If you said two million, you might want to rethink that figure. Unless you’re Demi Moore. That’s exactly what her proposed memoir recently went for, according to Crain’s New York Business.
Her agent Luke Janklow put the memoir idea out there and HarperColllins Publishers won the bidding war, “agreeing to fork over more than $2 million for world rights….”
She definitely has a built-in platform and a husband who’s probably the top Twitterer in the world. She’ll make more than the two million. And the books not even written yet. Wonder if Oprah has already called her?
LOL. Ok. I think I'm going to be sick ...
ReplyDeleteI see figures like this all the time... celebrities being paid millions for their memoirs, but who actually reads these things?
ReplyDeleteI'm not gonna buy Demi's book, that's for sure >:)
ReplyDeleteCold As Heaven
Oh my.
ReplyDeleteThis is why midlist authors get such little advances...
I think it's so unfair for celebrities to be paid such huge amounts of money for a book just because they're celebrities. If they write a book and it's good, that's another story.
ReplyDeleteMason
Thoughts in Progress
Gag... It's just like athletes, movie stars. Huge amounts of money because the public will support it.
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing, considering she probably won't even do the bulk of the writing.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lot of money for not much of a story. I think it's the fish bowl mentality. Everyone has an interesting story to tell, it's telling it the right way in a unique voice.
ReplyDeleteReality TV is shallow and extremist, but it sells. Can we write an article that gets 2 million hits? Now we're a celebrity.
Celebrity stories are so sensational.
ReplyDeleteWow. Hmmm. It's always good to dream :)
ReplyDeleteIndia, someone reads them. Fans, movie lovers, those who admire the subject, those who are curious...if we didn't buy these books, there wouldn't be the glut of these books.
ReplyDeleteCold as Heaven, I have no plans to buy it either.
According to publishers, it's these kinds of books that sell and make money that allow them to take chances on unknown authors who probably won't make any money.
BermudaOnion, I don't know Demi (of course!), but from what little I know of her image, I'm guessing she'll have a lot of input into the book - certainly more than a lot of other celebrities.
Yes, it is fun to dream!
Good point, Helen. If these celebrity books are the financial backbone for the publishers, it's worth publishing them.
ReplyDeleteI guess the best part of Demi's book will be the cover >:)
Cold As Heaven
There will probably also be pics inside!
ReplyDeleteThese types of books don't make it to my TBR pile. But right now I'm thinking of at least 3 friends who will offer to loan this literary wonder to me anyway.
ReplyDeleteOprah? Oh yea, there and everywhere else they can put her 'face'. ;>)
Maribeth
Giggles and Guns
Maribeth, I've never read an Oprah book (how many does she have out, anyway?).
ReplyDeleteThe publisher expects to make money on the book...to Helen's point, yes, people are buying them. That said, let's be optimistic. Perhaps Demi can write.
ReplyDeleteI hate hearing stuff like this. Then we get less than 5k for an advance. But as you said, Demi will sell a lot of books.
ReplyDeletePopularity trumps talent in sales. Sad but true. It's easy to begrudge Moore with the ideal that the better the writer, the more deserving they are of cash - but the likelihood of sales will help HarperCollins, which may help them afford to support a few more meritous writers. I sure hope so.
ReplyDeleteI saw a celebrity being interviewed about "his" book and he didn't have a clue what was in it. They're just paying for the name. I wonder how much the ghost writer will get paid.
ReplyDeleteAnn
Ann Summerville
Cozy In Texas
I am glad that I am not the only one a bit miffed at the disparity between what celebs and A-list authors get for advances compared to the mid-list authors.
ReplyDeleteAnd it doesn't even make good business sense to pay so much up-front. Just think of how much marketing and promoting could be done for all the books if those huge advances were cut way back. If those celebrity books are supposed to sell millions, let the celebs get the royalties as the sales pile up.
Maryann, they get those too.
ReplyDeleteAnn, ghostwriters for celebrities get paid a lot. As one ghostwriter said, enough to put his two kids through college. He didn't say what college though.
Whatever the publishers claim, I still say celebrity books are a waste. You're just a high paid actress and I really don't care what your ghostwriter has to say about your life. There's something wrong with America that these books continute to be published.
ReplyDeleteLOL - obviously you know my opinion on the matter!
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I am! What an amazing amount. It really makes me feel for the wonderful writers out there who can't get published because they don't have a "name" yet.
ReplyDeleteI have no proof, but I believe the advances have gone down for celebrities overall. They're not selling as well as they used to. But they are still selling.
ReplyDeleteHelen - two million is what Canadian writer, Yann Martel, got for his recent book - Beatrice & Vergil. He is a real writer who wrote the wonderful 'Life of Pi'. However - this is still not a good thing for so many reasons. For one - it puts a lot of pressure on the author. Although critics shouldn't let the advance colour their view of the book - the truth is that they do. It also means that the publishers are gambling instead of steadily supporting good writers and emerging ones. Not that that is such a bad thing - I suppose one could say the market economy will take care of it but it is akin to James Cameron (another Canuk) getting so much for Avatar - it does affect what is available for young filmakers. All together disturbing.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised, but I am slightly sickened...
ReplyDeleteLife of Pi was good, Jan. But... other than my own book, I'm not sure I've read a book worth an advance of $2 million. Publishers have always been gambling. Unfortunately, they believe their best bet is a big one on a big name. If they win, they win big. If they lose, the few authors they may have taken a chance on lose...big.
ReplyDeleteSteve Alten, who's written several best sellers, including "Meg," and "The Loch," began his career with no writing experience what-so-ever. Struggling through a dead end job, which he was on the verge of losing, Steve, who majored in marine-biology, thought of a story idea, asking the question, what if a prehistoric shark were discovered alive and thriving in modern times. He pitched the idea to a multitude of agents, was eventually signed, and found himself relishing in a bidding war for his story, with no background in writing. The final price...a million bucks.
ReplyDeleteEven without prior fame and fortune...it can happen. We just gotta believe:)
I feel ill. Two million? I've never read a celebrity book and I doubt I ever will unless it's about one of my children.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow, I can't believe that! Am I crazy that I don't even care to read about her life? Yikes.
ReplyDeleteAnd a bidding war for my book? I can't even imagine.
Just recently, there was an Oz author whose debut YA mystery novel was bidded for $1 million. "Nothing is impossible."
ReplyDeleteBargain with the Devil
Unbelievable,isn't it? But then we normal, everyday people just don't have the notoriety to pull those type of figures.
ReplyDeleteThere's still fiction authors who get bidding wars---and wouldn't that be a marvelous thing to have happen in your life?