Is it how well the author is known? Maybe not. Oprah is huge, but the book Oprah by Kitty Kelley has only sold 115,000 copies, according to an article in The Associated Press.
Is it when a big celebrity dies? Apparently even the death of Michael Jackson couldn’t produce more than a couple of briefly best-sellers:
Only a couple of Jackson biographies, briefly, were best sellers, among them Ian Halperin's "Unmasked" and J. Randy Taraborrelli's "Michael Jackson," an updated edition of an older book.According to The Associated Press, the key to making a celebrity tell-all a best-seller is to have the celebrity involved in the writing, either by doing the writing themselves or active in providing information to the writer or ghostwriter. It apparently also helps if the celebrity has something to say.
I don’t buy celebrity books. Do you? If you do, do you feel like you got your money’s worth? Is there a celebrity whose book you would buy?
I normally don't buy books about celebrities. I think I may have one or two. And I also don't buy books by celebrities because for the most part, I find them lacking. With that said, I did enjoy Queen Latifah's book PUT ON YOUR CROWN. It gives some very good advice.
ReplyDeleteMason
Thoughts in Progress
I liked 'Open' and I liked 'It's not about the Bike', but in general, celeb books don't work for me.
ReplyDeleteI just realized it's been almost 15 years since I read a celeb book and that one was a gift. No what? Didn't miss them either.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed "Leap of Faith" by Queen Noor, but I wouldn't ever be interested in a Hollywood type of celebrity.
ReplyDeleteI agree with y'all. I believe I have one or two from years ago, but that's it. I really would rather read a book by (or about) someone who's not rich and famous, but has overcome things in their lives.
ReplyDeleteI generally don't buy those celebrity books, but I did buy the Oprah book for my mother and will admit that I looked at the photos in it.
ReplyDeleteThere's no celebrity I care that much about.
ReplyDeleteWhen you write your biography, will people buy it, Alex?
ReplyDeleteI don't buy them...don't have enough interest...I supposed if a star writes the book themselves and it turns out to be well written, I'd consider it...maybe.
ReplyDeleteI never buy celebrity books. Mainly because I don't give a crap about their lives.
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I have only ever bought "celebrity" books by comedians. I guess I'm only interested in reading about the lives of famous people if they're funny. Nice helps too!
ReplyDeleteStephen, how do you really feel?
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to think of a celebrity whose life or views I'd want to read about, and no one comes to mind. Not even Oprah. She feels "preachy" to me. Lindsay Lohan? No way. The Octo-mom? Gag me. One of the mistresses hanging onto celebrities? Curses on the publisher. I can't think of any celebrity whose bio or thoughts I would want to read.
...celebrity books are a frustrating subject.
ReplyDeleteActors who haven't been finding work and watching their bank accounts dwindle under the ten million dollar range think, "Hey, I'll just write a book about myself, spill some nasty beans and make a mint because I used to be famous. Easy, like baking a cake."
That in itself is why I'll never buy a celebrity "tell-all," which is simply a celebrity "sell-all."
I am not a big fan of celebrity books, especially those focused on people who earned the "celeb" status simply by being rich and outrageous. Years ago I read Lee Iacocca's autobiography and his other book, Where Have All the Leaders Gone, because they were both books with something significant to say and not just Tabloid-style story telling.
ReplyDeleteNow, anyone can call themselves a celebrity. I hereby pledge never to buy Snooki's tell-all bio. Or the publicity-seeking nutbags who crashed the White House party. Or anyone who was on a "reality" show that starts with The Housewives of...
ReplyDeleteI tend not to. When L.A Candy came out by Lauren Conrad everyone raved over it!
ReplyDeleteI read the first three pages and couldn't bring myself to like it.
I must say, I agree with Stephen. Don't buy them because I don't care to know. Hey, I'm too busy reading books I care about!!
ReplyDeleteSylvia Dickey Smith
I think the word "celebrity" has become a dirty word.
ReplyDeleteI have never bought a celebrity book, but I did read my dad's book about Johnny Cash. I thought it was really interesting, but I guess for the book to be interesting, the subject must also be interesting. For the record, I agree with you about Oprah, Helen.
I have never bought a celebrity based book in my life, and probably never will. I don't watch Entertainment Tonight either. I'm not too taken with celebrity.
ReplyDelete~jon
I don't like reading books about celebrities, but I do enjoy memoirs even if they're written by celebrities - except that I don't like the "as told to" ones! Real honest to goodness genuineness and authenticity, with their style emblazoned all over it - for me, that's what makes for a really good memoir.
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