Why influencer publishing is bad for the book industry

Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login The slow creep of influencer publishing – the rise of social media stars being handed fat advances and big marketing budgets for memoirs, self-help books and novels – is accelerating. Since the late 2010s, bestseller lists have been riddled with social media-famous-first personalities, from Chidera Eggerue’s What a Time to Be Alone to Florence Given’s Girlcrush to Stacey Solomon’s Tap to Tidy .

Major publishers such as Penguin and Hachette now have dedicated influencer programs, giving select TikTok book reviewers early access to proofs and working with them directly on promotion; literary agencies have been created to cater to influencer authors. New Statesman Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.

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