Social Media Stars Write Books, Don't They?

By Rachel F. RSS Tue, December 13, 2016

Do you have a favorite YouTuber? Maybe you love John and Hank Green and their community of Nerdfighters?  Are you more of a Vine (RIP) enthusiast? Whomever your fave and on whatever platform, there is a really good chance that a ton of followers turned into a book deal. Obviously, I love John Green’s whole canon of moody and angsty and awesome young adult books – my personal fave is An Abundance of Katherines because MATH + roadtrip + dawning self-awareness = magic. But lately I’ve been noticing a ton of other media stars writing everything from "day in the life" style annotated photo albums to creepy and haunting thrillers.

Here is a quick sample:
Dan Howell and Phil Lester, known online as danisnotonfire and AmazingPhil, have documented their rise from awkward British teens to bonafide internet celebrities (they have 10 million subscribers between them) in The Amazing Book Is Not On Fire: The World of Dan and Phi. It was so popular (New York Times Bestseller popular) that they went on a world tour. They even wrote a book documenting that experience called Dan and Phil Go Outside – in which they literally go outside. Packed with photos, notes, and random thoughts, both books read like album liner notes or your best (internet) friend’s journal. It's fun and goofy, like one of their channels came to book life.

YouTuber Paige McKenzie has a channel called The Haunting of Sunshine Girl, where she and her friends have created a truly haunting web series. This evolved into a book named after her channel—you guessed it—The Haunting of Sunshine Girl! There’s an adopted daughter, a move to the atmospheric laden Pacific Northwest, and a…. haunted house? If you are looking for a fast read with a creepy edge, I totally recommend this one and the sequel, The Awakening of Sunshine Girl. So creep-tastic, you guys.

Finally, with eleven and a half million followers, Lele Pons is clearly the queen of the six second Vine (sigh, gone too soon) but is she the queen bee of her school? In her first novel #Surviving High School: Do It For The Vine (co-written with Melissa De La Cruz), Pons tells the semi-autobiographical story of a high schooler who happens to be a popular online sensation but still has to survive homework, bullies, and parents—you know, like someone who wasn’t internet famous. Internet celebrities—they’re just like us! Anyway, it's laugh out loud funny and silly with a side of pop culture and frivolity.

Like the sound of these? Lucky for you there are like a millionty more titles written by Social Media Stars! Have a favorite that I didn’t mention? Leave it in the comments!


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