Zoella to Write Second Book Without a Ghostwriter

John Guillen14 Comments

Zoe Sugg, also known as Zoella on YouTube, has announced that she will be writing her second book on her own. Why is this news to anyone? Well, it shouldn’t be. But last year there was a lot of backlash when it was revealed that she had the help of a ghostwriter in writing her first book. But anyone who knows anything about publishing knows that ghostwriters are always the ones writing celebrity books. And this girl was treated differently from everyone else.

So now she’s writing her new book herself. I’m not going to sit here and say that the book will be any worse or better because of this new revelation, but I think it’s a little ridiculous that she even has to do this. I’m starting to think that people who don’t write think that any and every celebrity is perfectly capable of writing a book, which is baffling to me.

BUT I’m sure that she’ll do just fine and her fans will be satisfied that she wrote it herself, while the rest of us don’t particularly care who writes what.

What do you think? Is this a good idea for her?

On this day in 2014 I published Is There a Proper Chapter Length?.

 

14 thoughts on “Zoella to Write Second Book Without a Ghostwriter”

  1. I think the majority of people care about the wrong things… including the life and times of celebrities… but also about who writes their stories. Granted, my sample size is small, as I tend not to read celebrity biographies… unless they have had a significant life event, most of their anecdotal stories are fairly unrelateable to my own life. I dunno… the only one I can think of that really struck me as authentic that I’ve read was Neil Peart’s story of escaping life after tragedy… which was ghost written. We (in the editorial sense) expect celebs to know-all and be-all… when society places someone that high up on the pedestal, there is only one way for them to fall. Personally, I think if someone has a story worth telling, and they know they’re not a writer, it shows a great deal of personal strength to seek help.

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    • First, I’m in no position to tell any other person what they should or shouldn’t care about. If one person wants to follow the comings and goings of celebrities, then so be it. If another person wants to care about hunger in America, my personal preference has nothing to do with theirs.

      Second, she’s not writing an autobiography.

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  3. I never read the first book. I assumed the book was about her life, so when I heard that she was getting backlash for using a ghostwriter, I thought people were being silly. Now that I know it is a fiction novel, it makes sense that people are upset. She is a Youtuber; and as an avid Youtube subscriber myself, it seems strange that she didn’t write it herself. YouTube has been a space where content such as Zoella’s is handcrafted by the creator not by a second-party. It is in that personlized creation of the video that the Youtuber and the subscriber are connected. So, I can see where some people feel a bit upset that she would use a ghost writer.
    I personally don’t think she needs to make up for this, but maybe this is a publicity stunt to get the second books sales up. This trend of youtubers publishing books has gotten more attention than I would have ever given it, granted there are some books by youtubers that I did and do want to buy.

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    • So because her channel is nothing but original content, that means she should somehow just be able to write a book? No. That’s a joke.

      Her first book sold 350,000 copies. Her second book is hung to sale, no matter who writes it.

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      • No, of course not. What I mean is that her fans, the ones who have been watching have built this relationship where the viewers have a connection to her. Mind you, most of Zoella’s viewership are under the age of 17 and majority female, so there is bound to be some hyperbole. I guess what I am saying is that when it comes to youtubers and publishing books, most are expecting a book written by the youtuber, about the youtuber. Grace Helbig did an advice book, Hanna Hart published a humorous cookbook, and Connor Franta published a book about his life. All of those books had a personal connection with the readers, whereas Zoella’s fan maybe feel that the book isn’t her as much as it is the ghostwriter. Maybe those fans who bought Zoella’s book were expecting a more personal touch to the book. Still, many people use ghostwriters and I wish her the best with the second book.

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      • We disagree. Completely. Her audience being naïve isn’t her problem. And her book has nothing to do with any other book written by any other YouTuber. YOUTUBERS ARE NOT AUTHORS. So to say that “most” people expect them to write their own books is like saying most people expect athletes to write their books. Or most people expect actors to write theirs. No.

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      • I agree with you on the fact that her ghostwriter should not be a problem, many celebrities have ghostwriters for their books. What I am saying is that youtube is a cultural phenomenon that is built on personalized content. The connection that the youtuber creates with the audience through their channel is a personal one, youtuber’s like Zoella have created this persona that shares almost everything with their viewers, from what projects their are doing down to the make-up they wear. I am not saying that because she is a youtuber that her book has to be written by her personally, but I am saying that maybe some of her viewers were expecting that from the book. When I heard she was coming out with a book, I automatically assumed that it was going to be about her life. From that assumption when I heard that she was getting flack about using a ghostwriter, I really didn’t see a problem with her using one. It was not till I read your piece that I even knew it was a fiction novel. that isn’t to say that because she used a ghostwriter that the book is any less her own. Again, I don’t see a problem with her using one, I just think that maybe some of her viewers were expecting something different.

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  4. Never heard of her. I’m all for people ditching their ghostwriters if they feel confident about their writing. Even if the book ends up tanking. Then I guess people will see just if she has any talent on her own. If they care about that kind of stuff.

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  5. You’re right she shouldn’t be singled out for criticism, the practice is so widespread. We have an ex-glamour model in the UK called Katie Price who spent years taking her clothes off for money and now ‘writes’ horse-related ficion for young girls-not sure how I feel about that one.
    Mixed feelings about celeb fiction in general- part of me sees attaching a big name to a product as a cynical way to cash in (but then publishers have to make money too, so why wouldn’t they). But all these famous people ARE keeping a lot of ghost writers in work. Maybe it’s frustrating/ unrewarding work, but I’m sure it pays the bills.

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