> No more or less than if I had paid a ghostwriter to produce the first manuscript.

I'd argue that no one who is aware of the ghostwriters considers the celebrities who used them writers or having written a book.

> writing a book is a daunting endeavor

Absolutely. But it's not one you're going to actually succeed on. Sure, your name will be on the cover, but you won't have written the book. As you say, you'll have edited it.