The performance of authorship in published books by the Kardashians and Jenners

This chapter presents a case study of the mainstream books published under the names of several members of the extended Kardashian family. Its focus is to present a brief history of these publications, as well as to tease out the concepts of “writer” and “author” in relation to these books, which include works of memoir, fiction, and food writing. As writers other than the named authors have collaborated in the production of, or largely produced, these texts, this chapter also profiles the shadowy profession of the contemporary ghostwriter and the role of ghostwriters in the contemporary publishing industry.