Celebrity autobiographies will remain profitable
7th July 2010
Celebrity memoirs are still economically viable despite the fact that certain non-fiction genres are 'no longer profitable'.
According to Tim Hely Hutchinson, chief executive of publishing house Hatchette UK, some non-fiction books are failing because people are getting their information from other sources.
Speaking to The Bookseller, Hutchinson said that the exception to the rule was the celebrity autobiography, as long as the person concerned 'has a real following and a strong story to tell'.
He claimed that despite a recent sales slump there was no negative trend in the autobiography sector.
'As always, the book must be the best of its type and then people will want to read it. The steep fall in autobiography in 2009 and early 2010 was all to do with what the industry was offering the public,' he added.
A number of celebrity authors have come under fire recently for being desperate to maintain their fame, including Katie Price - aka Jordan - and also feminist philosopher Germaine Greer.