What do Kathie Lee Gifford, Madonna and the Queen of Jordan have in common?
Give up? They are "authors". Notice the quotation marks? That's because it's hard to categorize them as "real" authors. I am really tired of celebrities getting book deals to write children’s books when there are so many talented, "real" writers out there waiting to be discovered. I find it hard to believe that the celebrity's books are not written by ghostwriters anyway.
And, is it fair that the public libraries use our tax dollars to buy inferior books by Madonna and other pseudo writers? I would rather expose my children to the work of conscientious authors who take their writing seriously. I'm waiting for The Paris Hilton series. That's going to be my favorite. I can’t wait until the main character gets her first hangover, her first rehab stint, and, of course, her first reality TV show. I wonder how many of Have these celebrities always dreamed of writing a book? How many have taken writing courses? Or slaved over their manuscripts, only to be turned away by agents and publishers because their names were not already recognizable?
Here's the list that makes me cringe: Peter Yarrow, Holly Robinson Peete, Henry Winkler, Bernadette Peters, Tim McGraw, Whoopi Goldberg, Judy Collins, Julie Andrews, Jamie Lee Curtis, Carl Reiner, Payton Manning, Julianne Moore, Brooke Shields, Sarah Ferguson, Jerry Seinfeld, John Travolta, Gloria Estefan, Dionne Warwick, Ray Romano, Billy Crystal and Joy Behar - to mention a few!
It’s sad that there are many aspiring authors who can actually write and will never be given the opportunities because they have never acted in a sitcom or performed at a comedy club. I would give up my favorite pen, my laptop and even my new blue fairy wings to be a guest on Ellen's show or Oprah's. But, I guess no one ever said life was fair.
Bobbie Hinman
http://bestfairybooks.coom
