Did former First Lady and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton use a ghostwriter for her books?
Ghostwriters have been writing for famous politicians for at least a century.
And generally ghostwriters aren’t in the spotlight which is why you probably haven’t heard of Barbara Feinman Todd.
But that’s supposedly how things should work in a profession that thrives in anonymity and discretion.
We’re all familiar with ghostwriting and how some of the best-selling authors of modern history relied on it to produce their work.
But in politics, ghostwriting is still met with wariness and ambivalence by many in the public who are distrustful about its use.
It’s hard to overcome the stigma attached to ghostwritten work, especially if the credited author is a personality known for their brilliant minds, expertise, and authority on the subject.
When writing with a ghostwriter, such public figures risk undermining their credibility and sacrificing important connections and expertise in the process.
Did Hilary Clinton Write a Bestseller Using A Ghostwriter?
The former First Lady of the United States, Hillary Clinton released the book “It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us” in 1996.
The book had an extended time in the New York Times Best Seller list, and soon after, rumours began to surface that a ghostwriter actually wrote it.
Several publishers reached out to Clinton, convincing her to write a book, which she eventually did.
It wasn’t that hard of a sell considering that another former First Lady, Barbara Bush, had also released a book.
The fact that it became a bestseller speaks volumes of Clinton’s ability to deliver a compelling title to the reading public.
The authorship controversy over the work wasn’t just limited to who wrote it – there were concerns about how much Clinton contributed and shaped the book beyond factual accuracy.
Who Is Barbara Feinman Todd?
The former ghostwriter turned professor, and founding director of journalism at Georgetown University wrote a book called “Pretend I’m Not Here: How I Worked with Three Newspaper Icons, One Powerful First Lady, and Still Managed to Dig Myself Out of the Washington Swamp” back in 2017, where she finally uttered the words, everyone wanted to hear – Clinton’s first book was ghostwritten.
Barbara is no stranger to ghostwriting.
Before, she worked with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, two investigative journalists with names forever attached to the Watergate Scandal.
The Plight of a Ghostwriter
Barbara’s book is literally a “tell-all” account of her two decades working as a ghostwriter.
She reveals the challenges, frustrations, and betrayals she faced while padding out the resumes of famous people, especially political figures in Washington.
The most revealing part of the book is her take on how Clinton neglected to acknowledge her role in writing “It Takes a Village.”
At first, she was under the impression that only a small portion of her writing was incorporated in the book but later found out that over 70% of her draft was put in the published title.
Ghostwriters aren’t meant to demand credit from the titles they pen on behalf of their clients.
But Barbara’s case is quite different in more than a few ways.
The public views the former First Lady as an icon, someone who has done so much for the well-being of children and could’ve been president herself.
Notwithstanding the success of Clinton’s book, she was in some way compelled to be honest and forthcoming.
The media’s take on the controversy revolves around the notion that Clinton did not even bother mentioning the help of a ghostwriter in the “acknowledgement” section of the book.
Most celebrity authors do that if they had their work ghostwritten.
To Barbara’s own words, Clinton was “dishonest” in neglecting her contribution to the bestseller.
Why A Ghostwriter Should Break Silence Now?
“It Takes a Village” was released over two decades ago, so why go about telling people about it today?
Going purely by the rules, which states that ghostwriters must remain anonymous, Barbara should’ve kept mum.
The book has already become a bestseller, and it’s not like Clinton will apologize for doing what she did.
However, there are some reasons why Barbara decided to break her silence now.
First, her aptly titled book, “Pretend I’m Not Here,” is marketed as a “bare all” type of memoir.
It wouldn’t make sense for her to write a tell-all book then keep this information from the public.
Next, Barbara will forever be linked to the former First Lady, and to be honest, the controversy surrounding “It Takes a Village” is why people know her as an author today.
Hence, the best way to sell her book with her name on it is to talk about the one thing that made her “famous,” and that’s Hillary Clinton.
Ghostwriting, Hilary Clinton and Politics
The main argument about ghostwriters is that they’re essentially writing on behalf of another person, emulating their persona and life experiences.
Barbara had first-hand experience with this as she worked on Clinton’s first book project.
“It Takes a Village” is not some ordinary work; it’s a reflection of what Hilary Clinton cares about and the belief system she subscribes to.
People want to know who she is and how she got where she is today.
But knowing that she hasn’t written anything significant before means that it shouldn’t have been a surprise to know that she had help with her book.
Hilary Clinton’s image is built around the notion that she has done a lot for the American people, especially children and families.
There are major implications to that knowledge, especially if it leaks out through a ghostwriter.
How then does it shake out if most of what was written in “It Takes a Village” wasn’t hers?
What Barbara has done is put everyone on the spot.
Some believe that Clinton should’ve been honest about not writing her book by herself, while others think that she shouldn’t be crucified for what she did was something that everyone else does.
Should Ghostwriters Be Given Credit?
Ghostwriters are hired from publishing companies, or they’re contracted out independently.
They provide a service that people could care less about, which is why it’s always an “under-the-table” type of agreement.
The “acknowledgement” section allows people to acknowledge the ghostwriter’s role in writing a certain book or essay while also crediting those who helped them along the way.
It’s customary for ghostwriters to be acknowledged whenever people read a book or any written material published by an author with a name significantly bigger than the one in the byline.
Meant for publicity or not, Barbara’s disclosure of having ghostwritten Hillary Clinton’s book is an example of how ghostwriters are integral to the lives of celebrities and politicians.
It doesn’t matter how prolific the expertise or mind of a personality is; ghostwriters will always have an irreplaceable role in delivering a message to the public.
Further Reading
Does Michelle Obama Use a Ghostwriter?
Joel Mark Harris graduated from the Langara School of Journalism in 2007. Joel is an award-winning journalist, novelist, screenwriter and producer.
He has ghostwritten numerous books in all types of genres including true life crime, business, memoir, and self help. With over 1,000 blog posts to his name, he has helped hundreds of business owners scale their business and increase their visibility. You can email him at info@ghostwritersandco.com
