Keanu and co: how celebrities became bestselling novelists

From Richard Osman and Millie Bobby Brown to the upcoming book by Keanu Reeves, celebrity novels are everywhere. What’s behind the boom? And how do non-famous writers feel about it?I understood that if I was going to do it, I would have to put 100% of myself into it,” says Richard Osman about writing his debut crime novel The Thursday Murder Club, which was an immediate bestseller when it was published in 2020. He had attempted a novel before, but “I wasn’t giving it everything, I had too much on. And this was the first time where I thought: No, I’m able to focus on this for a couple of years now.” Osman’s agent, Juliet Mushens, adds: “He told me he was working on a novel, but he didn’t want to show it to anyone until he finished the whole thing.” When he did, “we did a couple of drafts and submitted it to publishers”. The rest is history: since The Thursday Murder Club was released, Osman has published three further novels and sold more than 10m books worldwide.He is the most successful example of a phenomenon that is more prominent than ever: the celebrity novelist. Of course, famous people have written novels for decades – from Alan Titchmarsh to Ben Elton. And the children’s market has become saturated with celebrities, including David Walliams, Geri Halliwell-Horner, Paul McCartney and Jamie Oliver. But sales of adult fiction by celebrities have remained relatively low, until recently. According to Nielsen BookScan data, in 2018 the Top 100 paperback fiction... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-13 09:00:12 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Keanu and co: how celebrities became bestselling novelists"


eBay takes on Amazon with launch of new Entertainment Store

eBay has launched a dedicated storefront for entertainment products, including books, as it bids to become “the destination for physical media in the UK”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A famous 5: Jamie roars back to number one

The starting pistol for the race to Christmas number one has sounded and Jamie Oliver is out of the blocks early, with his 5 Ingredients: Quick and Easy Food (Michael Joseph) shifting just under 37,000 units through Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market in its first two days on sale. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Agency Rights Update: Athens’ Ersilia Literary Agency

Adult fiction and a middle-grade environmentally engaging series are on Evangelia Avloniti's list in the run-up to Frankfurt Book Fair. The post Agency Rights Update: Athens’ Ersilia Literary Agency appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Potter playscript pips rivals to the post

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Sphere) has bewitched the UK Official Top 50 for a second week, holding the number one spot with 23,711 copies sold, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Tom Hanks' event sells out in under two hours

Tickets to actor Tom Hanks' only event in the UK to promote his new collection of short stories, Uncommon Type (William Heinemann), have sold out in under two hours.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Child, Children’s and Crime keep TCM afloat in first half

A rise in selling prices has seen Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market grow again in the first half of 2017, underpinned by strength in depth. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Milo Yiannopoulos labels low sales figures of Dangerous memoir 'fake news'

Rightwinger said his book – self-published after he was dropped by Simon & Schuster – had sold 100,000 copies, but data shows fewer than 20,000 salesRightwing controversialist Milo Yiannopoulos has branded reported low sales of his new book “fake news” after official figures revealed the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Pearson sells slice of Penguin for $1bn

The beleaguered FTSE 100 firm strengthens balance sheet by selling a 22% stake to Bertelsmann in deal valuing the publishing giant at $3.55bn Pearson has sold a 22% stake in Penguin Random House, the world’s biggest publisher, with titles ranging from Fifty Shades of Grey, Jamie Oliver and The... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Paddington Bear creator Michael Bond dies aged 91

Paddington Bear creator Michael Bond died at home yesterday aged 91 following a short illness, his publisher has said. Described as “a giant of children’s literature” by HarperCollins, which published him for over 60 years, Bond's first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was released in 1958.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Clever Guts Diet smarts its way into the top spot

Michael Mosley and Tanya Borowski’s The Clever Guts Diet (Short) has bowel’d into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 19,302 copies for £101,156 according to Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market, and denying Paula Hawkins’ Into the Water (Doubleday) a third week at the top. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A Big Week for Adult Fiction

At outlets that report to NPD BookScan, total unit sales were 8% higher in the week ended May 14, 2017, than in the comparable week last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Into the Water dives in for a second week at number one

Paula Hawkins’ Into the Water (Doubleday) has held the UK Official Top 50 number one spot for a second week running, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Star Wars: Rogue One rockets into the top spot

Matt Forbeck’s Star Wars: Rogue One (Egmont) has knocked Lee Child’s Night School (Bantam) off the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, shifting a stellar 57,949 copies according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'Night School' takes Lee Child to 16th number one

Lee Child has tussled his way into the Official UK Top 50 number one spot for a 16th time, with Night School (Bantam) shifting 36,151 copies for £144,387, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Jamie Oliver 'can't wait' to publish 5-ingredient book in autumn

Michael Joseph is publishing a new cookbook from Jamie Oliver, Jamie’s Quick & Easy 5-Ingredient Food, this autumn to tie in with an eight-part primetime TV series on Channel 4 of the same name. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Blob bounces to third week at top of charts

David Walliams’ Blob (HarperCollins Children's) has conquered the UK Official Top 50 number one spot for a third week running, selling 56,015 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Blob breaks WBD records for a Walliams personal best

David Walliams has racked up the best single week of sales ever for a (single) World Book Day title, with Blob (HarperCollins Children's) soaring 449% in volume week on week to shift 103,571 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


New Sally Green trilogy to PRH Children's

Penguin Random House Children's is to publish a new YA series from Sally Green, whose Half Bad trilogy has sold in 51 territories and shifted over 66,500 copies in the UK via Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


London Briefcase 2017: What U.S. Agencies Will be Selling at the London Book Fair

Hot properties include titles from Ursula K. LeGuin, Masha Gessen, Tom Hanks, Joan Didion, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Trade hails Waterstones Childrens Book of the Month impact

Sales of books included in Waterstones‘ Children’s Book of the Month promotion in 2016 totalled 327,854 units through Nielsen BookScan, demonstrating the retailer’s influence in shaping the market for Middle Grade titles. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this