STAR writers

These celebs have begun a new chapter in their careers by writing books

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There are writers whose books made them famous, and there are the famous who write books or employ a 'ghost' to do it for them. They jostle for position in the fiction charts, with intense competition in the children's market. While critics bemoan that well-known faces jump the queue for publishing contracts, celebrity stardust does lure new readers into the bookshop - and this can only be a good thing.

Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins herself, was an early adopter, with her first children's novel, Mandy, in 1974. In 2003, Madonna's The English Roses became the fastestselling children's picture book of all time. By 2019, the top five celebrity children's writers were selling over four million books between them. In comparison, The Gruffalo co-creator Julia Donaldson sold over 1.2 million copies of her books in the first half of 2024 alone. And the only author with more than the 713 different editions she can claim is William Shakespeare, with 886.

The trend has gathered pace across the board, and whatever you think about stars picking up their pens, it's not going away. By 2023, eight of the top 100 bestselling paperback novels were by celebrities (five in the top 20), some critically acclaimed, others not so much, but all drawing crowds and a general boost to sales.

With World Book Day on 6 March, we honour some of the big names from TV, film and sport who've got us turning pages instead of scrolling on our phones.

Lorraine Kelly