Podcast – Celebrity Picture Books
We tackle the touchy topic of celebrity picture books in today’s Picture Book Summit Roundtable discussion,
So, what’s the truth about celebrity picture books? Do celebrities get to cut the line when it comes to publishing? Are they held to a lower standard than lesser-known writers? Is it the celebrity’s fault or the editor’s fault when a celebrity picture book is poorly written? Do they help or hurt the industry?
We have the opportunity to hear what it’s like to be and/or work with a celebrity author as Emma Walton Hamilton shares her experience of writing with her mother, actress Julie Andrews. You might be surprised what it’s like on the flip side of the celebrity book coin.
Then we discuss the frustrations that come when hard-working picture book authors see yet another celebrity picture book author making their way to bookshelves and soaking up all the publicity dollars of their publisher.
There’s lots to say on both sides of the great celebrity picture book debate. Let’s jump right in!
Articles mentioned in this episode:
- The Guardian View on Celebrity Authors
- The Guardian: “It’s quite galling”: Children’s Authors Frustrated by Rise in Celebrity-Penned Titles
Listen here:
*Picture Book Summit may receive a small commission at no cost to you when books are purchased through the link above.
Elayne Crain
March 4, 2025 at 4:48 pmThese are always interesting, but this one was particularly so! I love that Emma shared her experience, too! 🙂
Audrey Ades
March 4, 2025 at 7:05 pmAn editor at one of the Big Five publishers told me that the agent of a celebrity once brought her a ziplock bag filled with slips of paper on which were written IDEAS for a “great pb.” The stated expectation was that the editor would pull it together into a book. I was astonished when she told me she called her staff and interns into her office, dumped the slips of paper in the bag onto a work table, and worked on it for about a month until it was a “great pb” by this celebrity. This was about 15 years ago. I hope that kind of thing doesn’t still happen.
Susan Burdorf
March 4, 2025 at 9:47 pmWhile I realize this podcast is to encourage discussion and thoughtful consideration of the topic, I have to admit that this one touched a chord with me – a bit of a jangly chord at that. I have long felt that celebrities get the fast pass when it comes to publishing, whether in PBs or other literature, and nothing will change my mind on that. At conferences I have heard agents actually say they live for the celebrity book they might one day publish because even if it bombs, they can say they did it and that they have that in their inventory and one agent even went so far as to say most celebrity books start as a novelty and then disappear into the woodwork (with a few exceptions they didn’t mention) but in the meantime they make money and have the book’s publication as part of their company’s reputation. I agree a good book is a good book no matter the author, and I hope some of those awful books you mentioned will have their author’s thinking twice about publishing again. without doing the homework. Thanks for a fun podcast.