The UK's fastest selling hardback of 2014 was written by a YouTuber
YouTube is no longer just a place to get your fill of #fail compilations and cat videos; the service has become big business for indie content creators. In the UK, they don't come any bigger than Zoe Sugg, aka Zoella, who has amassed over 9 million subscribers across her two YouTube channels. Over the past five years, the 24-year-old has posted video blogs (vlogs) offering beauty tips and advice on issues such as cyber-bullying and anxiety, and recently used those experiences to launch her first novel: Girl Online. Billed as "a modern day Notting Hill for teens," the book only went on sale on November 25th, but it's already become the UK's biggest-selling debut novel ever.
Girl Online sold 78,109 copies last week according to Nielsen Bookscan. It became the fastest-selling hardback of 2014 in the process, knocking Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul off the top spot. Such is demand for the book, rights have already been sold in over 25 languages and a sequel is set to hit store shelves next year. However, Zoella is just one of a number of hardworking YouTubers getting book deals. Publishers have recognised that followers aren't just limited to Google's video platform, but across Twitter, Instagram, blogs and other social services. Dreamworks has gone as far to greenlight a pair of YouTube-based books too, allowing stars to combat YouTube's revenue splits and pocket more for themselves.
