re celebrities getting children's book deals

[Quipsandquotes]

I know the occasional one, like David Walliams, really does have a flair. But I've seen so many children's books, written by celebs., that are at best average but get massive publicity because of who's written them.

AIBU to find it a bit depressing that so many talented writers struggle to get published and then have to watch someone who excels in a completely different field be handed a publishing contract just because of who they are?

It's not just children's books.

I agree with you, OP. On the other hand, plainly there's a market for them. Maybe, as with politicians, we get the books we deserve.

someone who excels in a completely different field

Often the field of being an arse on TV.

The only upside I can see is that maybe publishing companies make enough money from these celeb authors to take a chance on a talented but unknown writer.

YANBU and it's not only in the field of writing that this happens.

You see members of boy and girl bands being offered roles in soap operas that trained actors would kill for; and models or reality stars being offered TV presenting work over other people who have trained and trudged around auditions and taken unpaid work, and worked for small local stations.

It's very unfair on people who are talented and have worked really hard to gain the appropriate training and experience; and then get pushed aside in favour of someone with no natural flair or ability.

The amount of books David Walliums turns out I wouldn't be surprised if he has a ghost writer. He probably comes up with the plots and then someone writes them. That's very common with celeb authors.

Yes, when I see a book written by somebody like Abby Clancy or Katie Price or Sarah Ferguson I really do wonder.

I have a couple of friends who are writers, and it takes so much time drafting and re-drafting and editing and so on to get a book anywhere near publishing standard. And these are people who have been talented writers and voracious readers since they were children.

I find it hard to believe that these celebrities can just toss of a book in the midst of their other busy careers and activities.

Absolutely agree. I saw that Aleesha Dixon has children’s books out the other day and said the same thing.

Happens in so many areas - one other area that bothers me is voiceover artists. Again it’s always people who are successful in other fields who get to voice the animated characters in movies too.

I think success could be shared out much more evenly - but existing big name are easy money I suppose.

Madonna is the absolute worst

Every single celebrity who has their first baby seems to write a book about how to have a baby and care for it.

Apart from anything else, it implies that writing a children's book is easy and anyone can do it.

Whereas anyone who really knows anything about it will tell you that writing a good children's book is probably harder than writing for adults; requiring huge imagination and an ability to get inside the mind of a child and write in a way that they can relate to, without patronising them.

Children's writers find it difficult enough to have their talent and hard work recognised, without these singers/tv presenters implying it's easy and anyone can do it.

Presumably celebs are given publishing contracts because their books will sell? It’s very hard for publishers to push books by new and unknown authors, but a book by a celeb will equal instant sales. With ebooks, self-publishing, etc, publishers have to find ways to keep up their revenue. If people didn’t buy celeb books, they wouldn’t be offered these deals.
Arguably, if they make money for publishers, it could actually help fund investment into developing new talent.

Definitely JustFloating.

I think that is part of the downside of popular culture today, that creative succeas ‘appears’ to be so obtainable.

Want to be a presenter? Start a YouTube channel.

Want to be successful in fashion? Start an Instagram account from your bedroom.

Be a makeup/baby/sports/gaming/diy/cleaning/cooking/eating/exercising/gardening/craft guru - it’s all so easy.

Except quite often no one sees what goes on behind the scenes, and there’s no real skill involved.

I don’t know. It has its positives that such opportunities are there, but I do sometimes fear for my children and try to manage their expectations for the future as it can all be quite misleading.

It's a shame that it's become all about 'big names' and 'people off the telly' nowadays, instead of talent and a gift for story telling.
Personally, apart from David Walliams because my nephew and niece love his books, I would be attracted to a book that's been written by a celebrity. I would assume it was pretty average and uninspiring, and probably ghost written to boot.

I would never be attracted, that should be.

Don't forget celebrities are also expert chefs/nutritionists and have wonderful cookery/diet books.

That said, this sort of thing happens in all sectors whether famous or not. The amount of nepotism which assisted in my uni classmates to obtain jobs was ridiculous (I'm obviously bitter as my poor working class parents had no contacts)

YANBU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This pisses me off so much I could scream. I know several people who are struggling authors and they are VERY good. But they cannot even get their stuff read by anyone, or even get an agent, because of people who are already famous/married to someone famous, bagging all the book deals, for their 'novels' or their 'memoirs!' (Katie Price anyone?!) It makes me sick.

The book publishers do have to take the lion's share of the blame though, because this is basically THEIR doing. They will rarely take a chance on a nobody now. J K Rowling would probably not get signed now, even though she is a very good writer, and the Harry Potter novels are wonderful.

It's the same with actors/singers/performers. Many of them are related to people famous, and get a back door straight into the industry.

I know that some people who are related to famous people are talented, but some are not that good (Jayden Smith anyone!)

And these people being pushed ahead for film and tv roles over and above people with no contacts or relatives in the industry, makes it very hard, if not virtually impossible for 'nobodies' to make it.

Giovanna Fletcher is one 'author' who does my head in. If she had not been married to Tom from McFly, she would never have got a book deal. Her work isn't even that good.

Performing arts/film/tv/music/literature these days, is full of people who are related to other famous people, and people who are from upper middle class/privileged backgrounds.

The days of some random talent from the back end of nowhere becoming successful and famous in film/tv/book writing are gone.

And like you @quipsandquotes I am sick to death of 'celebrities' bagging all the book deals for their frankly, quite SHIT books!

Children's writer here. The problem is with publishing is that the bigger the advance, the more money is spent on advertising the book but there is no guarantee it will be a hit. Celebs demand HUGE advances, grotesquely out of proportion with typical advances in publishing and especially in children's publishing where advances are traditionally smaller than adult publishing. Then a huge amount of money is spent publicising a book that is often shit, in the hope that the celebrity brand will pull in the sales. But often it doesn't, especially with younger kids. It has been a huge cash drain in children's publishing, with advances going down. The problem is that the sales team is now all powerful in publishing houses and editors are embattled. Once sales teams let go of this notion that celebs are the way to make big money, only then will the trend go away. I think it is beginning to change, readers of all ages are sick of it. And far from helping fund investment in new talent, advances are going down and well-established writers, who have been working a lot longer than me, who have carved out a niche in the mid-market, are being told there is no budget for a new book from them this year.

I agree that a lots of them probably have ghost writers but if there’s a market for it does it really matter.
I expect David Walliams actually does write his own books though as he had done lots of screen writing in the past so has the experience of writing. most probably don’t though.

Come on people, someone's got to employ all those English grads. Don't like them, dont buy them. Its not as if Mrs Beckham is sitting up late stitching hems whilst Mr B distills his aftershave, people just buy into a fantasy.

I used to work in the photography industry and it was the same thing. Like children’s publishing, it seems to attract dilettantes. Talentless celebs (or offspring of) taking mediocre pictures and getting published / exhibited, while talented ordinary kids got nowhere because they didn’t have the “right contacts”. Utterly depressing.

I think the children’s book thing is even worse though. If any old celeb can “give it a bash”, it implies there’s no quality control needed. As if kids will read any old crap and don’t deserve high quality literature.

OMG - YANBU!!!! I work in the children's publishing industry and I couldn't agree more OP. In fact it's one of the things that really grates my cheese. Don't forget these celebs will have an agent already who will put the feelers out for them with regards to publishers etc. I think David Walliams is the exception to the rule as he's actually a talented man but when I see pop stars etc bringing out a children's book it actually quite upsets me because I know there are more talented writers out there struggling to get a foot in the door.

I think it does matter ladyvimes.

The world of arts and culture shouldn't be totally driven by market forces. Would you say it was okay for a celeb to start dancing with the Royal Ballet Company because they would attract a bigger audience, therefore depriving ballet lovers of the opportunity to see great talents like Darcey Bussell or Francesca Hayward?

Or for Katie Price to have a go at a Shakespeare play, pushing aside an actress who has the potential to go on to be as inspiring and wonderful to watch as Dame Judi Dench someday?

So why is it okay in the world of writing to allow these mediocre people to take all the opportunities, depriving readers of the opportunity to meet great and creative new writers?

Thank you, JustFloatingPast! Not to mention the fact that mediocre or plain new talent erodes art and culture. We all lose out when everything becomes a pale reflection of reality TV.

I live in Ireland and this month, just in time for the Christmas market, we have a new children's book by Bressie, a second one by Ryan Tubridy, and a second instalment of Kathleen Watkin's Pigín series. All celebs/related to celebs who would probably never have even thought of writing a children's book if they were nobodies.

Depressing is the word!

With you all the way OP. Drives me nuts. Mcfly appear to have made quite a dynasty out of it-

Giovanni Fletcher- went to drama school, married Tom from Mcfly, now has a magazine column, presenting gig and several published crap books.
Izzy Judd- violinist, married Harry from Mcfly, now a published author
Carrie Hope Fletcher- West End actress/Youtuber, sister to Tom from Mcfly, wrote an autobiography and is now a published fiction author
Tom and Dougie from McFly- musicians, now published children’s authors.