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My reflective, dismissive answer is “because it was fashionable”. But that’s not a good or satisfying answer. Today we see a lot of celebrities write children’

My reflective, dismissive answer is “because it was fashionable”. But that’s not a good or satisfying answer. Today we see a lot of celebrities write children’s books even though they have no real pedigree to do so. Maybe they think it’s easier than “a real book”? Or maybe they think it’ll actually get read? Or maybe it holds a different level of street credibility? Or does it feel like a way to influence a generation? Which makes me circle back and ask, why children’s books?

illwrks 2y ago
I imagine the celebs are likely being paid for their name and that’s about it. I would question if the book is actually good, or if it only has a market because of the association with them. To your closing question, new parents are biased to their own experience and media consumption habits, if a celebrity or influencer has enough of a following then there’s likely a person with a produce to sell looking to have a partnership with them for that exposure. Imagine all the kids growing up online in the past 8 years, they will have kids in 15-20 years, imagine Mr Beast or PewDiePie promoting his own kids books in 15 years to their markets.
amiga386 2y ago
I think it's that 1) the cost of entry is minimal 2) should it become a hit, the rewards are great and 3) already being a person of renown means you'll be allowed to try. Your competitors (unknown illustrators and writers) are kept out by the book industry unless their work speaks for itself. There are a lot of children in the world, and they like books, and their parents buy a lot of them. Children like both novelty (so new market entrants always have a chance) and familiarity (so if your book is a hit, it'll sell continuously for years and there'll be demands for sequels, TV series, live action film, toys, etc) Have you ever wondered why celebrities also launch perfumes, clothing lines, pasta sauces, actresses launch a singing career and vice-versa? The celebrity has run a gauntlet of vying for attention and has already won; having some iota of Star Power, they can command some attention and persuade the public to buy some things. That is lucrative and thats what marketers are looking for. It reminds me of an old article that was a step-by-step guide to a career as a voiceover artist. Step 1 was "become a celebrity with a distinctive voice (admittedly this is the hard part)", step 2 was "accept the offers and turn up at the recording studio, make sure there's plenty of room in your wallet"

illwrks 2y ago

I imagine the celebs are likely being paid for their name and that’s about it. I would question if the book is actually good, or if it only has a market because of the association with them. To your closing question, new parents are biased to their own experience and media consumption habits, if a celebrity or influencer has enough of a following then there’s likely a person with a produce to sell looking to have a partnership with them for that exposure. Imagine all the kids growing up online in the past 8 years, they will have kids in 15-20 years, imagine Mr Beast or PewDiePie promoting his own kids books in 15 years to their markets.

amiga386 2y ago

I think it's that 1) the cost of entry is minimal 2) should it become a hit, the rewards are great and 3) already being a person of renown means you'll be allowed to try. Your competitors (unknown illustrators and writers) are kept out by the book industry unless their work speaks for itself. There are a lot of children in the world, and they like books, and their parents buy a lot of them. Children like both novelty (so new market entrants always have a chance) and familiarity (so if your book is a hit, it'll sell continuously for years and there'll be demands for sequels, TV series, live action film, toys, etc) Have you ever wondered why celebrities also launch perfumes, clothing lines, pasta sauces, actresses launch a singing career and vice-versa? The celebrity has run a gauntlet of vying for attention and has already won; having some iota of Star Power, they can command some attention and persuade the public to buy some things. That is lucrative and thats what marketers are looking for. It reminds me of an old article that was a step-by-step guide to a career as a voiceover artist. Step 1 was "become a celebrity with a distinctive voice (admittedly this is the hard part)", step 2 was "accept the offers and turn up at the recording studio, make sure there's plenty of room in your wallet"