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Naively, I thought that celebrity novels were the result of the celebrity's fancying his or her chances and being accepted because their name would sell the book. Only this morning I heard on the radio a well-known actor saying that she had been "commissioned" to write a novel. This is wrong, wrong, wrong. If this kind of thing goes on, there is almost no chance for the rest of us. It shows only too clearly that it isn't the quality of the book that matters; it's who wrote it. Grrrr!
Comments
There are celebs who can actually write: Stephen Fry, for instance, and in those instances we can only be jealous of the marketing budget.
I suspect you're new here. Why don't you introduce yourself on your own thread so that everyone can say hello. (They might not read this one.)
What if he's a celebrity BECAUSE of his writing?
Ditto Alan Bennet and thousands of others.
Thank you for all your comments, which I've been interested to read.
I can well believe that someone like Stephen Fry would produce good writing but what I object to is celebrities being approached to write a novel when the publisher or agent has no idea if that person can produce anything worthwhile. Presumably, the thinking is that any awfulness can be moderated by a good editor. This is an insult to all the able writers who are rejected from the slush pile.
By the way, am I alone in finding that term offensive?
By the way, am I alone in finding that term offensive?[/quote]
Not to me. I know my place.
[quote=Lah-tay]By the way, am I alone in finding that term offensive? [/quote]
I don't find it offensive. All manuscripts are slush until someone picks it up and gives it a chance.
Can I put a different spin, rather than get insulted because I've never had a novel published, think of it this way: when a publisher makes a lot of money of a celebrity book, what if that means next year he can take a punt on two debut novelists?
And that he's so damn clever. :D
Assuming he hasn't agreed to pay the celebrity a huge wad and he sells enough books to make a profit after he's covered the payment...:)
Stephen Fry is awesome. He has had such an interesting life, I was hooked reading Moab is my Washpot, and The Fry Chronicles. Hippopotamus is brilliant, really funny.
Listen to his audiobooks - or the Harry Potters read by him, brilliant.