Tony Horne is one of the most in demand ghostwriters in the UK. Having previously presented high profile breakfast shows on the radio for over 25 years, he has now penned over 25 books.

From the first winner of the X Factor Steve Brookstein, to the late PC David Rathband (gunned down by Raoul Moat in 2010)...from former darts World Number One Shayne Burgess to Terry West, brother of Lesley Ann Downey, one of the Moors Murders victims. From undercover cops to whistleblowers, gangsters to business gurus, talent show contestants to bodyguards...
As versatile as his portfolio is, his passion and where he is most sought after, is TRUE CRIME.
Indeed, one of his 2025 books about a London gangster is the subject of a Netflix commission.

His high profile clients mean that he has had access to many stories that you have seen on the news - and now he tells those stories behind the stories as well as talking you through their individual details.

His broadcasting background, which saw him interview a huge range of people such as Nick Clegg, Ricky Gervais, Steps, Take That, Dr Robert Winston, Vic Reeves, Russell Watson, James Nesbitt and many many more, means that he is a fluent, natural, thoughtful and witty communicator able to work from notes, with powerpoint, or ad-lib at will.

He offers a variety of talks on both the process of ghostwriting and the stories themselves and is able to lead creative writing workshops too.

THE A-Z OF GHOSTWRITING
A whistle-stop tour through some incredible people Tony has ghostwritten for:

A is for Athari...the Swedish-Iranian man he went to live with just weeks after he was released from a UAE jail.
B is for Brookstein...the first winner of the UK X Factor.
C is for Craig Summers, former bodyguard to the BBC World Affair's Editor, John Simpson.

MOAT
The true story of what happened to the late PC David Rathband in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the summer of 2010. Featuring recorded contributions from David's twin, Darren.

TALENT OR NO TALENT?
Writing for those who chase their fifteen minutes of fame, appearing on talent shows. From Celebrity Big Brother to X Factor.
Insight into what really went on the night of the first live X factor final in 2004 and then how quickly the dreams crashed and burned.

THE BOOK THE BBC TRIED TO BAN
This is the rollercoaster journey Craig Summers went on after leaving the Beeb for Sky and being encouraged to write his memoir by the esteemed John Simpson. Together, they had gone to all corners of the globe getting the story, often at great risk. Bombed by the Americans in a Friendly Fire incident in Iraq, part of the first news crew (with Ben Brown) at the Tsunami in 2004, filming undercover, buying children in Bulgaria from the mafia in Sofia...the corporation called Craig in for a meeting to try to stop his book Bodyguard being released even though he no longer worked for them!

SECRETS OF A GHOSTWRITER
What is a ghostwriter and how does it work? How do you persuade someone to share their life story and make 90,000 words out of it? Is it really a job? Where do you find work?

BULLDOG
The story of a darts champ, Shayne Burgess, World Number One for just 24 hours! By the time, his transatlantic plane had landed, a rival had usurped him and he fell back to Number Three. This is not just a darts story. It is all the bits in between tournaments...what goes on tour does not stay on tour any more! Plus, find out why he only got £15 for representing his country.

BOOKS THAT BOMBED
Not every book is a hit, every time. Hear about the mistakes Tony made in selecting wrong clients or indeed, those who he started work with and then came to his senses and pulled out.

SERIAL KILLERS
The most famous case in UK crime history - The Moors Murders. When 14 year old Terry West was too poorly to take his 10 year old sister to the fair on Boxing Day 1964, she went alone. Lesley Ann Downey never came home.
Terry, who passed away in 2024, struggled to tell Tony his story. Hear how he was haunted for over 50 years, and how they sat in his living room reading letters from Myra Hindley and Ian Brady sent from prison to his late mum.

RADIO BY DAY, BOOKS BY NIGHT...WORDS ARE ALL I HAVE
How does a very high profile breakfast presenter end up turning his back on radio and becoming a ghostwriter? Hear some hysterical stories from his radio life from the celebrity guests to the complaints and the lawsuits, and how he turned those skills into penning best-selling memoirs.

UNDERCOVER
A study of three incredible people who lived under the radar. One is a cop. An other an aid worker who broke the law to help people. The third lived illegally in America for 12 years without detection.

TRUE CRIME MASTERCLASS
Writing for victims, but also gangsters. Writing for those who investigate crime but also those who are wrongly imprisoned. Writing for whistleblowers who risked it all to expose corruption... and many many more. The law from all angles!

Over 25 years of hosting major market breakfast shows on radio gave Tony the skills to become an accomplished public speaker.
He regularly speak at book festivals to a handful of people but has also spoken at a funeral on live TV to a global audience.
He runs video lectures too, training the ghostwriters of tomorrow.