Girl Online and Girl Online: On Tour have collectively topped YouTuber book sales over the last 18 months.
According to a list published by The Bookseller, the two Zoella books have sold a combined total of 845,882 copies, coming in at around £5.6 million. Girl Online broke records for book sales in its first week of publication and is now available in 25 languages.
Shannon Cullen, publisher of Girl Online at Penguin, told The Bookseller that the novel is being read by teenagers who say that they never read books: “So if they can be encouraged to get into the reading habit it will definitely trickle down”.
Reading through girl online: on tour and I'm crying. Never thought I'd cry from a book. Well done @Zoella so proud of you for writing these!
— Morgan (@rn_rgan) April 23, 2016
In the last 18 months, publications by UK YouTubers have included novels, autobiographies, and cookbooks. Since the publication of Alfie Deyes‘ The Pointless Book, which has sold 546,026 copies, these books have had combined sales of over £15 million, according to Nielsen BookScan.
Helen Boyle, consultant and literary scout, told The Bookseller that books by YouTubers are “like the new TV/film tie-in, where publishers tap into an existing fanbase and provide a book product that fans may want to buy.”
Book sales don’t seem to be entirely linked to subscriber count, however, with sales of Dan & Phil‘s The Amazing Book Is Not On Fire coming in under The Pointless Book.
Also appearing on the Bookseller list are Felix Kjellberg, Joe Sugg, Louise Pentland, Tanya Burr, Olajide ‘KSI’ Olatunji, Marcus Butler, Carrie Hope Fletcher, and Fleur deForce.
It is clear from their warm reception online that books written by YouTubers have had a lasting impact on readers:
After reading 'All I Know Now' by Carrie Hope Fletcher, I feel as though I've just had coffee and a catch-up with an old friend (:
— Lauren C. Terry (@keytomycastle) May 27, 2015
Reading username Evie now for about the 5th time and it's still as great as the first time love it so much @Joe_Sugg
— [Denise]ismeetingjoe (@Joesugg_suggy) April 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/_bbalpha/status/724007386881499136
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