as-told-to

English

Etymology

From a phrase often used to introduce such pieces, along the lines of "Alice's story, as told to Bob".

Noun

as-told-to (plural as-told-tos)

1. An account of something told by one person and written by another, especially a journalist or ghostwriter.
   • 1993, Stephen Manes, Paul Andrews, Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry and Made Himself the Richest Man in America, page 420:

     Independent developers began airing longstanding grievances, skeletons in the closet, and as-told-tos about Microsoft tactics over the years.

   • 2003, Commonwealth, volumes 26-27, page 102:

     In their attempts to foreground the agency of the Native speaker, the disclaimers of white authorial interference traditionally opening 'as-told-tos' barely conceal, in fact often signal, an active editorial presence.

   • 2005, Michelle Ruberg, Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing, page 163:

     Many religious magazines, like Guideposts for Kids, use as-told-tos, and a selection of magazines from almost any market needs as-told-to pieces.

   • 2013, Boris Kachka, Hothouse, page 58:

     Thanks largely to Straus's navy-era media connections, names such as Stalin and Eisenhower had begun to grace the young list—albeit largely in photo-heavy as-told-tos and diary excerpts.