To feel a bit ill about David Walliams?

[HelloYouTwo]

Apparently he’s made over £100m from his books.

There are so many better books out there than that pile of repetitive mildly racist, stereotype-laden junk that he peddles off the back of being a bit famous. I feel sorry for all the decent non-celeb authors out there.

News article if anyone interested:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/david-walliams-sitting-comfortably-in-100-million-book-club-gmp6bwm6b?shareToken=170904334320775f0850152088ce45a1

I don't know why people slag him off for writing, when he's always written and made money from it. It's not like Katie Price and her pony books, is it?

The books my kid wants to read are shite- wimpy kid, horrid Henry, Barry loser, world's worst children. But he will pick them up and read from cover to cover. The ones I loved at his age don't get a look in

My issue is that his books are shit and they only got published because he was already a celebrity

yes just like hundreds of other books.. whats your point?

he still wrote them. maybe other authors books don't sell because theyre equally shit? hardly his fault is it.

My kids have loved them. I took my eldest to a book signing he did last year, we loved him 🙈

I don't mean Schadenfreude do I? Although it does sound like many would be pleased if he suddenly became bankrupt I mean Tall Poppy Syndrome maybe. They are Roald Dahlesque in that Tony Ross illustrates well the same as Quentin Blake did. There can be room for both.
Some of the jokes are lowest common denominator but there's also some positives eg lots of onomatopoeia, in the short stories anyway.
All of you lot hating your DW stash, do us a favour and give them to charity. You'd be helping out many mums looking for a cheaper Xmas.

Not bitter, not voting for Jeremy Corbyn, just have an opinion and using a chat forum to voice it and see what others think.

The point is not whether your kids have heard of him, the point is he was able to get second-rate (that’s being kind) work published and noticed and onto booksellers’ shelves because he’s famous. Not because he’s talented. And he’s able to keep pulling strings and getting promoted because it’s all a money-making juggernaut that everyone wants a piece of.

My kids love them, they have no idea who he is. The books aren’t shit, otherwise the kids wouldn’t keep asking for them. They may be shit to you mind, but you aren’t a child 🤷🏽‍♀️
I love the BBCs adaptions too, hope they do one this year. As for people selling books just because they are famous, get a grip. Write a good book and I (or my children) will read it, regardless of whether you’ve been on the telly or not.

DS loves his books and he has no idea who David Walliams is. He read Gangsta Granny at school and loved it and he's since read a few others. Some we've bought, some from school. I don't like DW so I haven't been swayed to buy them because he's a celebrity. Children are very honest, especially when it comes to reading, about what they do/don't like. DS also loves Roald Dahl's books and Harry Potter. He likes what he likes and whatever gets him reading, I'm all for it.

What bothers me is the celeb authors aimed at adults. We can only blame the adults for putting money in their pockets! People are actively choosing mostly ghost-written books just because a celebrity has their name on the cover. Don't get me started on celebs with zero culinary training writing cookbooks.

My kids have no idea who he is and love his books. I utterly hate them. It's all bogies and vomit and fart and nits and badly behaved children.

Whilst I'd far prefer they didn't read them, I can acknowledge at least that they ARE reading, and enjoying it. And that's really the important thing

The PP who said he sets of her creep radar has it tuned very well. He's awful. I have it on good authority 🤮

At least he writes them himself, I guess. Jordan doesn't write hers and Frank Lampard co-writes his.

Still not a fan though.

CodenameVillanelle yes I’ll put Wimpy Kid and Tom Gates and all that other stuff where there’s more page than words into the same bin as DW. Though WK and TG books don’t peddle quite the same stereotypes as DW. I wasn’t happy reading about “Page 3 Stunner” with my then 7yo (is that in Billionaire Boy? Can’t remember)

At least he actually writes his own books.

Of course kids read them, of course they sell. But the point is that they sell because of the NAME and because they are given shelf space.

I agree with OP.

I work in a bookshop, and thought I was alone in feeling this way. And I do not hate Walliams at all, I just think there are real, thoughtful and/or funny writers out there who should be on that shelf instead.

There are loads of celeb authors and worse, those that use ghost writers. Many have done vanity projects ahem Madonna. Paul McCartney with some kind of grandpa dude book out. Fergie and her Budgie books. The McFly boys pooping out another book every six months...
Vote with your feet and don't buy them if you feel that strongly. Donate to Tesco if you bought them by mistake.

“ Write a good book and I (or my children) will read it, regardless of whether you’ve been on the telly or not.”

Tell that to the non-celeb authors trying to get published but never getting a look in even if they do because the celeb authors have taken all the marketing budget!

Write a good book and I (or my children) will read it, regardless of whether you’ve been on the telly or not.

The whole point is that, if the OP did write a good book, you probably never would read it and nor would your kids because the chances are that it wouldn't get published because she is not famous. Nobody is suggesting that your kids are reading the books because they know who he is, but the assertion is that work of the quality of his books probably wouldn't get published if he weren't famous.
Disclaimer: I haven't read them and neither have my kids.

I thought it was common knowledge he used ghostwriters? Who probably get paid £5 a book. I've never bought any of his books for my dcs - cheap roald dahl ripoffs.

There is a lot of snobbery around about books including children’s books. But surely the important thing is that people are reading? Not everyone is going to like the same books.

Ds loves David Walliams, it’s not my cup of tea but it started him with a love of literature (he much prefers non fiction books). He is currently reading goodnight Mr Tom so for him his love of David Walliams isn’t restricting him from accessing a broader range of books (infact it probably helped start it) but even if it did the important thing is that he is enjoying reading.

My issue is that his books are shit

That's personal opinion though. Lots of people like them. You don't just get to decide they are universally shit.

he was able to get second-rate (that’s being kind) work published and noticed and onto booksellers’ shelves because he’s famous. Not because he’s talented

Millions of kids would disagree with your assessment of his talents. And their opinion is what counts.

Yes, he got a bit of a leg up at the start. Guess what, publishers like to make money, who knew?

You sound naive.

My Ds loved them & my nephew is nuts about them.

If it gets children reading and they enjoy them, good luck to him.

Bear in mind that a lot of 'celeb' kids' authors don't pass the test of time. Walliams' books are not hugely to my taste but DS likes them and I don't censor his reading. And the fact that Walliams keeps on going when he clearly doesn't need the money suggests to me that he enjoys writing and has some aptitude for it.

And i like Tom Gates! The typeface is bonkers but the stories are well written from what I've seen.

I really don’t like them. My sons started billionaire boy with my mum and she hated reading it and they never finished it as didn’t like them.
But if kids are reading them themselves it’s not a bad thing. My younger boys are really good readers. But 8 year old refuses to read except school books and he asked for the christmasaurus last night so it might be a load of crap (no idea) but if he wants to read I’m going to let him.
I loved reading as a kid and my parents let me read what I wanted