NYT article: "Millions of Followers? For Book Sales, ‘It’s Unreliable.’"

[hungryboson]

The New York Times has an article about the correlation (or lack of thereof) between social-media followers and book sales. It's mostly about celebrities, but still quite illuminating.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/07/books/social-media-following-book-publishing.html

[R. C.]

The New York Times has an article about the correlation (or lack of thereof) between social-media followers and book sales. It's mostly about celebrities, but still quite illuminating.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/07/books/social-media-following-book-publishing.html

The TikTok aspect is quiet interesting. Traditional ADs on TikTok are a non-starter. A TikTok star crying about your book, sign me up.

R.C.

[Crystal]

I read a C-list celebrity's book a ways back. It was not a good book and, even though the person was pretty popular with their fans, the book didn't seem to sell too well. I'm sure it sold better than many debuts, but, for the most part, fans want what they expect from someone. They want music from a musician. They want movie roles from an actor. They want social media drama from a reality star.

They don't want books from those people.

[Anarchist]

The New York Times has an article about the correlation (or lack of thereof) between social-media followers and book sales. It's mostly about celebrities, but still quite illuminating.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/07/books/social-media-following-book-publishing.html

I didn't read the article because it's behind a paywall.

That said, "number of followers" on any social platform is a vanity metric.

For chuckles...

https://www.insider.com/instagrammer-arii-2-million-followers-cannot-sell-36-t-shirts-2019-5

[R. C.]

...

I didn't read the article because it's behind a paywall.

...

Copy the link and open it in an Incognito Window.

R.C.

[Lorri Moulton]

Social media is like any other marketing funnel.  Lots of names don't do much unless you can convert them.

[LilyBLily]

It's a decent article. Lots of celebrity books tank and yet the publishers continue to contract them and hand out huge advances. I think the publishers like to have the names on their lists and don't mind taking a bath on these types of titles. They're never sure when they might have a runaway bestseller, such as Howard Stern's first book. People who do not read books flocked to bookstores for that one, and everybody made money. Basically, publishers are gamblers who know they'll lose more often than they'll win. They hope for a big score --and sometimes get one.
 

[Eric Thomson]

It's a decent article. Lots of celebrity books tank and yet the publishers continue to contract them and hand out huge advances. I think the publishers like to have the names on their lists and don't mind taking a bath on these types of titles. They're never sure when they might have a runaway bestseller, such as Howard Stern's first book. People who do not read books flocked to bookstores for that one, and everybody made money. Basically, publishers are gamblers who know they'll lose more often than they'll win. They hope for a big score --and sometimes get one.

Then, there's the alternate theory that celebrity book deals are money laundering schemes, a way of funneling bribes and payoffs. But hey, call me a former CPA with audit chops who suspects most CFOs of being crooks.

[Paul Gr]

The only book by a 'celeb' that I can think of is 'The Bench' by Meghan Markel
(I refuse to use her title, she should give it up instead of using it to further her political ambitions, and meddling in American politics.)
As I recall, it was criticised for its bad grammar and poor targeting, i.e. not suitable for its audience.
Did it sell?
I have no idea.
 

[PJ Post]

As a rule, people tend to conflate "followers" with True Fans^TM. If you're product is visibility and you're selling ads, it doesn't matter. If you're selling anything else, it does.  Social media allows companies/us to reach/find/engage with our fans/users/readers/supporters and to remain relevant (market awareness/penetration) between releases, but it's important to note that not every "follower" is a fan. Some people just liked the recipe we posted that time. And, as Crystal noted, liking Ryan Reynolds' movies doesn't mean we plan on buying his Gin - and vice versa.

Celebrity authors are not new to publishing. Some succeed wildly, others fail miserably - just like everything else. It's also important to understand that these books can be both a product and a strategic marketing play - for the publishers and/or the author. Many political books fall into this latter category.

[angela]

I've been listening to some screenwriter podcasts, and they have an interesting perspective.

Nobody wants to get fired or blamed when a movie fails to make a profit. If they can point to some sort of numbers as evidence it wasn't a bone-brained idea, it covers their ass. They just need numbers to point at. They don't really believe it's going to guarantee anything. I'm sure they expect to lose cash on 9 out of 10 projects, but as long as the 9 duds all came with some sort of numbers, the executive (or acquiring editor in the publisher's case) can blame other factors like bad timing and not their judgement.

So, they're not dumb. They expect 90% of projects to lose money. They're just covering ass with numbers to not get fired.

This also explains a phenomenon some of us have witnessed -- where an unknown screenwriter or in-between wants to partner with indie authors on some screenplay endeavour. The screenwriter wants to use the book's sales numbers to help leverage the material into getting optioned. Sounds like, right now, nobody wants to take on spec scripts that are wholly original and new without numbers from a graphic novel, book, blog, anything.

It's nice, actually, that we indie authors have something of value with our sales. A screenplay based on our books is of much higher value than a screenplay based on no IP. Use that as you will.

[JRTomlin]

The only book by a 'celeb' that I can think of is 'The Bench' by Meghan Markel
(I refuse to use her title, she should give it up instead of using it to further her political ambitions, and meddling in American politics.)
As I recall, it was criticised for its bad grammar and poor targeting, i.e. not suitable for its audience.
Did it sell?
I have no idea.

She is an American who has every right to 'meddle' in American politics.

Personally, I have no idea what her take on American politics is because I ignore celebrities' opinions, but she certainly has a right to take part. As for their titles, that is up to the British. She has it because her husband still has his title.

[Paul Gr]

To clarify, in case I didn't make myself clear, she has no right to use her title to further her political ambitions in America.
As an American citizen, of course she has this right.
No member of British royalty has the right to become involved in British politics, so she has no right to use her title to become involved in American politics.