Zoe Sugg aka Zoella, a 24-year-old internet celebrity, has taken a steady seat in current media with the revelation that her debut novel was ghostwritten.
Sugg led her followers to expect Girl Online to be the YouTuber’s own work. Sugg’s genuine approach to vlogging meant that fans did not question her integrity in writing Girl Online. However, shortly after publication, suspicions led to a Penguin spokesperson stating, “to be factually accurate you would need to say Zoe Sugg did not write the book Girl Online on her own”. It is typical for a writer to have editors check storyline, consistency and grammar but not so much input that a statement like this would be relevant.
Zoella’s confession came in the form of, “everyone needs help when they try something new… the story and the characters of Girl Online are mine”. Nobody doubts her need for help, what they do doubt is the way that help was given. Purely creating characters and a plot do not serve as a finished novel. There is a discipline to crafting and completing a work of fiction. Any novelist, I assume, would feel a great sense of upset having their labours made light of. Sugg’s desire to create is admirable. I wouldn’t want to stop anyone from imagining worlds beyond his or her own. However, if you want your creations to take the form of a book, don’t take all the credit if you didn’t contribute the initial 80,000 words it would take. In the five-month-old vlog, Zoella used to announce her plan to publish, she says, “I would love to have something that I have done myself” followed by the mention of an editor and an editorial consultant. But the overall message is not the one being told now.
Some celebrities have started to step out in support of Zoella with the mentality that ghostwriting is not a new practise. Katie Price tweeted, “Dont worry @ZozeeBo when others criticise u it means ur doing OK!” Known for her own use of a ghostwriter, some have compared Zoella to Price with the intent of dissuading fierce protests against the YouTuber. The difference between the two is that Price spoke openly of her ghostwriter whereas Zoella did not. However, what is most concerning about Sugg’s decision to publish this way is the influence she has over young teenagers, who are the predominant subscribers to her channel. Kids who dream of becoming just like her are painted a false and unattainable image. The way Zoella promotes herself, as a novelist, sets another pressure on youngsters to perform beyond the actual deeds of their idol.
Looking past Zoella and toward her publisher, it is quite clear why any publishing corporation would want to print under a brand like Zoella. Guaranteed sales sell publishing deals. With Zoella’s 6.5 million-plus subscribers, it’s simple maths – the publisher makes a profit and the public get to read a good book. So it is probable that Penguin approached Sugg with a likely option of getting a book published one way or no way. A blog post, by the actual ghostwriter of Girl Online, Siobhan Curham, stated, “I did have some issues with how the project was managed. Issues which I expressed on more than one occasion.” http://daretodreamcoaching.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/girl-online-for-record_10.html Can we assume that Zoella was perhaps not in the most suitable of hands? Either way, Sugg wasn’t about to turn down a book deal with the world’s largest publisher, Penguin Random House. Even if it does constitute a lie.