For the Wales international footballer see Andrew Crofts Andrew Crofts based in England, is a ghostwriter. Many of his subjects have been international and have topped the best-seller charts of United Kingdom and other countries. Because of the secrecy surrounding the business of ghostwriting it is never known exactly how many books that have been credited to other people were actually written by him, but in recent years more and more publishers seem to be insisting on placing his name alongside the "author's" in order to boost sales. In 2014 he published a memoir "Confessions of a Ghostwriter". Although the book is filled with anecdotes about the ghostwriting profession the Daily Telegraph noted that "when it comes to famous clients, he is as silent as Jeeves".
Early days and development of his career
Born in 1953 in England, Crofts was educated at Lancing College, a school renowned for producing writers,. Moving to London at 17, Crofts took a variety of jobs as he struggled to establish himself as a freelance writer,, while submitting work to every kind of magazine and publisher. For a number of years he worked as a freelance business journalist and then a travel writer, spending a great deal of his time in the Far East, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. His career as a ghostwriter seems to have started seriously in the early 1990s. In 2006 his name was openly linked to a book by the popular winner of Big Brother, Pete Bennett, who wrote movingly about his childhood and the problems of having Tourette syndrome in Pete-My Story. In 2007 thriller writer Robert Harris quoted Crofts's ghostwriting book at the start of every chapter of his bestselling The Ghost. The book was subsequently filmed by Roman Polanski with Ewan McGregor playing the ghostwriter. Crofts, in turn, has commented that The Ghost was "a gift from the gods. Harris did us all a huge favour." Crofts' ghostwriting career has involved writing for dictators, politicians, arms dealers and billionaires, and visits to palaces and tax havens in Monaco and Bermuda. His experiences led to Secrets of the Italian Gardner, a novel set inside a dictator's palace during the Arab Spring, narrated by the dictator's ghostwriter. The same ghostwriter features in a second novel by Crofts, 'What Lies Around Us', this time becoming embroiled in the American celebrity political scene when paid a million dollars by a Silicon Valley billionaire to ghost the autobiography of a Hollywood superstar. Crofts' fees are substantial, reputed to average six figures. He has stated that because a ghostwriter has no need to invent plots or do lengthy research, "it is perfectly feasible to produce four books a year."
Known ghosted titles
Sold by Zana Muhsen,, about two sisters sold as child brides in the Yemen and was France's best selling non-fiction book of the year at the time of publication, with close to four million copies now sold worldwide.
The Little Prisoner by Jane Elliott,, a tale of child abuse which went to number one in the Sunday Times charts both as a hardback and a paperback, selling half a million copies within a few months.
Betrayed by Lyndsey Harris,, the story of a little girl who was cruelly framed for crimes she never committed by the person she trusted the most. Winner of the Richard and Judy "True" competition.
For a House Made of Stone for Gina French, a girl who started life in the Philippine mountains and ended up on trial for murder in England via the bars of Manila and ex-pat life in Brunei.
Heroine of the Desert by Donya Al-Nahi,, who fought to reunite mothers with their children in international tug-of-love wars.
Through Gypsy Eyes for Kathy Etchingham,, who was Jimi Hendrix's girlfriend.
Pete: My Story for Pete Bennett, an acute Tourette's sufferer.
Please Daddy No for Stuart Howarth,.
My Family is All I Have for Helen-Alice Dear, an English woman who was trapped behind the Iron Curtain for 50 years.
A promise to Nadia by Zana Muhsen, the follow-up of Sold, in which is told how Zana struggles to get her sister free.
Daddy's Little Earner by Maria Landon,, about a girl growing up with a violent and manipulative father, who sexually abuses her and later forces her into prostitution; and her eventual escape.
Authored books
Confessions of a Ghostwriter, - an anecdotal memoir of ghostwriting and the publishing industry.
Secrets of the Italian Gardener The story of a ghostwriter, set inside the palace of a dictator about to be overthrown in the Arab Spring
The Little Hero, which tells the story of Iqbal Masih, a child slave who escaped and became a campaigner for the abolition of bonded labour in Pakistan before being assassinated at the age of 13
Maisie's Amazing Maids – a light hearted novel about a ghostwriter
The Change Agent – How to create a wonderful world - the story of James Martin, noted futurist and benefactor of the Oxford James-Martin school, and Croft's visit to Martin's private island in Bermuda.
The Overnight Fame of Steffi McBride
The Fabulous Dreams of Maggie de Beer
Controversy
Pete Bennett caused some controversy at the time of publication by cheerfully admitting to a Guardian journalist that he had not even read the book he was supposed to have written. Rumours have circulated about other controversial titles and how much or little input Crofts might have had in their creation, particularly since Robert Harris's book The Ghost, was widely presumed to be about Tony Blair, who has always stated that he did not use a ghostwriter for his own autobiography. Through his blog Crofts has also been a vocal champion of electronic publishing for authors and traditional self publishing for those who need their books published privately. He was one of the first ghostwriters to launch his own website. In 2012 he joined the Management Committee of the Society of Authors.
