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S1 07 Navigating the Celeb-Storm: Children's Fiction Unveiled with Abigail Horne

• Abigail Horne • Season 1 • Episode 7

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Welcome back, lovely listeners! It's Abigail Horne here, and I'm ready to dive into a slightly controversial but necessary discussion about the state of the children's fiction market. Buckle up for a candid exploration of the influence of celebrities on this literary landscape.

Summary:
In this episode, I dare to challenge the perception that the children's fiction market is saturated. While not denying the impact of celebrities, I explore how their influx has altered the industry dynamics. We journey through the evolving landscape, reminiscing about a time when diversity thrived, and emerging authors had ample opportunities. From the shift to prioritising immediate sales to the challenges faced by non-celebrity authors, we navigate the nuanced world of children's literature.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Quality Over Celebrity: The industry's focus has shifted from literary merit to commercial viability, impacting the diversity of voices in children's literature.
  2. Craft Engaging Stories: Aspiring authors, focus on crafting quality, original stories that resonate with young readers rather than relying on celebrity status.
  3. Build Your Platform: Leverage your online presence, engage with potential readers, and establish a platform to increase visibility and connect with your audience.
  4. Dedication Pays Off: While celebrity books garner attention, dedication, networking, and perseverance pave the way for success in children's literature.
  5. Explore Alternatives: Traditional publishing isn't the only path. Consider conducting readings, workshops, or exploring self-publishing options to bring your stories to young readers.

Remember, amidst the celebrity buzz, there's a thriving market eager for authentic voices and compelling stories. Keep writing, keep crafting, and your piece of the literary action awaits!

Authors & Co. Resources:

Abigail Horne:

Welcome back to my lovely listeners, today will be slightly more controversial, which I appreciate is not normally like me, maybe even a little bit uncomfortable in places, but it is definitely going to share with you the reality of the children's fiction market. So the marketplace for children isn't saturated. But in my opinion, it does showcase way too many celebrities these days there I said it, I'm not even sorry for saying it. The trend of celebrities becoming children's authors has gained some real momentum in recent years. So this is where well known figures from various fields, so actors, musicians influences have ventured into writing children's books. And while this trend can bring the tension and sales due to their fame, some people, myself included, would argue that it's had some real downsides on the industry. So before the rise of celebrity authored children's books, the marketplace for children's literature was more diverse. It featured a broader array of authors from various backgrounds, experiences and writing styles. And I feel like there was certainly much more of an opportunity for up and coming authors. Now, I'm not suggesting for one second that it was perfect. I think diversity and inclusion have certainly got a long way to go. But I've definitely noticed that the opportunities now are less. So if you haven't got this sort of celebrity status. What I will say is that the marketplace before did, you know primarily showcase well respected children's authors, people who'd earned that sort of recognition and credibility through the body of their work. And the authors that had built up their reputations by consistently delivering quality content for you know, those young readers over time. But that was the key right there. The focus was on authors that were producing quality, not necessarily authors that were just already known, because they were a face that we all know and love, say from the TV. So the industry placed a real strong emphasis on the literary quality and also on original storytelling. And authors were encouraged to explore creative narratives, unique characters, engaging plots, and all of those things sort of really resonated with young readers, publishers and literary agents actively sought out new and emerging talents. This sort of gave lots of opportunities for debut authors to showcase their writing and contribute like this fresh perspective to children's literature. The market wasn't saturated with books authored by celebs. Instead, the focus was on authors who had either earned their recognition within the industry sort of for their contribution to children's literature, as well as having some shelf space for fresh and up and coming authors. So what's happened then, in today's media, saturated world, celebrity culture, just as really heavily influenced consumer behaviour, so the industry started to hedge their bets that parents and guardians might be more inclined to purchase books authored by their favourite celebrities, assuming it will resonate with their children, publishers view books authored by celebrities as potentially lucrative due to their already built in fan base that they've got and their media attention that these personalities bring. So celebrity books do attract attention and generate substantial sales, which is very appealing from a commercial standpoint. And let's be honest, publishing is after all, a commercial business. So the industry sort of made this shift in focus from literally married to commercial viability. So this trend has led publishers to prioritise books that more ensure immediate sales, rather than emphasising sort of those diverse and authentic voices in children's literature. I know this can feel frustrating or even sad, but I just really wanted you to know why that traditional publishing deal sort of might not happen. The marketing machine behind celebrity authored books is substantial. Celebrities have large platforms through social media and mainstream media along with all the The sort of public appearances that they're making as well. And this allows them to promote their books extensively. So that's why they're reaching like a really wide audience. So none of this is personal to you. Although it can feel it, it's just business to the publishers. The media often gives significant coverage to celebrity authors, sort of creating that bores and interest around their books. And this heightened media attention can overshadow all the titles, so that does affect the visibility of non celebrity authors. However, some critics argue that the quality of celebrity authored children's books and just might be quite variable, while some celebrities might produce well crafted and engaging stories, or this might just be relying on their fame, instead of their writing ability. So this is potentially affecting the overall quality of children's literature. What I will say to maintain some fairness in this debate, that from what I have read, not all celebrity authored books lack quality, some celebrities genuinely invest real time and effort into creating meaningful and well crafted stories for children. Additionally, their involvement can potentially encourage reading and introduce new audiences to children's books just because they love this celebrity. But as a whole, the traditional publishing industry focus that has been on Celebrity authors will contribute to wonder representation of talented and diverse voices within children's literature. I am it's going to limit the range of perspectives and experiences available to young readers. And that just makes me feel so sad. But this is where you, my friend can make a difference. This trend might dominate the traditional publishing industry's attention, making it harder for emerging talents to gain that recognition. But whilst they are looking away, we hear our authors and go are looking right at you focus on the quality of your writing, and focus on the originality of your writing, I want you to craft engaging stories, create relatable characters, and develop those sort of compelling plots that are really going to resonate with your readers. I want you to get professional support to help you improve your craft. Because commentary on your stories is really, really helpful, as is continuous feedback. Establish an online presence through your website, social media, or maybe a blog that you've got, and dedicated to your writing journey. I want you to engage with potential readers and build a platform that's going to help you increase your visibility. You don't need to be a celebrity to gain funds. I offer to conduct readings or workshops that maybe libraries or schools or community events, because by connecting directly with young readers, that is going to help you build that fan base and establish a rapport with your audience. Because while celebrity authored books might receive considerable attention, I'm telling you now that dedication to your craft, networking perseverance, and leveraging all the opportunities available to you can still pave the way for success for you within children's literature. So I want you to keep an open mind. While a traditional publishing deal may not be on the table for you at the moment, you still do have several options to write and publish your book at your fingertips. So right now, what I would say is I'd be more focused on being the best writer you can be and the best storyteller you can be. And the rest of the publishing part that can always let me just give you some figures, just shy of 251 million children's books were sold last year, that's in the USA alone. 250.7 6 million books to be exact. In the UK, children's book sales generated 429 million pounds. So this marketplace is booming. Again, even look at how much I contributed towards that figure buying books for my kids. So one thing's for sure. As parents, we are still buying books for our children, whether there is a cost of living crisis or not. Now your piece of that action is ready and waiting. It can be yours for the taking whenever you're ready. And the good news, the area of publishing crying out for you right now for great stories is chapter books.

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Abigail Horne

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