“TO A modern Keira Knightley classic,” reads the provisional cover of the actor's first children's book, I Love You Just the Same. The 80-page volume, written and illustrated by Knightley, is about a woman navigating the changing dynamics that come with the arrival of a sibling, which will be published next October.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star is the latest in a long line of celebrities returning to writing children's books. McFly's Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter released their latest book, The Dinosaur That Pooped on Halloween, last month! They have topped bestseller lists since their release. Earlier this year, David Walliams dominated with his new book, Astrosim. According to data from Nielsen Book, the artist has sold 25 million copies of his children's titles in the United Kingdom alone.
The process from celebrity to author is nothing new: Julie Andrews' children's novel, Mandy, was published in 1974, while Madonna's illustrated book, English Roses, came out in 2003. What has changed in recent years is that the unpopular side of the playing field has emptied, along with falling teacher incomes.
“These celebrities don't need money or publicity, they need a lot of real writers,” says author, poet and actor Joshua Siegel.
When news of Knightley's book deal broke, publishers expressed their disappointment online; In a viral tweet, writer Charlotte Levine joked about her decision to become a movie star.
The authors say stargazing in children's publications denigrates the efforts and talents of lesser-known authors. “Writing for children is an art,” says Siegel. “It takes skill, practice and discipline. I work very hard at my art and it's great that people think it's easy.
Famous authors no longer have to contend with the “query trenches,” the industry term for the difficult time an author spends searching for an agent to represent their work. “Before accepting a publishing contract, I answered more than 180 inquiries on three manuscripts over four years,” says author James A. Lyons. “Non-celebrities face hundreds of rejections and ghosts, not a quick ticket to the front of the line.”
Famous names also benefit from extensive marketing and media coverage that “most authors, especially children's authors, simply don't get,” says Helen Tamblin-Chaville, owner of Wonderland Bookshop in Redford, Nottinghamshire. He said it was increasingly common to see famous authors talking about their books on programs such as BBC Breakfast or The One Show, and added that it was not unusual for a bookseller to order a popular, newly published book because someone had seen the author on TV.
Buyers don't necessarily care if the book is good – “some are, some aren't” – it's “the name on the cover that sells,” he says. If celebrities use their platforms to “improve access to the broader children's book market, rather than promote themselves,” Lyons says, their involvement would be more welcome.
Authors, critics and booksellers agree on the existence of quality popular children's books. “The output of some famous children is good: Kate McKinnon's new novel is brilliant and I appreciate Marcus Rashford's non-fiction collaboration with journalist Carla Anga and performance psychologist Katie Warriner,” says editor Catherine Rundle.
“But my particular boredom is with those famous people who put their names on children's novels written by ghosts,” he adds. “We would be surprised if you put your name on a concert where you don't compose music; It can be very embarrassing if you sign a painting that you didn't draw. Poisons the water. It makes it harder for parents and teachers to find good children's fiction, and it makes children's fiction seem cheap and poor: literature with its own quirks, its own rigors, its own power.
Some argue that celebrity-endorsed titles help keep the industry healthy. “The attention given to any children's book creates a ripple effect that drives the entire publishing industry,” says author Howard Pearlstein.
Books written by celebrities can also help increase representation in children's fiction. “Popular fiction has been one of the main ways to put black and brown characters on shelves in recent years,” says Jasmine Richards, a former popular fiction ghostwriter and founder of Storymix, which creates fiction with character content sold to editors. .
“A series like Marcus Rashford's Breakfast Club Adventures does this in a positive way because it opens the door to talented new writers from backgrounds underrepresented in the industry,” he says. Rashford's fiction series have sold 327,000 copies in the UK, while his non-fiction titles have sold 419,000, according to Nielsen Book Data.
Children's books are the success of celebrities
David Walliams
Although Walliams' books faced criticism, anti-poverty activist Jack Monroe described them as “sneering, classist, fat-shaming nonsense” and the story of a Chinese boy called Brian Wong. After being criticized by activists for eliminating the world's worst children's books, they were an undeniable commercial success; More than 37 million copies have been sold worldwide. As much as Walliams is now known for writing The Boy in the Dress and Gangsta Patty, it's safe to say that he also worked as an actor and comedian.
David Badiel
Like Walliams, there are children who know Patial only as a teacher: she has written more than 10 books, including The Parental Agency. His children's novels have been translated into 26 languages and have sold more than 1 million copies worldwide.
Tom Fletcher
Among the most respected celebrity children's authors in the publishing community, the pop star has written the popular adventure stories The Creekers and the Danger Gang alongside his McFly bandmates to support other authors. A dystopian young love story with Dougie Poynter and his wife Giovanna.
Children's books fail celebrities
Meghan Markle
The Duchess of Sussex's 2021 picture book The Bench may have made plenty of headlines, but it hasn't sold well: according to Nielsen Bookscon, only 8,000 copies have been sold in the UK so far. Based on a poem the duchess wrote with Archie for Prince Harry on his first Father's Day, Times critic Alex O'Connell said it lacked “the essential elements of a success story for this age group: a good story and an underlying rhythm”.
Keith Richards
The Rolling Stones guitarist published a children's book called Gus & Me in 2014. Illustrated by Richards' daughter, this picture book is about her grandfather, who introduced young Keith to music by playing in a jazz big band. It's safe to say that it hasn't become a staple on kids' bookshelves.
Simon Cowell
It would be a mistake to describe Simon Cowell's Wishfits children's book series about a group of magical creatures as a failure; It never was. The X Factor judge and his son Eric were supposed to release their first title in 2022, then they postponed it until 2023 and then… nothing. Perhaps Cowell realized there were enough people in the popular children's book market.
