My Celebrity and Me

Many people ask me, “How do you write a book for someone else, much less as someone else?”

Like any great relationship, it’s simultaneously complicated and simple. It requires spending a lot of time together and significant time apart. It requires flexibility and a willingness to accommodate the celebrity’s busy and demanding schedule. When it comes to my celebrity ghostwriting clients, I will fly in to meet them wherever they are and whenever they have time. We do many, many phone and FaceTime meetings.

I research everything about my celebrity like a frantic librarian, watching every interview and reading every piece of public material. Occasionally, a celebrity will share private letters and journals to further promote the truest voice. In short, I become an expert on the celebrity, a regular Oxford Encyclopedia about Celebrity X.

As the relationship grows, so does the intimacy and transparency. I share chapters with the celebrity to confirm we are fulfilling his or her vision. We build trust with scheduled check-ins until we finish the project. In the end, we part ways and move on to our next adventures, knowing one day we may meet again; preferably in Rome with some exquisite grappa.

My Celebrity and Me

Erika Parsons

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