Hack writer is a
colloquial and usually
pejorative term used to refer to a
writer who is paid to write low-quality, rushed articles or books "to order", often with a short deadline. In a
fiction-writing context, the term is used to describe writers who are paid to churn out sensational, lower-quality "pulp" fiction such as "
true crime" novels or "
bodice ripping"
paperbacks. In
journalism, the term is used to describe a writer who is deemed to operate as a "
mercenary" or "pen for hire", expressing their client's political opinions in
pamphlets or
newspaper articles. So-called "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.