The Ghost: The Life of a Ghostwriter

by Neil Hanson

Neil Hanson has been a successful author and ghostwriter for 30 years, but in the 20 years before that he had a bewildering number of jobs and short-lived careers. The Ghost gives us privileged glimpses into the hidden worlds of his ghostwriting clients, including some very famous names and remarkable individuals, but also tells tales of high-life, low life and the many curious characters he encountered in his ramshackle early career. They include a one-hit wonder with a surprising use for false teeth, a volatile chef’s unusual technique for tenderising steak, a thespian piglet, a booze up in a brewery, and explain how to flog a dead horse, dodge tribal warfare in a tropical hellhole, survive on a diet of beer and pot noodles and sell oil paintings of sausages for dogs. It’s all strange but true, and very, very funny.

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 8, 2026

About the author

It's been a long and winding road... since graduating with a degree in philosophy (now that's useful...) I've been by turns plasterer's mate, holiday camp redcoat, ice cream salesman, exhibition organiser, art critic, rugby league commentator, freelance journalist, editor of the Good Beer Guide, owner of the highest pub in Great Britain and - finally! - a full-time author. It may not be an ideal career path, but it's given me a wealth of experiences that I draw on constantly in my own work.

I'm the author of over 50 published books. Under my own name I usually write narrative non-fiction a.k.a. popular history (though my sales figures suggest that it's never quite as popular as I'd like it to be...), but I have also written a serious novel, a few thrillers, two screenplays, travel writing and even a play-script for a musical as well. And in my day job as a professional "ghostwriter" I've written over forty other books, including a New York Times Number One best-seller.
I've spoken about my work at lectures, writers' festivals and other events all over the world and, when not writing, I'm often to be found riding my bike in the country around my home on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.