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.

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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.