72 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ OCTOBER 14, 2019
Soapbox
“Some wanna-be authors are using the acquisitions process to snow us, to dupe us, to
basically make a mockery out of what publishing stands for—content.” —Michele MatriscianiWhat’s an Influencer
Worth?
Two editors turned ghostwriters ask what
social media stars bring to publishingBy Julie McCarron and Michele
Matrisciani(1.2 million followers). She breezed in late and sold 10 books.
So how about it, agents and editors? I know a lot of fascinating
people with stories to share—well-written ones, too. They just
don’t have a lot of Instagram followers. Want to see?
—Julie McCarronI worked at several major publishing houses before going free-
lance. These days I am on the outside looking in, but there’s one
thing I know for sure: no one knows what will be a hit (or a
miss). No one. Ever. If there was a surefire formula, we’d all
follow it.R
emember when reality show stars were the influencers
of the day? We were swept away. We became reactive.
We sat at editorial meetings scratching our heads,
figuring if Donald Trump deemed this 20-something “the best”
and a “winner,” surely a book deal is in order. (Oh, the irony.)
This latest story about two millennial influencers and their
book deal reminds me of that hype. Except now I’m overpro-
tective. Some wanna-be authors are using the acquisitions
process to snow us, to dupe us, to basically make a mockery out
of what publishing stands for—content. Is this what they mean
by influence?
I was a journalism major who turned to trade nonfiction
acquisitions and then became a writer because I want to support
and shepherd those who have something valuable to say, a dis-
covery to teach, or a perspective to share. With yet another news
story about an author imposter—whoops, I mean influencer—
my ideals were given a giant middle finger.
With followers prompting publishers to green-light book
proposals, it is no wonder that such people are led to believe
that the “gatekeepers” place value on image more than content.
Do we come off Insta-desperate?
Yes, a marketing infrastructure must be in place (platform).
But can we not make hashtag tedium the default setting? This
plays right into the belief—unfounded—that followers equal
sales. And I believe the wrong message is perpetuated by the
size of these advances. Offers so obscenely huge act as billboards
for style over substance, as if to say, “We pay a lot for very little
word count.”
Consider asking, “What kind of message do we send by
acquiring this title at this time for this amount of money?” Only
then can the publishing industry lead by example the true
nature of influence. —Michele MatriscianiA mini-scandal lit up Twitter last month when the Cut featured
a tell-all essay by 27-year-old writer Natalie Beach. In the piece,
Beach exposes her seven-year relationship with her friend
Caroline Calloway, who scored an agent and a reputed $375,000
book deal for her memoir. Beach, who ghostwrote the book, says
her former bestie bought Instagram followers after being told
by literary professionals that “no one would buy a memoir from
a girl with no claim to fame and no fan base.”P
latform has always been key when putting together a
nonfiction book proposal. But back in the not-so-very-
distant past—a mere dozen years ago!—publishers were
throwing six figures and two-book deals at anyone who had a
half-decent story and a clip in the local newspaper. These days,
a huge following on social media, particularly Instagram, is a
must for a book deal.
The moment agents or editors hear an author has a small fol-
lowing or no following, it’s over. Yes, there are exceptions. Still,
worthy authors are overlooked every day—in favor of a young
woman with a photo of macarons that went viral? Now her
friend the ghostwriter has CAA shopping rights to her story?
Which era is crazier?
The Kardashian/Jenner sisters have 500 million followers. So
how come fewer than 500,000 viewers (18–49) tuned in to the
latest episode of their show? Kim Kardashian’s book of selfies
sold fewer than 40,000 copies, according to BookScan—yet she
remains a powerful influencer. When are publishers going to
concede that number of followers (fake or not) is only one key
to book sales?
Naturally, some influencers produce books that are megabest-
sellers (usually with a lot of help). That is because they deserve
a wide audience for whatever message they are sending. Ariana
Grande, who has one of the biggest social media followings in the
world, should get a huge deal... because she’s an incredible singer
with a fantastic story to tell—not because of her follower count!
Recently, at a trendy store in Los Angeles, I attended a well-
publicized book signing by the latest Bachelorette contestantJulie McCarron has collaborated on more than two dozen books and has four
New York Times bestsellers to her credit. She lives in Los Angeles and
specializes in celebrity memoirs. Michele Matrisciani is an editorial special-
ist at Bookchic and the coauthor of Whole: How I Filled the Fragments
of My Life with Forgiveness, Hope, Strength, and Creativity.