Justin Bieber-author

elindsen · Aug 2, 2010

I just saw a news report that said Justin Bieber was signed by HarperCollins to pen his memoir. This begs the question why are so many real authors turned down for this crap?

BenPanced · Aug 2, 2010

Well, if it means another ghostwriter's getting a decent gig, I say go for it.

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 2, 2010

elindson said:
This begs the question why are so many real authors turned down for this crap?

Actually, the question it begs is, what has a 16 year old done that deserves a memoir?

"This year, I became famous.

The end"

Celia Cyanide · Aug 2, 2010

Shadow_Ferret said:
Actually, the question it begs is, what has a 16 year old done that deserves a memoir?

"This year, I became famous.

The end"

I agree. I don't think you have to be a "real writer" to write an interesting memoir, or even have one ghost written. But I don't know what this kid has done that's supposed to make his life so interesting.

He doesn't even have enough material for a decent Behind The Music special yet.

kaitiepaige17 · Aug 2, 2010

Stuff like this pisses me off like nothing else. While us REAL writers are out killing ourselves trying to write something good enough to be publishable, celebrities are handed book deals left and right just because they're famous. And worst of all, they never do anything worth reading about. They need to stick to their day jobs and let us writers do the writing.

katiemac · Aug 2, 2010

The money this book makes in sales is going to help provide opportunities for other writers who publish with HarperCollins. And yes, not to mention the ghostwriter/freelance writer whose career this is helping.

DeadlyAccurate · Aug 2, 2010

EvilWylie is tweeting the Bieber memoir as Bieber's ghostwriter.
http://twitter.com/EvilWylie

(For those who don't get the joke, EvilWylie is a fake Twitter account for lit. agent, Andrew Wylie).

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 2, 2010

kaitiepaige17 said:
Stuff like this pisses me off like nothing else. While us REAL writers are out killing ourselves trying to write something good enough to be publishable, celebrities are handed book deals left and right just because they're famous. And worst of all, they never do anything worth reading about. They need to stick to their day jobs and let us writers do the writing.

He's not going to write it, a ghostwriter is. A REAL writer. Like us.

And I agree with katiemac about it providing opportunities.

Celia Cyanide said:
He doesn't even have enough material for a decent Behind The Music special yet.

Stay tuned for a special 5 minute episode of Behind the Music: Justin Beiber, just a zit on the face of music.

Darzian · Aug 2, 2010

Maybe he wants it out before his voice changes............

I don't really care about celebrities getting writers to write biographies (as Katie said, it's better for the rest of us) but this is just ridiculous. Autubio at 16?

And it's probably going to sell millions.

aadams73 · Aug 2, 2010

M.R.J. Le Blanc · Aug 2, 2010

This is just typical milk-the-cow-for-all-its-worth stuff. His people are banking on his popularity, not the fact that he's done anything significant to actually merit an autobio. Don't get me wrong, it was kind of impressive how he managed to build a popularity on YT the way he did, but that autobio isn't going to contain anything that'll make non-fans want to pick up that book. NKOTB had dolls. Justin Bieber has a bio at 16. Eventually he'll fade and people will move on.

scarletpeaches · Aug 2, 2010

aadams73 said:
Who?

Thank God someone else said it. I was beginning to feel old.

I'd never even heard of this Beebop or whoever he is until a few months ago. He was in a magazine for...something.

What does he do?

Kateness · Aug 2, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHVhwcOg6y8&feature=avmsc2

That is the song that made him famous.

Maxinquaye · Aug 2, 2010

I feel old. I actually had to google his name

katiemac · Aug 2, 2010

He's a singer. His career aside, it's dismissive that just because he's sixteen he can't have a memoir. I don't know the details of his career, but sixteen-year-olds can be just as accomplished, if not more so, than adults.

Besides, the audience likely to read this book may go on to read more memoirs and autobiographies. And what's wrong with teens wanting to read about someone who is successful, but also their age?

Maxinquaye · Aug 2, 2010

The little I've read about him seems decent enough. So, he's this kid that makes himself famous on the internet, and then has the music industry falling over him? And he did it when he was fifteen?

Don't really care for his music. But what if he had written a blog, gotten famous on the internets, and then had the big publishers clamoring to publish his texts?

I say good luck to him, and well done. Wish I'd been that ambitious when I was that age.

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 2, 2010

Accomplished? Maybe. But experienced? I'm thinking a Justin Beiber memoir would be a pamphlet compared to a memoir by say, Elton John or Paul McCartney.

And I have no issue with it selling or that his readers might go on to buy more books.

rhymegirl · Aug 2, 2010

Shadow_Ferret said:
Actually, the question it begs is, what has a 16 year old done that deserves a memoir?

"This year, I became famous.

The end"

Ha ha! That is great. I love that.

And I agree with you. As soon as I saw the word "memoir" I laughed, thinking, he's not old enough to write a memoir.

scarletpeaches · Aug 2, 2010

I remember when Stephen Hendry got red-booked for This is Your Life at the age of twenty-one. His reaction was, "But I haven't done anything!"

Um, yeah...he was world champion of his chosen sport at the time.

That's humility.

M.R.J. Le Blanc · Aug 2, 2010

katiemac said:
He's a singer. His career aside, it's dismissive that just because he's sixteen he can't have a memoir. I don't know the details of his career, but sixteen-year-olds can be just as accomplished, if not more so, than adults.

True, but the point is whether this kid has done anything aside from being an overnight sensation that would be worth reading about. Fans aside, as fans will read anything that's got their favourite celebrity's name on it (I know I did at tween/teen age). I don't think his career's even a year old yet.

DeadlyAccurate · Aug 2, 2010

rhymegirl said:
Ha ha! That is great. I love that.

And I agree with you. As soon as I saw the word "memoir" I laughed, thinking, he's not old enough to write a memoir.

My favorite quote from the comments section of a news site: "Unless he’s writing about past lives – I don’t think this is going to be more than 5 pages and a lot of crayon drawings."

The first time I heard of the kid was an article describing a rioting mob of teenage girls at a mall where he was to appear. His manager was arrested for not canceling the event.

stormie · Aug 2, 2010

It'd sell well if the memoir were written for the MG or early YA crowd of course.

And with lots of photos of him.

So the ghostwriter would only have to pen about 20,000 words since most of the book would be pics.

Sophia · Aug 2, 2010

It's a sensible business decision. Variations of his name, both good and bad, are regularly trending topics on Twitter. He's hugely popular, and the memoir is pretty much guaranteed to sell well. The ghost author benefits, the publisher benefits, and all his fans who want more from him, benefit.

I bought his song Baby. His music is catchy, and likeable.

Even for over-the-hill 35-year-olds like me!

DeadlyAccurate beat me to the EvilWylie feed mention - it's the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread title.

Celia Cyanide · Aug 2, 2010

kaitiepaige17 said:
Stuff like this pisses me off like nothing else. While us REAL writers are out killing ourselves trying to write something good enough to be publishable, celebrities are handed book deals left and right just because they're famous. And worst of all, they never do anything worth reading about. They need to stick to their day jobs and let us writers do the writing.

They never do anything worth reading about???

Obviously many people disagree with you. People DO want to read about them, or they wouldn't be getting book deals. It's as simple as that.

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 2, 2010

stormie said:
It'd sell well if the memoir were written for the MG or early YA crowd of course.

And with lots of photos of him.

So the ghostwriter would only have to pen about 20,000 words since most of the book would be pics.

Scholastic puts out those kind. Yes, I can see something along those lines selling very well. Something with minimal words outside of facts like birthdate, home town, favorite color, and such.

"Beiber's favorite color is blue because it reminds him of his childhood just last week."

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