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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:
rwalker · 07/10/2021 21:26

I don't understand the need to single men out many many females do the same .

katienana · 07/10/2021 21:26

Joe Wicks has got a kids book out now, at least some of the others mentioned ate known as being creatives who write comedy etc. Pisses me off! There are lots of female celebs who have "written" chicken lit type books like Vicky Pattinson, Georgia Toffolo, even Nadiya Hussein

Sirzy · 07/10/2021 21:25

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.

Thankfully DS has now declared he doesn’t like David Walliams books anymore but they certainly kick started his enjoyment of reading

toastytea · 07/10/2021 21:24

Won't buy any of those! I do, however, like dougie poynter and Tom fletcher's books!

David walliams books take over the shelves everywhereAngry

Mybalconyiscracking · 07/10/2021 21:23

Well David Walliams is a fantastic children’s writer, no idea about the other two. To be fair these people have been writing stuff all their lives, they just go on stage to say it instead of putting it in a book..

adrianmolesmole · 07/10/2021 21:23

Absolutely CAN'T STAND David Walliams.. he tries to be like Road Dahl yet he's so so much meaner. Terrible for kids IMO.

Tonkerbea · 07/10/2021 21:22

Pisses me off too. Nepotism at its finest. Like we need to hear more middle class, white male voices 🙄

StrychnineInTheSandwiches · 07/10/2021 21:22

To be fair there are plenty of female celebrities (Clare Balding, Madonna!) who dip their toe in the world of kids' books too. But celebrity children's authors are generally crap (I'm sure there are exceptions), with special shout out to the derivative trash that David Walliams produces. I feel sorry for the many fantastic writers, this is such a golden age of kids' lit, but they get next to no promotion by their own publishers, no chance of being stocked in the supermarkets' book sections, little to no reviews in newspapers. Whereas crap like Walliams' output sucks up all the attention and makes him ££££.