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 ]

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NPD BookScan: US 2021 Market Unit Volume Up 9 Percent

Print book sales by volume in the United States was the highest ever recorded by NPD BookScan, with adult fiction as the leading growth category. The post NPD BookScan: US 2021 Market Unit Volume Up 9 Percent appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-01-11 03:46:38 UTC ]
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The Only True Name: Who is Elena Ferrante?

Who is Elena Ferrante? One of the most widely-acclaimed and beloved contemporary novelists is also the most unknown. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-12-29 11:33:00 UTC ]
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Pinch of Nom narrowly beats Richard Osman to top Christmas book chart

The food bloggers’ fourth book Comfort Food outsold Osman’s second cosy crime novel by just over 1,000 copiesThe fourth Pinch of Nom cookbook, a collection of slimming comfort food recipes, has narrowly pipped Richard Osman to the top of the book charts this Christmas.Sales figures from... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-21 15:49:29 UTC ]
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Dolly Parton to headline audiobook cast of her debut novel with Patterson

Dolly Parton will headline the audiobook cast of her debut novel Run Rose Run (Century) along with singer and songwriter Kelsea Ballerini in the role of protégée to Parton’s character.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-21 02:34:41 UTC ]
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Electric Lit’s Favorite Novels of 2021

When it comes to great novels, this year felt like an embarrassment of riches. The books collected here are ambitious—in intellect, in scope, in subject matter, and in size. Some are perfect encapsulations of the unique problems of our time, while others illuminate the human threads that connect... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-12-16 12:05:00 UTC ]
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Notable Literary Deaths in 2021

It’s safe to say that in general, 2021 was an improvement on 2020—but that doesn’t mean it was a big one. Among the many disappointments of this year was the fact that we lost far too many members of the literary community, from poets to novelists to editors to critics to publishers. To them, we […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-15 09:49:46 UTC ]
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Print Book Sales Slipped Last Week

Unit sales of print books dipped 0.2% last week compared to the week ended December 5, 2020, ending a long string of weekly sales growth. Only adult fiction and young adult fiction had sales increases over last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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How Two Novelists and a Poet Made Me Change My Life

Are there certain books with topics you avoid? That you fear may leave you a little worse for wear? Here's what may happen if you read them. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-12-07 11:38:00 UTC ]
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10 of the Best Novels and Short Stories about Dogs

Novelists and short-story writers have created some classic narratives about man’s best friend, the dog. But what are the very best stories and novels about dogs? Where should we begin in assessing the classic, canonical literature that features dogs? From Homer’s Odyssey onwards – where the... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2021-12-03 15:00:29 UTC ]
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Unit Sales Rose 9.7% Last Week Led by Adult Fiction

Facing difficult comparisons to last year when Barack Obama's 'A Promised Land' was piling up huge sales numbers, unit sales still increased 9.7% last week over 2020 as adult fiction sales jumped 35.3%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Ann Patchett on why she isn't doing a conventional book tour — possibly ever again

Bestselling author Ann Patchett talks about book tours, Tom Hanks and 'These Precious Days,' her new book of essays. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-11-23 14:00:12 UTC ]
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Kyle Lucia Wu on What Novelists Can Learn From Poets

The following first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. * While writing my first novel, I was hungry for advice, like many young writers, and soaked up tenets like write every day or wake up before work to go to your desk or hit 1000 words every session. But these... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-11-12 09:55:05 UTC ]
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Faber snaps up ‘vital’ portrait of Lennon and McCartney’s relationship

Faber has landed Ian Leslie’s John and Paul: A Love Story in Twenty-three Songs, a "truly fascinating exploration" of the relationship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-10 23:36:12 UTC ]
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ALA Announces Finalists for 2022 Carnegie Medals

The ALA’s prestigious adult literary award, the Carnegie Medals are given to the previous year’s best adult fiction and nonfiction books published in the United States. The winners will be announced on January 23, during the ALA’s LibLearnX conference. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S promotes Jones to senior commissioning editor

Bethan Jones has been promoted to senior commissioning editor in adult fiction at Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-09 19:53:41 UTC ]
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Paul McCartney's The Lyrics backed by bus adverts, live events and media blitz

The publicity and marketing campaign for Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics (Allen Lane) has featured in a major advertising campaign, including 100 bus adverts running across London, Manchester and Liverpool. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-08 19:32:40 UTC ]
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Books in the Media: Critics hail Paul McCartney's 'absorbing' The Lyrics

Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, edited by Paul Muldoon (Allen Lane), was one of the critics' most reviewed books this week. The book was mentioned in the Observer, Daily Mail, Telegraph, Times, Irish Times, Washington Post and the New Yorker. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-02 02:24:55 UTC ]
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Ishiguro, Rashford and McCartney make Waterstones Book of the Year shortlist

Kazuo Ishiguro, Marcus Rashford and Paul McCartney are among the authors whose titles are shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-27 07:08:08 UTC ]
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Boubacar Boris Diop Wins Prestigious 2022 Neustadt International Prize for Literature

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[ World Literature Today | 2021-10-26 21:56:54 UTC ]
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