Celebrity Children’s Authors: Are They Helping or Hurting?

Throughout the 21st century there has been a rise in celebrity authors within children’s publishing. Whether it’s actors or talk show hosts looking to create content for their own children, or athletes and reality stars hoping to extend their brand, it seems that celebrity-authored texts are saturating the children’s market and making it difficult for new authors without a pre-established platform to be successful. In 2007, an article in The Bookseller claimed that some in the industry believed these titles would become less attractive to booksellers and consumers alike as they became “less of a novelty” (Arnstein 2007). However, it is now 2021, and celebrities of all kinds are still being signed on by major publishers to write for children. How do other children’s authors feel about this trend and are publishers sacrificing quality for sales?

Differing Perspectives

Many publishers, especially the larger companies, see great opportunity in publishing celebrity authored children’s stories because they are almost guaranteed to turn a profit. From a publisher’s perspective, taking on even one of these titles makes it possible for them to support lesser known authors. A representative from Puffin stated, “If you have the right celebrity, it brings a certain spotlight to the list [and] it can allow you to take risks on some of those more unknown writers,” (Arnstein 2007).

However, many authors claim that there is not much evidence that the success of these celebrity titles fund newcomer authors, and that big publishers are more focused on making money than publishing quality content that doesn’t come with a guaranteed audience or famous byline. In a 2020 article from The Guardian, author Philip Womack said, “Publishers always say these books pay for everybody else, but I’ve never seen any figures to support that. If you put a million pounds into a book, you’ll get your million pounds back,” (Cain 2020).

Quality or Quantity?

When discussing the wide-spread success of these children’s books, it’s important to look beyond the fame of the author’s name and analyze the content of the books. Are these books of good literary quality, or are they popular simply because of the author’s name plastered across the front cover? In a 2008 critique of twenty different celebrity author’s works, Mississippi State University found that some of the titles were actually of very high quality, with well-written characters, important themes, and interesting stories that could appeal to children. However, they also noted quite a few not worthy of publication at all (Bryan, et al. 2008). In 2010, another study asked fifth-grade students to choose and respond to a number of these “star books”, including authors like Madonna, Whoopi Goldberg, John Travolta, Billy Crystal, and more. In the end, this study suggested to approach these titles with open-minded caution (Akrofi, et al. 2010).

It is clear celebrity children’s books are making it more difficult for new children’s authors to be seen. Yet, audiences will always value a high quality story. Children know what they like and are not easily swayed simply by the name of an author, which is merely an appeal to their gatekeepers and not in service of the intended audience. Young people look for relatable characters, interesting plotlines, and entertaining prose. The success of celebrity authored children’s stories still depends on the quality of the work. The books, whose only appeal is the author’s name, will not ultimately stand the test of time.

“Loved children’s book characters can become celebrities in their own right, attracting dedicated fans who will follow their every move — Harry Potter, the Gruffalo, Peter Rabbit and so on — and meaning there is always value in publishers acquiring completely fresh talent,” — Charlotte Williams, The Bookseller (McGregor 2013).

References

Akrofi, A, Button, K, Janisch, C, & Liu, X 2010, Catch a Star Book! Responses of Fifth-Grade Students to Celebrity-Authored Children’s Literature, Literacy Research and Instruction, 49:2, p.142–161

Arnstein, V 2007, Stars in their eyes: the flow of celebrity-written children’s books shows no sign of stopping. Victoria Arnstein asks whether the trend is healthy for readers and industry, The Bookseller, August 17, 2007, Issue 5294, p.S6(2)

Bryan, L, Harper, S.L., & Walker, L 2008, ‘Munsters to Margaritaville: A Critical Look at Celebrity Authors’, Education, v128 n4, pp.543–552

Cain, S 2020, Famous first words: how celebrities made their way on to children’s bookshelves, The Guardian, viewed 6 February 2021, <https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/dec/12/famous-first-words-how-celebrities-made-their-way-on-to-childrens-bookshelves>

Comerford, R 2021, Walker signs Ayoade’s first children’s books, The Bookseller, viewed 5 February 2021, <https://www.thebookseller.com/news/walker-signs-ayoades-debut-childrens-book-1233501>

McGregor, F 2013, Are celebrity kids’ books bad for literature?, The Scotsman, viewed 6 February 2021, <https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/are-celebrity-kids-books-bad-literature-2461430>