David Walliams dropped by publisher

[azuleja]

Over inappropriate behaviour towards women. Anyone surprised?

That's what the patriarchy does... is the tide beginning to turn, albeit slowly?

Most celebrity children’s books are ghostwritten. I know that for a fact. I am fairly sure Jamie Olivers brief foray into children’s fiction was thanks to a ghostwriter - although I think his book pulled off the shelves anyway though due to causing offence to indigenous people.

There are a few exceptions, I think Konnie Huq is one of them who does write her own books.

As a children’s writer I’ve been asked to ghostwrite for a number of celebs.

I think it makes sense in memoir writing where the celeb is orally providing the material and a writer is spinning their memories into a book (as long as they credit the ghostwriter)

However it defeats the whole purpose of “writing” a fiction book if I’m actually the one doing all the plotting,drafting and multiple rounds of edits after the celeb has provided a one line section of their idea. And that one line was probably given them by the publisher or agent .

The pay wasn’t that good and their names would be splashed in big bold letters and I get a little mention somewhere in small print if at all. So it was going to be no credit and a fairly small advance - compared to the big fat cheque the celeb was going to get .

So I said no thanks!

What the? That's terrifying....

Crazy how some (male usually) food writers make this atmosphere out to be somehow laudable...

Backs up my theory that some people are just too big to cancel (Elvis, Michael Jackson for example) so their bad behaviour is overlooked, to a large extent. But as soon as they lose that commercial power and influence, if they do, it's a very different story.

Know about what exactly?....do you have more details?? (Being nosey)

I think there was a story that the ‘GC’ had no time to collab or meet with ghost writer who then had no choice but to work with rather second hand sources re: memoir. Then was upset by Sun commentary on it - or something like that.

I have also heard that he gave his childhood diaries to said publisher for his memoir and they revealed he lost his virginity to his sister. Not only is that all over the internet I also heard it from someone who worked there.

unfortunately another name also came up - Russell Brand (this was about 8 years ago) and that it all came to a head.

one more that is yet to break - David Jason apparently. The women at the publishers were told to wear short skirts when he was in.

allegedly to all of the above for the lawyers!

On short skirts - told this by many even to late 80s in workplace.

Oh that made me laugh!

Have alway found him super creepy. And, in a totally different vein, this news is about as surprising as Phillip Schofield’s announcement that he was gay! I didn’t even know he had a wife and kids lol! 😂

Thank you for verifying the sister thing. I posted about that earlier in the thread wondering if anyone in the publishing world could shed some light on the rumour.

Absolutely grim if true 🤮

How? Do tell...

Not surprised. Met him a few years ago when he did an apparently where I work. Very rude, look down his nose at every one and every thing around him. Barely acknowledged anyone and couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Heard from reliable source they're waiting on him pegging it before revealing his antics bit like Saville. Shocking get it all out in the open now.

He was married for a while, bet his wife knows something about him.

Remember his bitty thing on Little Britain.

🤢 oh yuck I remember.

We should have listened to Jack Monroe when she called him out years ago.

The most common form of CSA, yet least reported is believed to be sibling sexual abuse, and the most common form of that is a brother or step-brother abusing a sister. 😢

See this article :

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/revealed-the-hidden-crime-of-sibling-sexual-abuse-z05cf0l8r%3Fgaa_at%3Deafs%26gaa_n%3DAWEtsqexPXHfCmc_jL97WrKsR19nCKewrn7gOZna_HFaqQRTaWGRes-zt4odma-Kcac%253D%26gaa_ts%3D6947224c%26gaa_sig%3DKYySQ3Qr79H4a6XXrzLRCa9CjMCor3ntfHdkkIPpMs-_mpjkd0MzBpSTEWAizJ7oMlYlcP1Yt46uMcn5JmWDSA%253D%253D&ved=2ahUKEwiUl7Grl82RAxWDRUEAHSs7C-0QFnoECDEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2OgrCtKXqy8uZ03UmC7u4L

I loved Charlie Higson as a child- I don't think celeb authors should automatically be written off, only when they're blatantly free-riding on crappy books.

Darcey Bussell & Pippa Funnell both had ghostwritten ballet/horse books for very small girls which I liked as a small child. There's no need for even ghostwriting celebs to hog the market.

I read this book recently & it argued, from an insider, that US conglomerates have degraded publishing significantly since 1960s. I wish there was more convo about this..

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=www.amazon.co.uk/Business-Books-International-Conglomerates-Publishing/dp/185984362X&ved=2ahUKEwjs0ZmVmc2RAxVvWkEAHRFyEHUQFnoECGIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3FCyGUMD1g9fNdc1Jc4hvK

Who pegging it ? DJ ?

That link didn't work for me, @Carla786 .

Is it this book?

The Business of Books: How the International Conglomerates Took Over Publishing and Changed the Way We Read Hardcover – 17 Sept. 2000
by André Schiffrin (Author)
www.amazon.co.uk/Business-Books-International-Conglomerates-Publishing/dp/1859847633/

What? Dahl was anti Semitic but where have you got that he was a Nazi sympathiser?

Sorry! Thank you- yes, that's the one.