Celebrities publish books in an already crowded market – is it fair?

This week, Hollywood heartthrob Keanu Reeves announced that his BRZRKR comic series will be adapted by sci-fi novelist China Miéville as part of a collaborative project called “The Book of Elsewhere.” Cue the fanfare. The Canadian actor described working with the British author as “extraordinary,” and, to be fair, he’s not wrong. Miéville, a powerhouse in the industry, has been the only person ever to receive the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction three times. Hence, with the news came huge adoration and an outpouring of media attention, but it raises the question: Is it fair for celebrities to write books, given the automatic marketing hype?”

BRZRKR and Beyond: Keanu Reeves teams up with sci-fi author China Miéville

Posting on social media, Reeves admitted that his BRZRKR series was co-written with Matt Kindt, and illustrated by Ron Garney, which is fairly common knowledge. Last year, there was a backlash against artists and stars who used ghostwriters but failed to acknowledge them.

Read: Ghostwriters used in celebrity books: what’s the issue?

On the subject of the partnership, the John Wick star said: “China did exactly what I was hoping for – he came in with a clear architecture for the story and how he wanted to play with the world of BRZRKR, a world that I love so much. I was thrilled with his vision and feel honoured to be a part of this collaborative process.” Reeves is well-known for his graciousness regarding his role in the film industry, so much so that the ‘Sad Keanu’ meme, which was popular over the past decade, brought him significant support, often for no apparent reason.

Read Tom Hanks book review: novel on magic behind motion pictures fails to ‘reach for the sky’ on NationalWorld.

And undoubtedly, there is a general acceptance that actors can be great storytellers, as we’ve seen with Tom Hanks’ books “Uncommon Type” and “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece.” However, the publishing industry is not levelling the playing field for indie and self-published authors.

Miéville, who is well-known for works such as “The City and the City,” “Iron Council,” and “Perdido Street Station,” said “sometimes the greatest games are those you play with other people’s toys,” adding, “it was an honour, a shock and a delight when Keanu invited me to play. But I could never have predicted how generous he’d be with toys he’s spent so long creating.”

When it was launched, BRZRKR emerged as the most successful debut of an original comic book series in over a quarter of a century. Additionally, the comic is set to be transformed into a live-action film by Netflix, with Reeves in the lead role, and an anime series is also in the works. It’s rare to see such level of hoopla, even for a fairly established writer.

Celebrity influence in publishing: balancing stardom and merit in the industry

London-based journalist and ghostwriter Tobi Nifesi says that celebrities write books to grow their brand and give people what they want. However, in response to a question about the fairness of publishing celebrity books without restriction, independent author Walter D. Petrovic noted: “Publishing Houses are businesses. Since they are a business and bottom line is everything, they will just-as-soon publish garbage that is guaranteed to sell, over a work written by a newbie that could be destined as a literary classic.”

This trend of household names producing books have proven to be incredibly popular. Richard Osman’s “The Thursday Murder Club” was a 2020 bestseller with nearly one million copies sold, and Dawn French’s novel “Because of You” was notable enough to be longlisted for the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction.

Since records began, only three hardcover fiction books by American authors have surpassed sales during their initial launch weeks. These are Harper Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman” (2015), along with Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol” (2009) and “Inferno” (2013). Comic Osman, who sold 146,919 copies of “The Last Devil to Die” in just a week, said: “All I can say is an enormous thank you to readers and to booksellers. I am absolutely blown away by this news and I need to have a sit down now.”

Read: Cost of living crisis’ impact on publishing industry – authors lose out

Of course, that’s not to say that some celebrities are not excellent writers. Just off the top of my head, the memoir “Just Kids” by punk poet laureate Patti Smith was considered a masterpiece – and without a ghostwriter in sight. Not to mention, other great works, like those by Bob Dylan, earned him a Nobel Prize in Literature. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to acknowledge that readers often gravitate towards well-known names, a tendency amplified by a culture of shared reading experiences and the fear of missing out on popular books, as seen with BookTok. The Bookseller’s children’s previewer Fiona Noble, argues “Celebrity can have a place, but shouldn’t be the staple.”

In 2017, for example, it was reported that novelist Donal Ryan, who has won countless prizes and been shortlisted for various awards, was forced to return to his day job in the Irish civil service in order to pay his mortgage.

Despite receiving advances and signing a contract for three additional books with his publisher, the Irish novelist expressed that making a sustainable income solely from writing proved to be unfeasible. Speaking to the Irish Sunday Independent, “The Spinning Heart” author said, “You could take a chance and scrape a living through bursaries and writing books, but I’d get too stressed out. It just isn’t worth it. I have two kids in school and I have a mortgage to pay.”

When it starts to push gifted authors out into the periphery, the publishing industry may need to rethink their approach of putting profit over people.

What the experts told us: a question of fairness and opportunity

Rebecca Forster, a USA Today bestselling author with over 40 novels, shared her perspective with How To Be Books. “I will admit to that twinge of jealousy when a celebrity scores a huge advance by sheer force of their name recognition,” Forster said. “Does the publisher know that they could pay ten new authors a decent advance for the money they are handing a celebrity with an unknown track record in publishing?,” she questioned, adding, “I can’t condemn the practice. All I can do is work harder to become a literary celebrity myself.”

On the other hand, Shel Horowitz, a veteran of the publishing world with over four decades of experience, offers a different view. “Publishing is an abundant universe […] Sure, celeb books will get more attention – but most books have minuscule market share anyway,” the ‘Green and Profitable‘ business and marketing strategist explained. “These days, authors can be [their] own marketing agents and don’t need traditional reviews,” he stated, while showcasing that writers can reach specific genre markets more easily.

However, internationally acclaimed ghostwriter Joshua Lisec, known for his persuasive writing coaching, criticised the trend. “We all know they are using an accomplished fiction ghostwriter. The least they could do is list themselves as the co-author rather than scrub the ghost’s name from the project entirely,” he said. “It’s absurd because the PR manoeuvre is so transparent,” the “So Good They Call You a Fake” author commented.

Read: Are memoirs still important? Top books and why we love them

Terena Bell, an independent publicist and author of “Tell Me What You See,” emphasises the quality of writing. “Take Steve Martin and Ethan Hawke, for example — both offer up very solid reads. What gets me is when celebs who can’t write come on the scene thinking it’s a quick way to make a buck — especially when they don’t even write them, hiring a ghost then taking credit for the work on daytime TV,” Bell observed.

Sabrina Wiggins, the brains behind the Self Ink It Awards, highlights the dichotomy in the industry. “Their entry often brings massive attention and interest, benefiting the industry by expanding bookstore and digital platform audiences,” she noted, but felt that as a self-published author, she navigates the book world with “limited resources.” As a result, the Little Aiden Press founder calls for a “fairer environment” where diversity and work quality is celebrated regardless of the author’s fame.

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Celebrities writing books bring both benefits and challenges, as well as raises the question of what we deem fair. The conversation underscores the need for a balanced approach that recognises both the economic realities of publishing and the value of supporting emerging and independent voices in the literary world. I have been guilty of reading celebrity books to see if there are any noteworthy golden nuggets, and anything involving the Matrix star usually gets my approval, thus automatically falling into this exact trap. Hence, if we continue following the crowd, we risk losing the narrative to gossip and idle tittle-tattle in an already crowded market.

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