Ghostwriter

A ghost writer ( ghost writer dt = invisible writer ), also Phantom writer or contract writer, is an author who writes in the name and on behalf of another person.

Ghostwriter working on behalf of a publisher, an agency or an author, especially if designated in the prelims author does not have enough time or sufficient skills to "his" post work itself. The term ghost writer puts forward, however, no defined skills.

Demarcation

Be distinguished from ghostwriting is it plagiarism, ie the copying or unauthorized use of a text already used elsewhere or published or parts. Even an author who writes under a pseudonym, is not a ghostwriter.

Activities

Ghostwriting occurs for example when celebrities books whose sales success is dependent on the author's name, in life stories or novel series, but also in corporate books ( corporate books ), speeches by politicians and other public figures and in academia.

In Germany, specializes in the past ten years, a whole profession on the writing of memoirs for private individuals or their multimedia processing that call themselves " Autobiografiker " or "Personal Historian ".

Ghostwriting is in the academic field in various forms has long been common practice (often can be, for example, Chair texts of employees create ).

Legal consequences of scientific Ghost Writings

A customer of a ghost writer is liable to prosecution if he has submitted an affidavit that the scientific work was written independently and without outside help. The criminality is due to take place on the false declaration under penalty of perjury. On the basis of the Higher Education Act, the fines can be in North Rhine -Westphalia quantify up to € 50,000 including a looming deregistration, especially as a breach of examination regulations of faculties and how it is sanctioned by them.

In practice, it is difficult to prove that a scientific work was not written by the person who submitted the affidavit. Also, the ghost writer makes the aid punishable if it is known that his work on false pretenses used. In a position paper calls for the German Research Foundation as a benchmark the unique independence of performance as in principle the absolute honesty in the writing of scientific papers. The German Association of Higher Education calls for the generalization of an affidavit.

For the customer, it is risky to submit the work of a ghost writer. He makes himself vulnerable to blackmail and connects his name with a work may carelessly created. Should the ghostwriter have committed plagiarism, it falls back to the customer.

The case law on the question of whether ghostwriter agreements are permitted in the area of ​​scientific literary works is uneven:

• The 20th Civil Senate of the Higher Regional Court of Dusseldorf decided in February 2011 that a scientific ghost writer is not allowed to praise as one of the market leaders in this area. In the press statement said he " for that very reason do not belong to the leaders of the scientific ghost -writing, because he to acquire academic degrees for third parties, offering exclusive services prohibited, namely the writing of theses. A notice on the website that the works should only be used for training purposes, was " clearly not meant seriously."

• The 6th Civil Senate of the Higher Regional Court of Cologne decided in February 2011 that a scientific ghostwriter in the HTML source code of its website may use " Buy diploma thesis " the meta tag so that appropriate searches on search engines, which evaluate the HTML source, the site of the Ghostwriters point. That at least when it is made clear on the website that only works offered only for practice purposes (paid five-figure sums ).

The 11th Civil Senate of the Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt held in 2009 ghostwriting agreements specifically in the area of creating scientific texts admissible, this judgment did not refer, however, to an examination.

The DHV ( German Association of University Professors ) has the legislature asked the summer of 2012 to create a criminal offense, fraud in science '. The DHV therefore opposes the the "Promotion Consultant" industry. DHV - President Bernhard Kempen said: " Ghostwriter bring the academic degrees and colleges that they lend into disrepute ". " This will affect the vast majority of academics who have earned their degrees through lawful power. "

Sociologically is also of social dislocation (Axel Honneth ) spoken that contribute to devalue the academic degrees and reduce confidence in the university system.

Attribution

In most cases, the ghostwriter appears neither on the book cover, still in the prelims. Occasionally, especially if a well-known journalist was recovered as a ghostwriter, led both names. Common, it is, however, to mention the ghost writer, at least in a thanksgiving, and occasionally in the imprint of the book by name. Lately ghostwriter are occasionally mentioned as co-authors on the book front page: " X ( the celebrities ) with Y (which is not prominent author) ".