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Hack writer is apejorative term for awriter who is paid to write low-quality, rushed articles or books "to order", often with a short deadline. Infiction writing, a hack writer is paid to quickly write sensational,pulp fiction such as "true crime" novels or "bodice ripping"paperbacks. Injournalism, a hack writer is deemed to operate as a "mercenary" or "pen for hire", expressing their client's political opinions inpamphlets ornewspaper articles. Hack writers are usually paid by the number of words in their book or article; as a result, hack writing has a reputation for quantity taking precedence over quality.
The term "hack writer" was first used in the 18th century, "when publishing was establishing itself as a business employing writers who could produce to order."[1] The derivation of the term "hack" was a "shortening ofhackney, which described a horse that was easy to ride and available for hire."[1] In 1728,Alexander Pope wroteThe Dunciad, which was a satire of "the Grub-street Race" of commercial writers who worked inGrub Street, a London district that was home to abohemian counterculture of impoverished writers and poets. In the late 19th century,Anthony Trollope's novelThe Way We Live Now (1875) depicts a female hack writer whose career was built on social connections rather than writing skill.[1]
Manyauthors who would later become famous worked as low-paid hack writers early in their careers, or during a downturn in their fortunes. As a young man,Anton Chekhov had to support his family by writing short newspaper articles;Arthur Koestler penned a dubiousDictionary of Sexuality for the popular press;Samuel Beckett translated for the FrenchReader's Digest; andWilliam Faulkner churned outHollywood scripts.[1]
A number of films have depicted hack writers, perhaps because the way these authors are "prostituting" their creative talents makes them an interesting character study. In the film adaptation ofCarol Reed'sThe Third Man (1949), authorGraham Greene added a hard-drinking hack writer named Holly Martins. InJean-Luc Godard's filmContempt (1963), a hack screenwriter is paid to doctor a script. In the filmAdaptation (2002),Nicolas Cage depicts an ill-educated character named Donald Kaufman who finds he has a knack for churning out cliché-filled film scripts.[1]
In the US, the term "hack" is used as a pejorative description among writers, journalists, bloggers, and comedians. It is especially used for journalists that are perceived to take partisan sides.
The term "hack" has been used by some UKjournalists as a form of humorous, self-deprecating self-description. The term was popularized in the UK byPrivate Eye magazine, which refers to male journalists as "hacks" and female journalists as "hackettes."