Influencer Ankur Warikoo admits the song Do Epic Shit was not written by him, sparking a ghostwriting debate

Author and businessman Ankur Wariko has revealed the secret behind his best-selling book – The Book of Ghosts. Warikoo’s LinkedIn post came after Nishtha Gehija, a California-based writer, claimed she wrote his second book, Get Epic Shit Done, in “less than 3 months” while holding down a full-time job.

Warikoo did not back down, and replied in a rude tone: “Nishta is lying. Not only did she write my second book, she also wrote my first book!” It turned out that the writer behind the scenes was also responsible for Do Epic Shit, Warikoo’s best-selling book.

The candid confession caused a stir on social media, with Warikoo highlighting the hard work ghostwriters do to bring ideas to life.

“The author of the book shares his thoughts, experiences and stories. This can be through personal interviews, as in Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog, or by following the life of the creator, such as in Prince Harry’s autobiography,” he explained.

For his books, Jhija reviewed his extensive library of videos, blog posts and notes to piece together the content.

“Nishtha and I used to do Zoom calls, where she would ask questions (pretending as a student), and I would answer them (as a teacher),” Wariko revealed. The calls were recorded, transcribed, and then converted into a structured manuscript. “Imagine going through thousands of pieces of content, understanding them, and then drafting them into a book. “It was a very difficult task, and she did it commendably well,” he added.

This process was far from a hidden arrangement. Warikoo shared a photo of the thank you page from his second book, writing, “Nishtha, the person who actually wrote this book. We spent three months on multiple Zoom calls. He emphasized that ghostwriting is a professional collaboration, and in his case it is a paid assignment.

When a LinkedIn user asked why he called himself an “author” despite not writing his own books, Wariko answered frankly: “Author seemed easier to me, suggesting that I also publish books. If you can think of a better description, let me know, and I’ll I would gladly change it.

“I can’t believe I described ghostwriting as a career on LinkedIn,” he wrote.

“All my future books will be written by someone else,” he joked.