Just as many actors think they can sing and musicians think they can act, there seems to be an abundance of actors, actresses and musicians who fancy themselves as authors. Whether an autobiography, children’s book, young adult or other fiction, there are more and more celebrities picking up their writing pens.
Not being one to follow celebrities or pay attention to what they’re up to, my first thought at hearing about a particular starlet penning a young adult novel that was flying up the lists was “Who cares?” I don’t read young adult so I wasn’t terribly concerned. But then I started thinking about all of those writers who’ve written from deep within themselves, toiling for years in pursuit of a lifelong dream of getting their work into the hands of readers, and I realized that whether it’s a genre I follow or not, someone is being slighted simply because they’re not widely known or in the tabloids. Do you think these celebrity writers take more away from being published than merely the added attention and extra money? Do they gain the same satisfaction as the writers who want the book deal because they’re passionate about their craft and want to share their work with the world? How do authors, pubbed or unpubbed, feel about these “stars” riding in on their celebrity and landing a book deal?
It’s common knowledge that publishers are struggling, making cutbacks and being seriously selective in the contracts they offer. Even authors who are solidly established and highly successful aren’t immune, finding themselves in the position of being cut off, mid-series even, frustrating them as well as their faithful readers. I guess I understand, especially in this economy, publishers wanting to sign the deals that will bring in revenue. They’re not in the business of making dreams come true, they’re in the business of making money. But isn’t it sad to think of the growing number of dreams that are being extinguished before they’re even able to be brought to light?
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Hey Laurie,
Very thoughtful blog!
You know, how I look at it is that the “star” likely did a lot of struggling to reach that status, so now if he/she wants to writes, then why not? (This, of course, would exclude those starlets born into celebrity because of their parents.)
We ALL struggle for success. It’s ALWAYS hard work. And creative people show that creativity in a lot of different ways.
It does break my heart to see talented authors struggling. There are a lot of ups and downs in this business; writers need to be made of very sturdy stuff.
Thanks for the blog to go with my morning coffee!
Lori
Hi, Laurie. I did this 20 minutes ago and it’s vanished, so I’ll try again…. First off, as Lori said, a very thoughtful blog, and one that will resonate with authors everywhere. The whole celebrity writer thing is really nothing more than a money grab for publishers and the so-called stars, in my opinion. As authors, we do spend years honing our “art” and learning what works and what doesn’t. There are no instant successes in this business, only a lot of very hard work, and digging for the stories that people want to read and experience. I invested 10 years into my major release, from inception to holding the book in my hands at last…. these celebrities haven’t invested 10 months for the most part – so how can the value be appreciated? If they’re not being assisted by ghost writers, they’re merely playing on the loyalty of their fans in most cases. That’s especially true of the younger audience who rarely have the ability to distinguish a good book from a bad one, and want to be cool, so they’ll buy whatever’s fashionable for the moment… that’s just playing on a name.
Publishing is a business, and as you’ve said, it’s not the business of making dreams come true but making money. However, for some, there’s still the element of making the dream, too. Have you ever spoken to an author who’s received the magical call from a house like Harlequin? The editor is usually as excited as the newly accepted author, and they know they’re making someone’s dream a reality with that call…. so for some places, there’s still a little magic left…. and romance is usually where it lies!
At any rate, business is business, dreams are dreams…. and the world goes on, doesn’t it?
Great topic… have a wonderful day everyone!
Blessings always,
Denysé
Well, them that have get – don’t they?
Yes, celebrity books take up slots that could go to talented folks who’ve worked hard for the opportunity. But do the writers shoved off the publisher’s buy list automatically lose? Not if they make their own way.
Today we have e-books and POD through great companies like CreateSpace and Lightning Source, and new technologies like Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s e-reader. So if the writers don’t deserve to be pushed off the shelves, then they can make their own place. The public can decide what to buy.
New studies show that romance has been the genre leading the charge into the future. More of the e-readers buy romance than other types of work. Today happy endings are more than a dream – they’re a survival mechanism.
America is the land of opportunity and writers today don’t have to wait for a big company to open a door that leads to the reading public. The doorknob is now in the writer’s hands, whether that writer is a TV star or a stay at home Mom.
It’s a shame when a company will buy a book in order to cash in on the writer’s singing or acting career. They don’t do the public or that writer any service. But the bigger shame would be if the voice of the deserving author got silenced.
As a young adult writer at the same publishing house as the “starlet” currently burning up the lists, I think I’m actually in favor of it. A my publisher reports “worldwide profit collapses”, they announce that the starlet’s book is doing solid sales — solid enough so that my contracts don’t get canceled, so that the publisher is solvent and can effectively market my book and maybe even buy more. I hope she sells a billion.
Buying a book from a celebrity is in most cases a “sure thing” — most especially if the book is a dishy, thinly veiled memoir of this celebrity’s own tabloid-ready life. I understand why publishers do it. I don’t consider them to be the same thing as the books by career authors. I would compare a publishing house doing this to the academy award nominated actor doing a car or cell phone commercial. It’s for the money.
And I don’t think they are cutting into the contracts of career authors either. No one is going to say, well we WOULD offer a contract to this anonymous author, but we just signed Madonna. By the same token, they aren’t going to say, well, we only have room for ten authors on their list, but hey, look at this new book by Madonna!
It’s all about money, especially these days when publishers are grasping at any way to stay afloat during the rough economy.
I personally don’t think that celebrities are taking away publishing slots from professional writers. What they’re taking away is money, because the public will spend more for their books, and publishers will pay more for their books. Celebrities will also get the lion’s share of the promotional budget, because it’s good publicity for the publisher.
I think that some celebrities are genuine, quite talented and may very well have a good story to tell. For some others, it seems to be just one more stab at getting a lot attention thrown their way or getting back at their enemies in print. But we eat it up, don’t we?
Umm.. Some areas of the book world would say the same about romance books, they get churned out for the dough limiting the spots for the “serious” works of fiction..
Just sayin
Like they say… it’s a business! If the bottom line doesn’t stay in the black, the publisher folds.
I want my publishers to have a healthy bank balance, so if celebrity books make that happen, who am I to grumble??
I’m not sure the celebrity book is that much different from the ‘Big Name’ that guarantees sales even though the quality of the work has degenerated to drivel.
It’s a business, and I have to agree that I’d rather see the publisher remain in business, and hope that eventually I’ll move from my small presses to something bigger. I think right now, the economy is driving these measures.
Well, I’m a businessgal. One thing that’s a certainty in business is that healthy competition means a healthy industry means (usually) a healthy you. You WANT everyone to do well because that increases the likelihood that you’ll do well.
What do celebrities do? They bring in readers that wouldn’t normally be readers. That’s good for all authors because some of those new readers will continue reading.
Now if everyone in the world was already reading a book a day, the story may be different but the average person reads less than a book a year. There are plenty of undiscovered readers for everyone.
BTW… a bigger question that I’d love to know opinions on is
if authors are NOT bringing in new readers, should they be receiving contracts?
In biz, launching a product that eats another existing product’s sales is called cannibalization. If that rate is too high, it makes no sense to launch the new product.
Look at the publicity they bring to the genre. If Angelina Joline slapped her name on a romance novel I bet it would increase sales all around romance books
Well, one thing I *don’t* think it’s doing is adding to general sales. People would buy Angelina’s romance novel. They wouldn’t buy anyone else’s. People will buy Lauren Conrad’s books but no other YA.
nevertheless, it does feed into my company’s bottom line.
This is a business, and unfortunately if you have a famous name, the agent will scoop you up fast, because is means money for the agent, money for the house and money everywhere else.
It is unfair, because I’ve read a couple of celebraty books, and well they were’t nothing to write home about. But they had a name and I bought it for that reason, (at a used bookstore.) I wouldn’t buy it new, a bit of a protest on my part…But as it has been said it is a business, and not always fair. The bottomline is money…It always money…
Well, I’m an aspiring author who really couldn’t care less if celebrities jump the line. I used to be a nanny, so I know how they’ve worked their butts off in other ways to get where they are and, although I’m happy for them, it’s not a life I want. On top of all that, I know that becoming an author who can connect with the hearts and minds of readers is a long learning process. So, who am I to judge where in that process another person is?
So many great comments!
In my opinion, I think that most readers are smart enough to see a celebrity’s book for what it is. Usually it comes out in the wash somewhere, that it is a thinly veiled work of fiction (I can think of at least one star who admitted as much). BUT if that star’s publication brings more revenue to the publishing house and it opens up an opportunity for an author who writes from the heart and has spent years finely honing their skill, then I am all for it. Matter of a fact, I think I will condone the wrangling of more stars to keep the industry going!
I also think that a reader can distinguish between an author who loves the craft of writing, and one who doesn’t.
Very nice blog post, Laurie!
Colleen
Once again Diana Peterfreund has said what I was thinking before I knew I was thinking it . . . these sorts of things are the cash cows that help keep our publishers open. I have no problem with them.
Do you think these celebrity writers take more away from being published than merely the added attention and extra money? Do they gain the same satisfaction as the writers who want the book deal because they’re passionate about their craft and want to share their work with the world?
You’re assuming that said celebrity actually wrote the book, LOL! I know more than one author who has made some quick and dirty $ ghostwriting a celeb’s “novel”, so I guess I always assume that most celebs have little to nothing to do with the actual words on the page . . . I mean, I’m guessing Ethan Hawke actually wrote his (painfully bad) lit fic novel, but I highly doubt that Nicole Richie did. *shrug*
Oh, but this brings up an interesting question: do ghostwriters who work on celebrity books interview the celebs at all? To get a sense of their voice or perspective? Or even to get a basic story outline (ie werefish meets Californian Chili Cup counter girl, conquers fish-family prejudice against humans, and defeats the evil Squirting Squid on quest to find love pearl that will transform Chrissy into a werefishie herself)? Or is the whole thing free form?
Anyway, I’m really curious, so if anyone’s worked as a ghostwriter or knows how it works, please fill me in!
Man, my blockquote didn’t work.
I agree with Kalen. They probably hired a ghostwriter and it’s just their name and picture on it. So it’s really not hurting writers who have to struggle. Also, what writer wouldn’t want to have those same kind of contacts where they can get a book deal for millions, if not thousands, just because of their name.
Yet at the same time I do roll my eyes. I was in Target the other day and saw Tori Spelling had a book. Not to mention my reaction when I saw Paris Hilton had one. The mean side of me questioned “She can read?” So, I admit it, I’m a snob. I’m judging the book by it’s cover. But there are worst things I can be.
I’ve been thinking about this very subject. Is is fair? No. Is it good business for publishers? Most of the time. They are a lot of publishers in the red right now. Anything they can do to change it, they’ll do.
I think one thing a lot of people forget is MOST celebrities don’t write their own books. They’re written by ghost writers. There are a few exceptions, but very few.
My apologies for being so late in replying – I was swamped at work today and my internet connection has been wonky all evening.
Thanks for all of the great responses! I’ve enjoyed all of the different takes and opinions on the subject and now have a different view!
Have a great evening, everyone, and thank you again!