how are ghostwriters ever paid royalties when they aren't credited?

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prodeucer

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Is the royalty payment all negotiated behind the scenes? From what I understand any writer can write in the same vein as any existing popular writer (and even if this writer has been dead for a while) a publisher can put out a product under this popular writer's name. Maybe it's the same industry formula/template that some companies use as to why they keep putting out never heard before songs by dead artists, by simply having ghostwriters or ghosteditors put out "never heard before" material. From what I understand the author Tom Clancy keeps putting out books every month yet he probably never even wrote any of them but ghostwriters. Maybe the A&R company "TAXI"'s main service is REALLY a ghostwriter type service of sorts? Where they request a specific genre and or a song similar to a familiar artist (ex. Michael Jackson) from outside writers who can emulate that artist and then their material gets used by Michael Jackson as some form of ghostwritten material? I would assume this is unethical in the music world without proper credit but not so much in book publishing where a ghostwriter can write a children's book and the publisher can slap Madonna's name on it (is she even an artist or simply a "star"?). I would assume any authors with over 100 books published is nothing more than a front, backed by ghostwriters and a major publisher. I would think Goosebumps writer R.L. Stein is just a name to be the "face" (or author) of the Goosebumps series but each series had to be written by several ghostwriters following a set tone or template. I would think this goes for any entertainment industry as well whether film or music.

for all we know maybe the EDM artist Skrillex is just a front and maybe 3 Japanese music programmers are the ghostwriter for it yet Skrillex is the face of it so the major label keeps it under control? Who knows? Some are true artists, some are stars (just ask Justin Bieber). Either way, someone's making money here.
 
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Is that how it goes?

Let's say I have such a good story but I can't write a book (I'm not a book writer); is a synopsis enough for someone else (a ghostwriter in the publishing company) to write the entire book for me? Wouldn't I get royalties for this since it is my story? Didn't the sniper who got Bin Laden write a book of the ordeal?

I think the children's book that Madonna or Hilary Clinton "wrote" was actually written by a ghostwriter, it's just those 2 figures have the "name" the publisher can "slap" on to the book so it flies off the shelves.
 
Ghostwriters I believe do not get paid royalties. Since the main artist doesn't want them to be known Its just up front that is given.
 
Music Ghost writers are paid royalties with no writers credits or paid per song under a work for hire contract. They sign split sheets with the artist publishing company. In books writing. I know a guy who writes books for other people. He told me. He gets. Front and backend payments plus 10% royalty for net sales not gross or wholesale. A lot of people are just the face of someone else work.
 
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