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Original poster

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

108 replies

mids2019 · 07/10/2021 21:08

David Walliams, David Baddiel, now Ben Miller.....rich university educated men getting in on a lucrative market or simply making the most of their talent?

Personally I feel I would like my children to read books from relative unknowns (I guess JKR would have originally fitted this bracket) to allow new author to establish a career (as these guys have already had theirs)

OP posts:
StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 07/10/2021 22:01

*odd promo vid

StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 07/10/2021 22:00

@minipie

Anyone remember when Fergie wrote a kids’ book? Budgie the helicopter or something? Was that the start of slebs thinking I know, I’ve got kids, I’ll do a children’s book…
she's got a bodice ripper out now. I saw some very ad promo vid where she was wandering around a field dressed in 19th c riding gear trying to look sultry!
Peggytheredhen · 07/10/2021 21:58

Fergie has written many more since.... and has a Youtube channel where she reads them.

Peggytheredhen · 07/10/2021 21:57

Agree, but IMO the Walliams comfort reading can sit alongside those (if a kid wants). I'd never expect to see them on the shelf of a secondary school TBH.

I agree with the frustration about celebrity publishing generally speaking-there is so much drivel - publishing is about making money only. I just happen to think the DW aren't actually that bad. (And so what if he took inspiration from Dahl/isn't as good as him? It's a high bar).

Bimblybomeyelash · 07/10/2021 21:56

I only read one Tom fletcher book and it was basically “poo poooooooo poo poo poooooo pooooooo poo poo poo”

I started one David Walliams book and it was mean and boring. I might have finished it but it was a gazillion pages long and I couldn’t be arsed.

minipie · 07/10/2021 21:56

Anyone remember when Fergie wrote a kids’ book? Budgie the helicopter or something? Was that the start of slebs thinking I know, I’ve got kids, I’ll do a children’s book…

Chicchicchicchiclana · 07/10/2021 21:55

Anyone who buys a children's book by David Baddiel should look up his enthusiastic endorsement and defence of porn - all through his 20s and 30s. He only shut up when he became a parent funnily enough.

StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 07/10/2021 21:53

By 'truly great' I don't mean anything stuffy. There are great humorous, books, historical fiction books, thrillers etc.

QueenofLouisiana · 07/10/2021 21:52

I’d never stop a child reading them, but I never recommend them and I never based teaching on them.
There are much better books written by non-celebrity authors.

redfernstation · 07/10/2021 21:52

@Chicchicchicchiclana. Omg i read a dawn french book fairly recently..what an absolute pile of shite. I dont have a problem with famous people writing books if they are good at it. Sadly ruth jones was also shite.

Peggytheredhen · 07/10/2021 21:50

Kids don't have to read the books if they don't want to, and yet lots do. Not all kids can or want to read 'truly great' books.

TopCatsTopHat · 07/10/2021 21:47

I'm with strychnine on this one. 👆

StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 07/10/2021 21:45

Well I don't think kids are being served very well by having an endless number of celeb 'authored' books being given precedence. Not when there are so many truly great books around these days. If that's snobbery I'm cool with that Smile

Ozanj · 07/10/2021 21:41

Alesha Dixon’s books have a black female hero. She is doing something for representation at least.

TopCatsTopHat · 07/10/2021 21:39

David Walliams are devoid of the warmth and humour Roald Dahl, who he is trying to be, had stitched through the fabric of even his scariest books. He's like an awful shock jock parody. My ds recently started secondary school and my regards for the quality of their library went up significantly when I discovered they won't stock any of his books but have already recommended some great ideas to ds based on what he has read so far.

toastytea · 07/10/2021 21:39

@Sirzy some definite book snobbery going on!

Tonkerbea · 07/10/2021 21:38

Peddling racist tropes?

Peggytheredhen · 07/10/2021 21:37

I like the David Walliams books and so do my kids. I have seen brilliant stage shows of them and like the BBC shows. Not sure what the problem with them is? Roald Dahl's books aren't all good. Agree about celebrities amd book deals but TBH I have more of a problem with slebs (male or female) publishing books they haven't written.

StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 07/10/2021 21:32

And maybe Baddiel's books do have merit, but he should recognise the privilege his celeb name has given him in the publishing world.

StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 07/10/2021 21:31

David Baddiel gets very hoity toity of it's suggested his success as a children's writer is due in no small part to the huge publicity his books benefit from. Poor sensitive love.

Sirzy · 07/10/2021 21:31

Does book snobbery help anyone?

Chicchicchicchiclana · 07/10/2021 21:29

I agree op. But it's not just children's books and it's not just men. There are thousands of fiction books published every year by people who are terrible authors - they just have a famous name. See particularly Dawn French, Fern Britton, Celia Imrie, David fucking Baddiel.

StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 07/10/2021 21:28

@jerometheturnipking

I agree. The literary equivalent of feeding them McDonalds on the regular and saying “well at least they’re fed and enjoying eating!”.
exactly!
StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 07/10/2021 21:28

To be fair lots of children love them and if they help children find a passion for reading then it can only be a good thing.

I don't really agree with that.

jerometheturnipking · 07/10/2021 21:27

I agree. The literary equivalent of feeding them McDonalds on the regular and saying “well at least they’re fed and enjoying eating!”.