#youtube #books #celebrity #writing
It's common for celebrities to get book deals based on their notoriety alone. Just look at Fern Britton, the likable TV presenter who was approached by publishing giant HarperCollins to write a series of books. She freely admitted at the time that writing fiction was not on her radar, but she's done a bang-up job of it so far and sales have risen healthily. Katie Price/Jordan 'wrote' books based on her glamourous lifestyle, with sale going through the roof.
Celebrity is a funny old thing though and it evolves with time. Nowadays it's not just models, actors, TV presenters and pop stars that get the good deals, but now YouTube stars are making their mark on the literary world:
Alex Day, the vlogger/singer recently gained a book deal based on his travels to each and every one of the 270 London Underground Stations. It was signed by Ebury, but in the light of recent allegations against the star, the book has been cancelled. It was due to be released in July.
Carrie Hope Fletcher has been snapped up recently by Little, Brown to produce a book of her project All I Know Now. I'd never suggest that Fletcher doesn't have writing chops, as the website of the work is well written. She's also a horribly talented actress and singer, as well as maintaining her vlogging channel. Her passion for literature is also evident, so this could be a big hit.
Giovanna Fletcher is a YouTube related star, being the wife of Tom 'McFly' Fletcher, sister-in-law to the aforementioned Carrie, and a singer and actress in her own right. Her novel, You're the One That I Want, was signed by Penguin.
Zoe Suggs, AKA Zoella, has just signed a two book deal to write YA fiction with Penguin. It makes good sense for the publishers, as the 24 year-old star has nearly 5 million subscribers to her channel, which shows vlogs, hair and beauty tips, and comments on issues of cyber bullying and self-esteem. The demographics of her audience are, in publishing terms, to die for: young (11-16) females who see Zoella as a big sister (Also the case for Carrie Fletcher, above). North American rights were reportedly snapped up in 24 hours.
YouTube, then, acts like any social media - as an audience development tool. I haven't even touched on the phenomenon of John Green, a novelist who began a vlogging channel with his brother Hank and gained millions of hits in the process. His loyal army of 'Nerdfighter' followers are sure to make any future publication a hit.
While sites like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook et al continue to put a number on the potential audience of wannabe/potential writers, then publishers are onto a no-brainer. The proof? Try the recent signing of fan-fiction writer Anna Todd, whose One Direction stories recently notched 800million views on the writing site Wattpad. If I was a publisher, I'd be handing her a blank cheque too.
It's common for celebrities to get book deals based on their notoriety alone. Just look at Fern Britton, the likable TV presenter who was approached by publishing giant HarperCollins to write a series of books. She freely admitted at the time that writing fiction was not on her radar, but she's done a bang-up job of it so far and sales have risen healthily. Katie Price/Jordan 'wrote' books based on her glamourous lifestyle, with sale going through the roof.
Celebrity is a funny old thing though and it evolves with time. Nowadays it's not just models, actors, TV presenters and pop stars that get the good deals, but now YouTube stars are making their mark on the literary world:
Alex Day, the vlogger/singer recently gained a book deal based on his travels to each and every one of the 270 London Underground Stations. It was signed by Ebury, but in the light of recent allegations against the star, the book has been cancelled. It was due to be released in July.
Giovanna Fletcher is a YouTube related star, being the wife of Tom 'McFly' Fletcher, sister-in-law to the aforementioned Carrie, and a singer and actress in her own right. Her novel, You're the One That I Want, was signed by Penguin.Zoe Suggs, AKA Zoella, has just signed a two book deal to write YA fiction with Penguin. It makes good sense for the publishers, as the 24 year-old star has nearly 5 million subscribers to her channel, which shows vlogs, hair and beauty tips, and comments on issues of cyber bullying and self-esteem. The demographics of her audience are, in publishing terms, to die for: young (11-16) females who see Zoella as a big sister (Also the case for Carrie Fletcher, above). North American rights were reportedly snapped up in 24 hours.
YouTube, then, acts like any social media - as an audience development tool. I haven't even touched on the phenomenon of John Green, a novelist who began a vlogging channel with his brother Hank and gained millions of hits in the process. His loyal army of 'Nerdfighter' followers are sure to make any future publication a hit.While sites like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook et al continue to put a number on the potential audience of wannabe/potential writers, then publishers are onto a no-brainer. The proof? Try the recent signing of fan-fiction writer Anna Todd, whose One Direction stories recently notched 800million views on the writing site Wattpad. If I was a publisher, I'd be handing her a blank cheque too.
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