A little over 24 hours ago, ‘Stranger Things’ actress Milli Bobby Brown unveiled her debut novel Nineteen Steps. The book is said to be inspired by her grandmother’s experience of the 1943 Bethnal Green tube disaster and was ghostwritten by author Kathleen McGurl. Following the book being available for purchase, the recently engaged actress was slammed by netizens.
One of the reasons for this was the presence of only Brown’s name on the cover, with no mention of McGurl. In the midst of the backlash, the actress has also received support from many, including those from the ghostwriter’s community. Read on to know what they said.
In the midst of the backlash, the actress has also received support from many, including those from the ghostwriter’s community. Read on to know what they said.
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As reported by The Guardian, defending Milli Bobby Brown and her using a ghostwriter to write Nineteen Steps, Catherine Yardley – author of Ember, told the publication, “People love to attack people who trigger them and Millie is young, beautiful, famous and rich.” She added that a lot of the criticism came down to ‘jealousy, ageism and s*xism,’ saying, “I can’t think of one man who has had this level of criticism.”
Stating that the ‘Stranger Things’ star is not the first celeb to be criticized for using a ghostwriter, Hannah Yelin, author of Celebrity Memoir: From Ghostwriting to Gender Politics, said, “We’ve seen it in relation to many young, female stars.” She added, “Zoella’s [media personality Zoë Sugg] first memoir comes to mind as an example which saw her lambasted in the media for breaking some kind of implicit social contract.” Yelin added, “Collaborative authorship is nothing new and exists in many celebrated forms.” She also mentioned that “From political speechwriters to editors like Maxwell Perkins, who helped F Scott Fitzgerald with The Great Gatsby”, ghostwriting has been prevalent.
Shannon Kyle, a ghostwriter who started the Ghostwriters Agency, agreed that ghostwriting “has been around for a long, long time – since the days of Shakespeare”. She added that ghostwriting was “part of the celeb culture” to front products such as perfumes, clothing ranges, beauty lines and food products that celebrities might not have been involved in the technical side of creating. Adding that Milli Bobby Brown’s transparency about using a ghostwriter was ‘refreshing’, Kyle added, “it doesn’t diminish her involvement, because ultimately it is her family story, and it wouldn’t be happening without her”.
Catherine Yardley added that “the public might feel cheated” but that Brown was “being open about it”.
In March, Kathleen McGurl – via a blog post, explained that she was provided with a lot of research “pulled together by Millie and her family, and plenty of ideas.” She then added that she and Brown had a “couple” of Zoom calls before McGurl wrote the first draft. The ‘Enola Holmes’ actress continued sending the writer ideas via WhatsApp, and the book went through several drafts as the pair “refined the story”.
While Millie Bobby Brown receives backlash for using a ghostwriter, another notable ghostwritten celebrity title that made the headlines a lot – but not for the reason the Stranger Things actress did, is Prince Harry’s memoir Spare. JR Moehringer wrote it.
What do you think of a ghostwriter helping Millie Bobby Brown pen ‘Nineteen Steps’ and ghostwriters in general? Let us know in the comments.
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The post Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown Slammed For Using A Ghostwriter’s Help For Her Book ‘Nineteen Steps’, Another Author Defends “I Can’t Think Of One Man Who Has Had This Level Of Criticism” appeared first on Koimoi.
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