Famous men cashing in on children's book market??

The thing about comedians writing books is that comedians are already writers. They don't just stand in front of an audience or camera and see what comes out. That 6 episode half hour sketch show has just taken 3 months of sitting at a computer. They have to conjure up 'worlds' from their imaginations. They're creative people. They're also usually parents so would have read hundreds of children's books and would probably have come up with lots of spoken stories for their child. It's not a big step for a writer with children to write a children's book.

(As a wannabe comedy writer who has written children's books too. (All unwanted by everybody, but I'm still a writer!))

@StrychnineInTheSandwiches Geri Halliwell wrote some children's books years ago.

Fucks fucking sake.

I was just discussing this with my Mum last week. I see it as greedy. Simple as. It must be having an affect on every day authors. Every time you turn the telly on there's another Celeb hawking their books. They must know they are being self absorbed greedy fuckers, surely?

Not directly related, but there was an interview with Paul Heaton of Beautiful South on BBC Breakfast recently. He was talking about how much utter greed there is in the Music / TV Industry. He said that he personally didn't really 'need' any more money so had chosen to keep forthcoming gig tickets at around the £30 mark to make it affordable for fans.

Some of the 'big' names should he ashamed of themselves for charging hundreds.

Announced today that Jamie Oliver and Geri Halliwell are releasing children's books. Because that's exactly what the world's been waiting for...

As well as having much more promotion and exposure (including free media coverage that other authors can only dream of), the celebrity authors have the advantage of the financial cushion which removes the risk involved in writing in the first place.

Well quite. And whilst I can sort of almost forgive (to some extent) the youngsters for blindly following names they know, it's so irritating when it's parents, who are generally a bit older, who are doing it on behalf of their children.

And what about avid and enthusiastic supporter of pornography David Baddiel writing children's books! WTF. And being invited onto Mumsnet for a lovely cosy chat about it too. Makes my stomach turn.

The focus of marketing on such a few celebrity names and the monopoly on shelf space in supermarkets and station bookshops is what seems particularly damaging. It’s made worse by the fact that they all seem to adopt the same chatty, funny narrator style and are basically all the same genre of writing. Some of the authors are better than others, but they’re all smothering opportunities that could be given to a much more diverse range of voices and styles to give children more choice in what they read.
The trouble is it is vanishingly difficult to make any kind of living from writing books these days. You need a second income from somewhere. As well as having much more promotion and exposure (including free media coverage that other authors can only dream of), the celebrity authors have the advantage of the financial cushion which removes the risk involved in writing in the first place.

I agree totally. I see that Richard Ayoade has now jumped on this band wagon which has put me RIGHT off him (I literally loved him up til now).

The same goes for mainly female celebs launching perfume or beauty products lines. There are other people out there who are better qualified, have years of experience in the business - and yet sheeple will be sheeple.

I don't believe Dawn French, Celia Imrie or Fern Cotton are particularly talented writers either - they trade on their name. It's very, very tiresome.

This is Mumsnet it's our hobby to keep blaming the menz.

I would never comment unfavourably about a book that a child is reading but there are no celeb books on my classroom shelves.

None in my house for my DC either but I wouldn't comment if they borrowed one from the library.

We are in a golden age of children's publishing. There are so many fabulous books to read of every genre for every age group.

There are some books by celebrity authors that are a genuinely good read. But the weight of the attention they're given is a real issue, when there are so many authors writing great books that kids simply won't find, because the celeb titles are marketed so, so prominently.

This totally.
It's difficult to get an agent for a book-they have 100s of books per one they accept. I'm sure there are many books written that children would love that never get the opportunity for children to read.

But saying they were the books which get children reading, doesn't really make a good argument, because who knows if there is an unknown (like JKRowling) whose book hasn't been published (she was rejected many times over) or if it has been published hasn't been able to compete as an unknown against the celebrities, which would have just as much got huge numbers of children reading.

My almost eight year old opined - after being given two of the masterpieces that are David Walliams books - that he thought the books were trying to be like the ones that man Roald Dahl wrote but they are rubbish.

Reading material for DC should be chosen for their benefit and enjoyment, not to provide air time or income to authors deemed underepresented or worthy.

And you think that's why Holly Willoughby and Frank Lampard were given publishing contracts? Because their books benefit children more than those written by a non-celebrity author?

Do people refer to kids that aren't their own as DC?

I'm not a fan of Walliams, but I don't think DC care about his celebrity. For whatever reason they really enjoy his books, including lots of DC that don't otherwise read much.
I'd rather they read something better, but I'm, I'm ok with a bit of Walliams.
As others have pointed out, his comedic fame is partly based on his ability to write gags and skits.
Reading material for DC should be chosen for their benefit and enjoyment, not to provide air time or income to authors deemed underepresented or worthy.

There are some books by celebrity authors that are a genuinely good read. But the weight of the attention they're given is a real issue, when there are so many authors writing great books that kids simply won't find, because the celeb titles are marketed so, so prominently.

Seconding the recommendation of Laura Ellen Anderson.

And another idea for the pp who has finished Rainbow Magic, by the way - The Magic Potions Shop series is lovely, if you haven't tried it yet?

There are a lot of shit children's books out there.

I would agree, and I do find it annoying, but the proof is in the pudding. Kids don’t give a fuck who Ben Miller is. They either enjoy a book or don’t.

The book my son was given is about two animals racing to be first on the moon

This was the book I read too. It had no redeeming features. It didn’t even have the good grace to be well written. It was awkward and clunky.

My son said he didn’t like it because it wasn’t kind and I quietly removed the book from circulation.

People who say his writing has mean undertones are bang on-there is none of the fundamental goodness, kindness and innocence of Roald Dahl. I think it’s insulting to him to compare them.

Ooh yes. Mine came home with a David Walliams book and they didn't like it. We're really struggling atm. We've done rainbow magic and Daisy so we're back on classic that I read as a child.
Any non celebrity authors ideas?