David Ritz on Ghostwriting for Music Legends and How He Lands His Most Notable Clients

An estimated 80 percent of Americans want to write a book someday, and it’s very likely that most of those people have been silently crafting their stories for years, mentally stringing together character sketches and plot lines. But what if your dream is to tell someone else‘s story, to write a book that brings to life the imagination or experiences of another person?

Author David Ritz has been doing just that for over 35 years, collaborating with more than a few high-profile celebs, like R&B artist R. Kelly and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry. He even played a part in the creation of Marvin Gaye’s iconic hit “Sexual Healing” while working on Gaye’s biography, Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye, published in 1985. At age 68, Ritz is easily one of the most prolific writers in the publishing industry — ghost or otherwise — and he shows no signs of slowing down.

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I read in the L.A. Times profile of you that you taught a class in contemporary R&B. How did you segue into ghostwriting for artists?
In graduate school, I was working on my Master’s and my PhD in English, and I taught a course using the lyrics of R&B songs and had students examine them as poetry. For a while, I was going to be an academic and a scholar, but it just wasn’t me. I wanted to meet the people who make music, and it was really important to me to get in that life. I wanted to know who are they, and how do they think, and where do they come from? And what’s it like to actually hang out with them and talk to them?

When I first met Ray Charles, I didn’t know about ghostwriting; I was just going to do a biography of him. And then his agent asked me, “Which book would you be more interested in reading: a book about Ray Charles written by an egghead, or a book written in his own voice?” I told him that I would much rather read the book written in his own voice, and he told me, “You should write the book you would want to read, not the one you believe you should write.” And that was a big turning point for me.

So, how do your collaborations typically come about now? Are people seeking you out?
There are times now when people do [seek me out], but I’m really a hustler — in a good way. I get out there and chase down people. I initially got Ray Charles 35 years ago by sending a telegram to him in Braille, because his manager wouldn’t let me see him. So I’m real determined. And Aretha [Franklin], I chased after her for 25 years before she agreed to a book. And now I want to do a book with Keyshia [Cole], so I’ll pursue her.

I would say that the first 25 to 30 years of my career I did all my own hustling. I’m like The Temptations: I ain’t too proud to beg. So I call people and tell them, “Hey, I’m a writer for hire; hire me because I love you and I want to tell your story, and I want to get to know you.” You do get a lot of rejections — and I’ve probably gotten as much rejection as anybody in the world — but you just develop a thick skin. You don’t take it personally, and you realize it’s part of the job. I like to sell, and I like to meet people and try to talk them into using me as their writer. I enjoy that.

I noticed that some of your recent books say “with David Ritz” as opposed to just having the celebrity’s name. Was that your decision?
Yeah, I mean, I kinda feel like there are two kinds of ghosts. One is the kind of ghost where you get your name on the cover with ‘with’ or ‘and’ or ‘as told to’ and your name is not as big as the star’s. And the other kind is where your name is nowhere on the book, even though you’ve written it. And I don’t like that, even though that makes the truest ghost. I still have enough of an ego that I just want to see my name, or else you wouldn’t have heard of me, and we wouldn’t even be having this talk. It doesn’t have to be large, and I don’t have to have my picture with the star’s in the back. But I do want at least acknowledgement of my participation. Most people don’t have an objection because they realize how important my participation is.

Have you ever turned down the opportunity to ghost someone’s book?
Sure. I mean, if I don’t like the person, or I don’t respect them, I can’t do it. It’s a million times easier when I fall in love with the people that I’m working with and I deeply respect them or their art. But, yeah, I’ve turned down books with people that I either didn’t believe — I thought they were inherently dishonest — or I was uninterested in them. You’ve been with some people, and when they talk you just get bored and you can’t concentrate. If that’s the case, then I can’t do the book because I have to be interested in the person in order to render their voice in a captivating way.

You’ve written novels in addition to the numerous biographies you’ve penned. As an author, is there a more enjoyable experience for you? Would you rather be writing fiction or nonfiction?
I’ve written a lot of novels; I’ve had novels written under my own name, and I’ve written novels as a ghost. So I love writing fiction, and I love making up stories. But I guess I feel about fiction or nonfiction the way I do about R&B, jazz and gospel — I just kinda love it all. And, as long as I’m into a story, I’m a happy guy. As long as I have an idea where it’s going, whether I am making up the story or I am re-scoping the story of a person’s life, I’m happy either way. And I feel very lucky to be able to work in the two categories.

Is there one that comes more naturally?
My mother was a knitter, and when I write I often think of my mom because I feel that’s what I’m doing when I’m writing: I’m knitting a sweater. And I think one of the reasons I’m so prolific is that I don’t take it all that seriously. Not every book has to be War in Peace or Shakespeare. You knit a sweater and it keeps you warm in the winter, and hopefully it looks good and it kinda feels good. And you write a story; hopefully it has an inspiring message and 10,000 or 100,000 or a million people read it, and it makes them feel good. And then you’re going to do another story, and another story, and you’re going to knit a scarf and you’re going to knit another sweater.

I’m just a guy out here writing stories. There were a million storytellers before me, and there are going to be a million after me. So I don’t have to tell myself, “I’m working with T.I., the greatest rapper in the world, or I am working with Marvin Gaye, the greatest R&B singer in the world, and I better write the greatest book.” Those kinds of voices, when they come into writers’ heads, are very destructive because they put undue pressure on you.

David Ritz’s tips for aspiring ghostwriters:
1. Learn how to listen. “As you conduct your interview, you really have to give yourself over to the individual and really try hard to understand them, because, once the interviewing process is over, you’re going to become that person.”

2. Learn the art of interviewing. “Part of the job of the interviewer is not just to ask penetrating questions that will yield important information, but to make the other person feel comfortable and safe.”

3. Be enthusiastic about the process. “Always look for ways to renew your enthusiasm because the book is born out of the dialogue between you and the other person, and, if that dialogue does not contain a lot of enthusiasm, then the book is going to lay flat.”

Andrea Williams is a freelance writer and journalist based in Nashville, Tenn. Follow her @AndreaWillWrite.