Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Children's books

Join in for children's book recommendations.

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 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 ££££.

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 🙄

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.

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..

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

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

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

rwalker · 07/10/2021 21:26

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

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!”.

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.

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!
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.

Sirzy · 07/10/2021 21:31

Does book snobbery help anyone?

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.

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.

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.

Tonkerbea · 07/10/2021 21:38

Peddling racist tropes?

toastytea · 07/10/2021 21:39

@Sirzy some definite book snobbery going on!

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.

Ozanj · 07/10/2021 21:41

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

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

TopCatsTopHat · 07/10/2021 21:47

I'm with strychnine on this one. 👆

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.

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.

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.