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 ]
Publishers have faced criticism for producing books considered ‘an easy sell’ Chef Jamie Oliver and former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner have become the latest celebrities to announce new children’s books, with experts saying there is no sign the celebrity-authored children’s book trend will... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-10-21 10:05:05 UTC ]
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More than 2 million children just became eligible for free books: California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 1183 to establish Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Program in the state and specify how it will operate. The program will use money from a dedicated fund “to provide... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-06 18:35:28 UTC ]
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Spiracle will feature titles from independent presses, while last month, Spotify also began offering audiobooks to US customersA new audiobook platform which aims to create a “lovely, welcoming, independent bookstore kind of vibe” has launched, as audio giant Spotify also enters the fast-growing... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-10-03 18:09:30 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books declined 4.2% last week as good debuts in adult fiction were not enough to offset declines in adult nonfiction and children's fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Tom Hanks—who previously spent time crushing a beloved indie bookstore with his discount big box chain (which was then probably crushed by Amazon and yes I am talking about his role in You’ve Got Mail and not his real life)—will publish a novel with Knopf this spring. The book, The Making of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-27 15:17:38 UTC ]
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‘She saw and felt things us ordinary mortals missed,’ her agent says of Booker prize-winning author who died on Thursday• Hilary Mantel remembered: ‘She was the queen of literature’• ‘The pen is in our hands. A happy ending is ours to write’: Hilary Mantel in her own wordsThe Booker... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-09-23 11:29:23 UTC ]
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Soft sales in the adult nonfiction and juvenile categories offset a 12.1% increase in sales of adult fiction, leading to a 2.3% drop in unit sales of print books last week compared to the week ended September 18, 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Held in person for the first time since 2019, the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) 2022 conference brought over 300 authors, agents, publishers, and aspiring novelists together in St. Louis, Mo. from September 8-11. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Increases in adult fiction and young adult were not enough to offset declines in the adult nonfiction and juvenile categories, resulting in a 2.4% decline in unit sales of print books for the week ended Sept. 3, 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Increases in adult fiction and young adult were not enough to offset declines in the adult nonfiction and juvenile categories, resulting in a 2.4% decline in unit sales of print books last week compared to 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by A.M. Homes, author of The Unfolding. Find more Keen On... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-06 08:56:16 UTC ]
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While other future novelists were discussing iambic pentameter and leitmotifs, Gina Chen immersed herself in computer science. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-08-25 09:00:11 UTC ]
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A 17% increase in sales of adult fiction was not enough to prevent print book sales from declining 3.7% last week compared to the week ended August 21, 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A Black Muslim leader is bringing his life story and work to Broadleaf; novelists Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton are joining forces on a WWII story coming from Revell, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Last week’s sales pattern looked a lot like the previous week: a modest sales decline compared to a year ago, with higher sales of adult fiction and young adult titles offset by lower adult nonfiction and juvenile sales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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After a rare week in which sales rose over 2021, unit sales of print books fell 5.9% last week compared to the week ended July 31, 2021. Every segment but adult fiction had a decline. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Double-digit gains in the adult fiction and young adult categories led to a 4.4% increase in unit sales of print books in the week ended July 23, 2022, over the comparable week in 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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One person joked that he was pretty sure the Missouri Senator's book would "fall well short of expectations." Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2022-07-28 23:29:02 UTC ]
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Six of the 13 writers in contention for the prestigious British literary award are from the United States, with novelists from Britain, Ireland and Zimbabwe also on the list. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-07-26 14:51:57 UTC ]
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Despite a huge gain in adult fiction, print unit sales fell 2.5% in the week ended July 16, 2022, from the comparable week in 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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