Celebrity memoirs lose star power at the tills, public keen for uplifting stories as opposed to big names
After a successful 2021, data from The Bookseller shows that celebrity memoirs have been struggling this year. Some blame their high prices amidst a growing cost-of-living crisis have deterred many readers for opting for star-studded autobiographies. Yet, other publishing experts argue that there is less “strength in depth” in this year’s offering of memoirs compared to last. Especially as the holiday season is approaching and sales across the board are put under the microscope, it seems as if celebrity memoirs are losing star power at the tills, especially those that don’t contain an uplifting message for readers. The UK’s top biography writing service, StoryTerrace, has seen an uptick of Brits choosing to have their memoirs penned – championing the extraordinary stories of ordinary people.
It seems like penning a book is almost an unescapable part of celebrity – every year we are inundated with highly-anticipated non-fiction releases from our favorite public figures. This past year saw Jeannette McCurdy and Matthew Perry’s memoir making headlines, and lest we forget Prince Harry’s much contested book, set to be released early 2023. Yet, it seems like the public is hungry for strong narratives as opposed to star-studded fluff – stories where people have overcome obstacles to find success. And whilst celebrities often have colorful lives in the spotlight, it doesn’t take away from the inspiring stories that can be found through our family and friends.
A social survey from StoryTerrace, showed that 39% of respondents hope to accumulate enough life experience by the time they are 40 to write a biography. Often we think of the moments that make up our lives and realise the dramatic credentials in them – sometimes ordinary lives take on narratives stranger than fiction. StoryTerrace’s service matches clients with a professional ghostwriter and presents them with a beautifully bound biography, giving clients full rights to then go on and sell their book on Amazon – who knows, it might get shot up to celebrity status?
Rutger Bruining, CEO and founder of StoryTerrace comments on how the best stories are not always found on shelves:
“Growing up I was saturated with grandiose stories of fictional characters and historical figures – and whilst I devoured books as a child, it made me realise that there are qualities in not only my life, but the lives of my family and friends that had enough dramatic and heroic qualities to make for a compelling novel.
“When wanting to write one’s own story the often nebulous and impenetrable nature of the publishing industry deters a lot of people from taking the plunge. This is partially why I started StoryTerrace – to give ordinary people the chance to publish their extraordinary stories.”
