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Christmas is fast approaching and in completely unrelated news Michael Caine has a book out soon, which is described (by his publishers, of course) as “a cracking thriller with a real voice and a super twist” and seems to come wrapped in an astonishingly lazy jacket created by a toddler with photoshop. I haven’t read the book, and neither do I know whether he wrote ‘Deadly Game’ or not. But another celebrity who’s either had a bash at writing a novel (or paid someone else to do it for him) having a novel out feels like one more step in the book world’s slide towards only publishing vanity projects and sure-fire hits. Eventually the debut novelist who’s been toiling away for years, learning their craft while eating cold baked beans from the tin, will be a thing of the past and a great number of brilliant books will never hit the shelves.
My question is, do you agree? Do you care? Does it matter who actually wrote a book, as long as it’s good? Would you rather buy a brilliant book by an unknown author or a mediocre book by a celebrity, and does it make a difference if the book is a gift?
I used to work in a cinema where we put commercial films on in two screens and this would give us the revenue to run art house/independent films in the other two screens. If publishers are working with the same ethos maybe that’s okay. Publish some easy wins to finance some riskier projects and debut authors. If though it is just about making money from celebrity branding and easy sells - well that’s sad.
Other than biographies, I don't think I've ever purchased a book written by a celebrity, so I guess I agree with you. And surely he doesn't need the money - so is it just the publisher trying to cash in?
And tbh, if I saw that book in a shop I would probably think gosh, an author with the same name and not even realise it's him! LOL
I think having something ghost written from an idea you've had is ok, if the ghost writer is acknowledged.
I think its possible that large publishing houses will end up with a lot of AI novels and this kind of celebrity stuff, but there will always be room for original work and creativity in smaller presses. And I think they will also become increasingly creative in how they get their authors' work seen in a more complicated market.
I avoid anything written by a celebrity, I just assume it’ll be bad, or at best mediocre. It’s lazy of me but there are so many amazing writers out there that it helps narrow my choices down 😁
I used to work in a cinema where we put commercial films on in two screens and this would give us the revenue to run art house/independent films in the other two screens. If publishers are working with the same ethos maybe that’s okay. Publish some easy wins to finance some riskier projects and debut authors. If though it is just about making money from celebrity branding and easy sells - well that’s sad.
Maybe they do have that approach. I'd like to think so. But I'm far from convinced...
Other than biographies, I don't think I've ever purchased a book written by a celebrity, so I guess I agree with you. And surely he doesn't need the money - so is it just the publisher trying to cash in?
And tbh, if I saw that book in a shop I would probably think gosh, an author with the same name and not even realise it's him! LOL
Haha I suspect you're not the only one, which I suppose is why they've put 'FROM SCREEN LEGEND' on the jacket! Gotta make sure no one misses it.... 😝
I think having something ghost written from an idea you've had is ok, if the ghost writer is acknowledged.
I think its possible that large publishing houses will end up with a lot of AI novels and this kind of celebrity stuff, but there will always be room for original work and creativity in smaller presses. And I think they will also become increasingly creative in how they get their authors' work seen in a more complicated market.
I am, possibly, a bit of an optimist.
We need optimists! And I hope you're right!
I avoid anything written by a celebrity, I just assume it’ll be bad, or at best mediocre. It’s lazy of me but there are so many amazing writers out there that it helps narrow my choices down 😁
Good point - celebrities have ready-made and easily accessible audiences of course. Easy win for the publishers.