Sunday 7 December 2014

Zoella Ghostwriter: The Girl Behind The 'Girl Online'

I'm sure all of you know Zoella, I'm also sure nearly all of you have heard of the success of her new book but what many people don't know- and until today neither did I- is that her book was actually ghost-written.

First and fore-mostly, I feel like I need to say this before the little zoe-minions call me jealous and what-not, but I am one million percent not an ounce jealous of Zoella or of her success. I think what she has done is incredible and I'm all for girl power, so knowing a girl has the amount of power and influence she has, is crazy! Yet, the news that she didn't pen her story herself has really disappointed me and here I will explain why.

Zoella, or Zoe Sugg, isn't the first person to use a ghost writer, yet it bugs me that she claimed to have been working on the book for a couple of years- Working on what? You didn't write it? And while she insists she invented the characters and story line, I can't help but think that, anyone with a basic grasp of English (or a shot of Vodka) can do that. I used to write little stories in scrap books when I was a child, but that didn't make me an author. 

I also feel like Sugg has been a little sly in that, unlike Katie Price, she didn't openly say she used ghost writers. She lead her viewers on, into believing not only did she write it but that she put a lot of hard work into it, without ever mentioning or praising the true writers behind her novel.

What makes this really disappointing is that her book is the fastest selling in history since records began, beating women like J.K.Rowling who really worked for her novel to sell the amount of copies it did. How is that fair on amazing authors who don't have fame and an abundance of followers, who will buy any product with their name slapped on it, but deserve it so much more?

It also demotivates us writers who put 110% into our work but feel like 'what's the point', if someone else who's famous can just emblazon their name across it whilst putting little talent into it, and it sell a record breaking number of copies just because of the amount of followers they have on the internet. 

Books should be about how well an author writes, not a popularity contest. 

Finally, I feel sorry for her fans, who invested both their time and money into this product, to only find out it isn't really from her.

I'm Sorry if this opinion post was a little negative! What do you guys think?

Love O
x

10 comments:

  1. I was a little disappointed when I heard she didn't write it. I feel bad for her fans who really like her.
    It seems a bit cheeky to say you wrote it when you didn't.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love your honesty and in fact am following you now ;)

    I agree that it is so misleading to not be open about a ghost writer and it just seems to take the whole success away. If she had made up the characters and plot surely she could have gone the extra mile and put them together.

    Most honest review I have seen of this yet x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aww really?! Thanks! That's so nice :3 Yeah thats exactly what I thought! Thanks so much! >.<

      Delete
  3. I completely agree with you! Especially since she started out as a blogger, someone who essentially writes for fun and for a career! I was more than a little disheartened by this news :/

    shynature.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly, it's so unfair on the people who have followed her for years!

      Delete
  4. I have never liked the idea people using of "ghostwriters", whether it's ghostwritten speeches given by politicians (including U.S. Presidents), papers, books, or anything else. It's not honest. The R+B pop band 'Milli Vanilli' lost their Grammy award after it was revealed it was not their own voices on the album. People don't like it when artwork is revealed to be a counterfeit even if the artwork is well done. Why would anyone think it's okay to act like someone else's writing is their own, and why wouldn't those who paid for it feel like they've bought a counterfeit? I know Zoella has a lot of fans and has been hurt by comment trolls, and O sympathise with her completely with respect to that situation, but to me it seems that having a book ghostwritten and not being up front about it hurts her reputation much more than the hateful comment trolls do.

    http://www.full-brief-panties.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great post, and I understand your frustrations! I've taken a slightly different view of events over on my blog, if you wanted to head over and take a look and let me know what you think that would be hugely appreciated! Whilst our opinions differ it's refreshing that you've written your post tactfully and not resorted to quite frankly, name-calling, which I've seen on so many blogs it's unreal today!

    http://illuminoire.blogspot.com
    Cheri xox

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw thanks! I sure will!! Yeah I actually like the girl, I think she's lovely (from what I've seen) and I'm clever enough to be able to express myself without the need to swear! :)
      xo

      Delete