Wednesday 17 September 2014

Discussion: Youtube Superstars & YA Book Deals.

So, maybe you've heard that Zoe Sugg a.k.a Zoella is releasing a book? 

 

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg || Release date: November 2014

I had no idea GirlOnline would take off the way it has - I can't believe I now have 5432 followers, thanks so much! - and the thought of opening up to you all about this is terrifying, but here goes...

Penny has a secret.

Under the alias GirlOnline, she blogs about school dramas, boys, her mad, whirlwind family - and the panic attacks she's suffered from lately. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets the gorgeous, guitar-strumming Noah. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog.

But Noah has a secret too. One that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship - forever.


**********

If you haven't heard of Zoella before then take a look here and here. Yeah, she's pretty huge in the Youtubing and blogging world, and now she's venturing into YA.

Just as an aside, her boyfriend, Alfie Deyes (together they are known as 'Zalfie' and are all kinds of cute) is author of  'The Pointless Book' which is currently #1 in Sunday Times General | Paperbacks bestsellers. It's also a #1 bestseller on Amazon. These kids have got it made!

So, what do you think of it all?

I first found Zoella through her YouTube 'haul' videos and she seems like a genuinely nice girl. (I also discovered the wonder that is Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer through one of her videos, so thanks for that!) I've read some of her blog posts and she's got a friendly, engaging writing style, well suited to both blogging and YA.  Her book sounds like fun - and I'm sure it'll be a big, big seller.

Will you be reading?

I ask because whe I tweeted about Zoe's book deal, responses were, um, mixed. It seems that some people are not so happy that Zoe's newfound fame has resulted in a book deal. I see their point: I mean, yeah, OK, maybe she got a book deal because she's got an already established audience: her book is going to be on a lot of Teen Christmas lists this year. Also, it's releasing in November, just in time for the Christmas market. Ka-ching!

I guess that's the way of publishing nowadays: the book publishing business in in not-such-a-great state, and if publishers can bet on a sure winner, then, they are going to roll with it.  Penguin, Zoe's publisher, approached her regarding the book deal, by the way --we're not dealing with a 'slush pile' find here!

However, Zoe herself has mentioned in the past that she's always wanted to write a book - I think I remember her mentioning that when she was in school, she used to rush home every day to spend time on her WIP.  You can't argue with that, and I think this is a dream come true for her.

So, maybe it's not all about the money (for Zoe).

So, then, why the snark? Fame or no fame, doesn't Zoe have the same right to a YA book deal as everyone else?

Of course there are those who say that she won't actually be writing the book herself...(just one of the responses I got when I tweeted about the deal!)

So, what do you think about it all?

And will you be reading Girl Online?     





p.s: Cute cover! 
p.p.s: I've seen that of late some beauty bloggers are talking more and more about books. Hmmmm....wonder why that is! Watch this space, indeed. 

11 comments :

  1. Liz @ Planet Print17 September 2014 at 16:56

    I think this is an interesting topic. I've been watching Zoe on youtube for a while now and I probably will give her book a go, but mostly because it sounds pretty good. If it were something that didn't appeal to me at all, I wouldn't read it just because she wrote it, you know? As much as I like watching her videos sometimes, I don't really understand this whole being a megafan of youtubers thing. It sort of scares me if I'm honest, in some of her videos you can see how she gets mobbed by people and stuff. I'm also a firm believer that you can't truly tell what a person is really like through edited youtube videos. I do think she probably is genuinely excited about this book deal and that it's not all about the money (though I'm sure the money is nice too!). I'm just going to wait until November to make a proper judgement about the book (the cover really is cute though). If it's good then great, but if it's terrible, I will be honest about it. As for Alfie, I don't really watch his videos and I won't be buying his book. I mean congrats to him for its success, but to me it just seems like a not as good version of a Wreck this Journal.

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  2. You've got an interesting topic here. :))
    I won't be reading Zoella's book because it sounds like a bit of a cliché to me but I might check out some reviews of it.
    I watch youtube videos, I'm not crazy about them like my friend is but I do like some youtubers. They get so many love (and hate) which I just can't understand! I mean how can you be so sure of someone's personality based on videos that were edited? But maybe it's just me, I never got all the love around famous people either.


    I'm sure the people who are complaining are simply jealous. I can totally understand why would they feel this way, it must be hard to see someone releasing a book so easily with the promise of success when you know how much harder would it be for you.
    I don't see how is her book is any different from the singers or actors who start to design clothes or perfume or anything. Zoella can be interested in more than one thing so why not publish that book if she gets the chance? I'm sure everyone would jump on the chance to do what they want. So if she gets money for it? It's such a disgusting thing to say all the bad stuff about the book before it's even out....


    Great post. :)

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  3. I actually cannot wait to read this. At first I was hesitant but now that I've processed the news I think it's great. I mean Zoe has always wanted to publish a book and I'm glad that she has a chance to do it.

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  4. ChristinaBookAddict18 September 2014 at 12:44

    Dude. I must be so out of touch b/c I have never even heard of her. I don't really venture out onto Youtube very much, but it looks like I should be. I will have to go check it out. The book has a cute cover and premise, but I feel like EVERYONE wants to write YA lately.

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  5. Kaitlin @ YA, YA and More YA18 September 2014 at 13:29

    I've been a fan of Zoella for awhile now and when I heard she was releasing a book I was interested. I've read her blog post and her writing isn't the worst. I'm planning on reading it giving it a go just to see how it was. I have see Alfie's book and it more of an activity book rather than a novel. I'm not planning on getting Alfie's book. I liked how she had an Instagram contest for her cover and the one shown here is the UK version with the UK winner. I prefer the UK version rather than the US version.


    Just my opinion :)

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  6. I have to say I don't really see the appeal of Alfie's book either - from what I've read about it - but it seems to be selling VERY well - and I'm sure Zoe's book will too. These guys are making mega-bucks nowadays. I don't really get the whole Youtube phenomenon either, but, hey, it's happening!

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  7. Thanks! :) I'm sure there is some jealousy surrounding this. I've heard a lot of people say that she won't be writing the book herself (but I can't say that for sure). I know she is working with an editor on the book (but that is normal!) and perhaps the publishers worked with her on an idea but maybe that's as far as it goes - I don't know. The Youtube stuff gets kind of crazy, though - I agree!

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  8. Yes, she is totally living the dream! Hope you enjoy the book. I'm looking forward to reading some reviews. The cover is cute too! :)

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  9. Ha! She is huge on Youtube although I don't know if she's as big in the US as she is in the UK - she is becoming quite the megastar over here!

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  10. Yes - I like the UK pic better too. I think it's a really cute cover! Very Zoella! :)

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  11. I know nothing about this "booktube" everyone is talking about (I'm not even hip with the lingo) but the idea of a "reality" star getting a book deal reminds me of that Lauren Conrad series. Just does.

    Read it and let me know!

    ReplyDelete

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