BACA Off, Baby!

Recently I discovered a pretty cool blog which focuses on kid and YA lit. It's called MotherReader, and the blog's author is smart and funny and has great taste in books. But you wanna know why I really think MotherReader is cool? Because a while back she wrote some amazing posts all about – guess what – the saturation of horrible celebrity children's authors in the kid's publishing market. There are many reasons to be pissed off about this disgusting trend, but MotherReader nailed it when she wrote:

I could complain about the quality of the work. Oh boy, could I complain. But what’s sticking in my craw is the greed. Come on, leave us our little bit of turf. If you can be famous (and usually rich) in your field of acting or music or global domination, leave the world of children’s literature for other people to become a tiny bit famous. Because you can imagine, for every book deal these celebrities strike, that’s less of the kid-lit pie for another author trying to get a break. Do celebrities have to be so greedy to take every aspect of everything because they can? Is that a good enough reason? It’s not... it’s just not... fair.

But MotherReader didn't just sit back and kvetch. She got off her tuchas and did something constructive. And so began the creation of a new an exciting club of which I wanna be a member: BACA, or Bloggers Against Celebrity Books:

As BACA members, we will strive to shun celebrity authors in the blogging world. When a non-celebrity illustrator deserves to be recognized, the BACA member may wish to consider the “Spike Lee Who?” option. For instance, a blogger might note the exceptional work of Kadir Nelson by pointing out the availability of the book Please, Puppy, Please “as illustrated by Kadir Nelson and written by some guy.” We will, as members, avoid giving undue publicity to celebrity authors, with the possible allowance of subjecting said celebrity authors to scorn and ridicule.

Wanna join? 'Cuz she's even created a fabulous logo, which you see at the top of the post. I am so in, baby. And as a way to show my appreciation for the cause, I've created a new category entitled BACA Off, Baby! where I will review a book written by a celebrity author. I promise that I will do my best to be fair and reasonable. If I think the book is good (which I doubt will happen too often), I will begrudgingly say so. But I'll still kvetch about that celebrity taking precious publishing space away from a much more deserving struggling children's author. I think that's fair! Of course if the book is blessed with gorgeous illustrations, I'll be singing the praises of that artist loud and proud. Because nine times outta ten, it's the goddam illustrations that sell those goddam celebrity books.

So to all you celebrities out there who happen to be considering writing a children's book in the near future: BACA OFF!!

Comments

[Beth]

Oh, this really appeals to me! I'm heading over to the site.