I have now had time to sift through all the material that relates to the book I am ghosting. One of the beauties of ghostwriting is not knowing where the story will take you until all the information has been collated. This is a belter - it's touching, funny and very personal.
I have written a first draft with red lines under all the issues that need clarifying, all the anecdotes that need nailing down (and some that need building up), and all the potentially libellous information that has to be amended.
Possible defamation is a constant worry when ghostwriting a memoir. Often, a client is adamant that they want their story to be told their way, but I have always been aware that there are only two defences for libel - death (of the person who is defamed), and the truth (that you can prove). The second of these is very important. If someone believes you have dafamed them and they seek redress, it is your responsibility to prove the truth of your assertions, not theirs to prove it is a lie.
To avoid confusion, ghostwriters should alter all the potentially contentious stories. If nothing else, change the names so they cannot be identified.
Ghostwriters in the UK dabble in this area at their peril.
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