm
about online ghostwriting sites falsely making such claims. For example, "to have written or contributed to bestselling and award-winning books by himself and a host of other well-known authors ranging from Richard Osman and Delia Owen to Hillary Clinton and Will Smith."
He said these websites "often have fake staff rosters with dubious credentials, and charge thousands of pounds upfront for ghostwritten books".
He went on: “The most misleading aspect of the claim, apart from the sheer criminal outrage of claiming somebody else’s work, is somehow giving the impression that anyone can write any book. That you don’t have to have lived in Tolstoy’s Russia to be able to write War and Peace… It’s dangerous for literature, book sales and readers. It has to be stamped out and we have to draw as much attention to this as possible.”
Booker Prize Foundation director Gaby Wood said: "...it is appalling for Ben and galling that the Booker’s name should be dragged into this." Okri told The Bookseller he planned to work with the Booker to do some extra pieces of filming and writing for the website about The Famished Road and how it was written “just to shut down any nonsense”.
