I’m a children’s writer – and celebrity children’s books undervalue my craft
- Written by Penni Russon, Senior Lecturer, School of Communication, Monash University
I have been an editor and author of children’s and young adult books for over 20 years. I’ve taught writing for children and young adult fiction to hardworking and serious emerging writers since 2010.
So yes, it yanks my chain when I read that Keira Knightley has written and illustrated a “modern classic”: a children’s picture book called I Love You Just the Same, scheduled for publication next year. And of course, that Jamie Oliver pulled his children’s book last week, apologising (along with his publisher, Penguin Random House UK), for falling short when it comes to Indigenous representation. They join the likes of Madonna, Meghan Markle, Jimmy Barnes, Keith Richards and more.
Celebrity writers who are signed for their name-brand sales appeal aren’t gently pushing aesthetic boundaries, like the picture books of Margaret Wild, Shaun Tan or Heidi McKinnon.
They don’t draw their readers into immersive visual worlds, like Lisa Kennedy, Bob Graham, Remy Lai, or Jeannie Baker. They don’t look into the hearts of ordinary contemporary kids with empathy and wisdom, like Nova Weetman or Rebecca Lim.
I have gone to countless high schools and primary schools to talk about writing. Many children didn’t know they had read one of my books until I showed them the covers. That’s because most kids don’t really care who wrote the book: what sticks is a character’s odd name, an image, or a general vibe. (Just look at reddit’s r/whatsthatbook thread.)
Why, then, do publishers love a celebrity children’s author? The entire publishing industry is based on hunches – calculated ones, but still essentially hunches. At least a celebrity name is a measurable data point – if not for the children, then for the algorithm, and the parents and grandparents buying the books.
Who actually writes celebrity children’s books?
According to Jamie Oliver, his middle-grade adventure series began as bedtime stories he told to his kids. In order to keep track of the narrative, he recorded himself. One imagines (but can’t know) that these recordings have been transcribed and edited or rewritten.
Very rarely, a coauthor will be listed. Bill Shapiro, a journalist and former editor of LIFE magazine, helped author Keith Richards’ biographical picture book, Gus and Me, though weirdly, Bill Shapiro is not a children’s author either.
If celebrity children’s books are being marketed on their names, then shouldn’t publishers be more transparent about who is writing and editing these books? This seems especially important in light of generative AI, where trust can be easily eroded.
Australian comedians and children’s publishing
It’s worth pointing out that most celebrity children’s authors in Australia are comedians. They have been writing for their whole careers. They know how to engage an audience or create a compelling character.
A picture book, as my colleague Denise Chapman, a poet and children’s literature expert, said to me last week, is both page and stage. Children’s books are often also a performance, an event, a reading experience.
Tristan Bancks.
Penguin Random House Australia
There can be a blurry line between celebrity author and multi-talented artist. Tristan Bancks, for example, is a collegial and hardworking author who some of us might remember as Tug from Home and Away. He makes energetic book trailers, while also channelling Tug’s brooding energy into books like the award-winning Scar Town.
Pig the Pug and The Bad Guys author Aaron Blabey was an actor too – he was the titular character in one of my favourite television shows ever, The Damnation of Harvey McHugh.
Who pays?
When you publish a book in Australia, you fill out an author questionnaire for your publisher. It asks for a list of your contacts and networks. Who will write an endorsement? Who will feature your book in the media? Many debut authors feel they’ve failed before they’ve even begun, as they leave these sections blank.
The marketing budget of a book is a percentage of the expected revenue. Higher advances are based on projected sales. While celebrities might bring higher sales because of their cultural capital, publishers still redirect resources to support these celebrities and promote their books.
The average advance in children’s books is A$4,300, with many picture book authors receiving a lot less.
If your picture book advance is $1,000, publicity and marketing might be limited to listing your book in the publisher’s catalogue and sending out a few review copies. The authors who need the most support when it comes to marketing are probably going to get the least.
Every celebrity children’s book under the Christmas tree is a missed opportunity to connect readers with writers. And I think this doesn’t just sell children’s writers and illustrators short. It undervalues children as readers as well.
Authors: Penni Russon, Senior Lecturer, School of Communication, Monash University 
