Ghost-writing is entirely legal — politicians, business leaders, and celebrities regularly use ghostwriters. The key legal document transfers copyright from the writer to the client and includes a strict NDA preventing the ghostwriter from revealing their involvement.

• Copyright: automatically vests in the writer — must be assigned in writing to the client
• NDA: ghostwriter must not disclose their involvement — perpetual silence clause
• Moral rights: ghostwriter must waive moral rights (right to be identified as author)
• Payment: typically per-word, per-chapter, or fixed project fee
• Revisions: unlimited or limited revision rounds — define carefully

Legal reference: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 ss.11, 77-89; contract law