Louise Pentland

[simmehchan]

Louise is having a baby!

[LtrllySusan]

She has "a montage of telling people she is pregnant". Would love to see D&P react to that

[somethingsketchy]

I've been having a bad day, but seeing someone this genuinely happy actually made me feel better. I am happy for Louise!

[nikkii]

aw her video made me smile so much, congrats to louise!! i'm so happy for her

[SquishPhan]

Aaw she is clearly super happy about it, and I'm happy for her.

[fondsmiles]

I almost cried watching that, I am so god damn happy for her :') I am so so excited that she's going to take us along for the journey and for all the content she's said she's already got. also my hormones played crazy watching this brb gonna get pregnant real quick

[somethingsketchy]

Here's the reaction montage Louise was talking about in her last video. So cute.

[flarequake]

Good grief, her book isn't even out yet and there's a sequel in the works. I saw one whole tiny paragraph in the newsletter and unsubscribed (from the newsletter, not her channel). It's not really even as good as standard chicklit fluff, just clunky and boring. I want to actually email her editor and ask if they can fit in reading up on how to write, but seeing Louise talk about feeling nervous for the new book, I would feel cruel. But really if the whole book's like that little bit, I'm not sold.

Zoe's book looked the same, as did the Divergent series (and 50 shades). The Write Great Fiction series of books on Plot, Dialogue etc are pretty good, it would be nice if these highly-sellable people could be asked to actually write well first (I could edit Deps' stories of their floweriness (Dan) and daft description (Phil) too, but they were at least halfway there).

[somethingsketchy]

I wasn't really planning on reading her book before either but now I definitely won't. The whole drama on Twitter feat. Jack Howard and Emma Blackery was one thing that definitely left a bad taste in my mouth, but I could have given her the benefit of the doubt and possibly borrowed the book from the library if not for this sequel talk. I haven't read any excerpts of the book so I have no idea how bad the writing actually is (I am trusting flarequake on this), but what finally did it for me was her ls yesterday. She briefly touches on the book and the sequel starting @1:30, and what rubbed me the wrong way was her saying that "the hardest part of writing a book is not writing the book, it's selling the fucking book". I get that marketing takes money and effort, but your first time writing a book can't be easy either, right?

I am down with a cold, which has made my head a snotty mess, so I don't know if I am overreacting or if what I am writing now even makes any sense. This whole thing just made me feel even poorer than before.

[NarrysCanary]

It's true she seems more interested in being a best seller than writing a good book. Did she actually write the book herself to say that writing it isn't the hardest part ? She's been so defensive about her book or the fact that people might think she had a ghost writer. She doesn't want any criticism if people do not like her book she doesn't want to know about it. It's really been putting me off.

[Birdie]

Did she actually write the book herself to say that writing it isn't the hardest part ?

Didn't you answer that question yourself a few pages back? I think it was you who said that it seems like Louise wrote the book but her editor was doing all the hard work, fixing the story and making it readable. Do you by any chance have a link to the vlog where she talks about her writing process by the way, because I've never been able to find it.

I do believe she wrote her own book but I also believe her editor and publisher put a lot more work into it than they usually do. She's a first time writer so there's no way that book was good enough to publish. First novels never are, writing is a skill you have to learn, not some hidden talent to discover (which is why, like flarequake, I wish Youtubers would put some time into learning to write before publishing novels). So my theory is: Louise wrote a book that her publisher might have rejected had it been send in by a no-name but since they knew her name would sell, they were willing to put in a lot of extra work? Might be wrong though but based on what she's said about the book and her writing process it would make sense to me that way.

I wanted to read her book because I love her and the genre but I'm kind of put off now by the way she talks about it. I don't think she realises how much more help than normal first-time writers she's getting and how easy it was for her to get a book deal and all that help from her publisher and editor compared to other writers. She's not good with criticism at all but I wish she was a bit more humble (for lack of a better word) about this book and how it came to exist. I can't really explain this, I'm just put off by the way she talks about the book.

[NarrysCanary]

Did she actually write the book herself to say that writing it isn't the hardest part ?

Didn't you answer that question yourself a few pages back? I think it was you who said that it seems like Louise wrote the book but her editor was doing all the hard work, fixing the story and making it readable. Do you by any chance have a link to the vlog where she talks about her writing process by the way, because I've never been able to find it.

Yes I did, it was a rhetoric question

And about the vlog, it's this one : at 3.40, I was talking about how she initially wrote with a big font and only wrote "scenes" for a book.

[NarrysCanary]

And for the people who might be wondering when she said she didn't want to hear any negative opinions about her book, it was in this vlog :
at 25.55, I don't know who the audience she is giving speech to is but she called them "proper book people, proper book opinion" earlier in the vlog and she tells them that she don't want to hear their negative opinion about it ? I don't know how to feel about it.

[Birdie]

Thank you so much! I rewatched the bits where she talks about writing and it confirms my theory, I think. I don't really know what I think about it. It bugs me quite a bit though, like... I don't mind Youtubers publishing novels but letting a Youtuber who has no experience writing publish one just because her name will sell doesn't sit well with me.

The other thing about her critics... girl, please. You can't improve your writing unless you listen to what your critics have to say and someone criticising your work isn't the end of the world. In the end criticism is meant to help you. "Proper book people" want your book to be the best book it can be. Appreciate their help and stop thinking they're doing it to be mean.

(I can't believe she sent a messy document with the scenes not even in the right order to her editor? Who does that? Just goes to show how much help she's really getting here. You usually have to polish your draft to near perfection on your own before you can even think about sending it to your editor. Like, you write the book and then you edit it yourself, more than once, until you can't do better anymore, that's when you send it to the editor. At least that's what my writer friend told me. She was really lucky to get published in the first place after all the work she put in, whilst Louise gets to send in her book in bits and scrambled pieces. Like, it's very telling that she only actually read her own book after her editor sent it back to her. Like... what? My friend read her book like 10 times before she sent it in to make sure it was as good as she could make it on her own. )

[somethingsketchy]

I hate being this negative, but Louise's latest video made me really grumpy. It's just blatant book promo without any real content, and now it feels like she's trying to guilt-trip the audience into pre-ordering the book.

[offtopic]Ever since I joined online book communities on Tumblr and Goodreads some two years ago, I've been fascinated by how the book publishing industry seems to work differently in different countries. Where I live, pre-ordering books wasn't even a possibility until like 2015-16 or so. Even now you can only pre-order titles by a handful of the most popular authors, and I bet most people aren't aware of this let alone actually pre-ordering any books.

A book blogger, who had apparently previously worked for a publishing company in the US, once explained on Tumblr that publishing houses depend on the revenue from pre-orders to actually be able to pay for the printing of new titles. I am not saying this absolutely can't be true, especially in case of small companies, but I am under the impression that most titles in English-speaking countries are published by corporate giants like Penguin Random House and HarperCollins. If book publishers in my tiny country can get by without relying on pre-orders, I seriously doubt that the real reason for pushing people to pre-order is a lack of money.

I guess it is possible that the absence of the "pre-order culture" in my country simply stems from differences in marketing strategies. For example, there are no book charts where I live, but according to Louise, pre-ordering her book is important because it contributes to the book chart position on the release week, so I reckon charts must be important for the book industry in the UK.

Sorry for rambling, books just usually excite me so much.[/offtopic]

[NarrysCanary]

To be honest the entire "pre-order my book so it can be number 1 in the book charts" is so stupid. Yes she's going to be number 1 but for the sales she made, what if her book is very disliked ? Her book won't be number 1 because people liked it but because she's been "harassing" people to pre-order it for months now. Maybe it's something that actual authors do but I've never heard of that until now.

To answer to somethingsketchy's post I've discovered the idea of pre-ordering books because of youtubers. I don't get the point of pre-ordering a book if I'm honest, why would you pre-order something you know nothing of ? I understand pre-ordering an album cause most of the time the singer would have released a few songs so you might have an idea if you like it or not but a book ?

[somethingsketchy]

To be honest the entire "pre-order my book so it can be number 1 in the book charts" is so stupid. Yes she's going to be number 1 but for the sales she made, what if her book is very disliked ? Her book won't be number 1 because people liked it but because she's been "harassing" people to pre-order it for months now. Maybe it's something that actual authors do but I've never heard of that until now.

To answer to somethingsketchy's post I've discovered the idea of pre-ordering books because of youtubers. I don't get the point of pre-ordering a book if I'm honest, why would you pre-order something you know nothing of ? I understand pre-ordering an album cause most of the time the singer would have released a few songs so you might have an idea if you like it or not but a book ?

I have actually pre-ordered books by my favourite authors and sequels to books I've liked, which compares to pre-ordering albums in my opinion because you already know that you most probably will like the book. I usually pre-order a book only if I want to get it as soon as possible but it won't be available in my country until several weeks or months after the release date, or when I know I won't have money to buy the book when it's released. Also, sometimes when you pre-order, you get perks like posters or signed copies, so I actually get why people would want to pre-order even though I'm not used to it.

And yes, actual authors usually do let people know when their upcoming books are available for pre-order (like John Green did at VidCon), but I've never felt this "attacked" by any of them.

[NarrysCanary]

To be honest the entire "pre-order my book so it can be number 1 in the book charts" is so stupid. Yes she's going to be number 1 but for the sales she made, what if her book is very disliked ? Her book won't be number 1 because people liked it but because she's been "harassing" people to pre-order it for months now. Maybe it's something that actual authors do but I've never heard of that until now.

To answer to somethingsketchy's post I've discovered the idea of pre-ordering books because of youtubers. I don't get the point of pre-ordering a book if I'm honest, why would you pre-order something you know nothing of ? I understand pre-ordering an album cause most of the time the singer would have released a few songs so you might have an idea if you like it or not but a book ?

I have actually pre-ordered books by my favourite authors and sequels to books I've liked, which compares to pre-ordering albums in my opinion because you already know that you most probably will like the book. I usually pre-order a book only if I want to get it as soon as possible but it won't be available in my country until several weeks or months after the release date, or when I know I won't have money to buy the book when it's released. Also, sometimes when you pre-order, you get perks like posters or signed copies, so I actually get why people would want to pre-order even though I'm not used to it.

And yes, actual authors usually do let people know when their upcoming books are available for pre-order (like John Green did at VidCon), but I've never felt this "attacked" by any of them.

Well yeah, in this context it does make sense and I would also pre-order the sequel of a book if I liked the first one when I think about it.

[sparkle]

To be honest the entire "pre-order my book so it can be number 1 in the book charts" is so stupid. Yes she's going to be number 1 but for the sales she made, what if her book is very disliked ? Her book won't be number 1 because people liked it but because she's been "harassing" people to pre-order it for months now. Maybe it's something that actual authors do but I've never heard of that until now.

To answer to somethingsketchy's post I've discovered the idea of pre-ordering books because of youtubers. I don't get the point of pre-ordering a book if I'm honest, why would you pre-order something you know nothing of ? I understand pre-ordering an album cause most of the time the singer would have released a few songs so you might have an idea if you like it or not but a book ?

I pre-ordered the last two Harry Potter books (to make sure I got a copy) and I'm going to pre-order the new Stephen King book. A big part of it for me is sometimes you can get good discounts on pre-orders or you're guaranteed a copy of a book that might sell out (Harry Potter).

It makes sense to me, but I don't like it when the sole reason for pre-ordering is to inflate chart position. Have a cool competition or sign the pre-orders, or provide a free novella.

[nephilimcat]

I second what somethingsketchy and sparkle said.
I don't pre-order that often myself but since I like to read books in the original language (provided I understand it), I often have to buy them online anyway. And if it's a sequel or from an author I love, pre-ordering makes a lot of sense and sometimes even has certain benefits. The last book I pre-ordered came two days early and when you are in a bigger fandom, two days make all the difference if you try to avoid spoilers.

It makes sense to me, but I don't like it when the sole reason for pre-ordering is to inflate chart position. Have a cool competition or sign the pre-orders, or provide a free novella.

This is something that's annoying me as well. A writer who's pestering people to pre-order so they get to be in the charts and who doesn't like criticism is not a good writer. Period. I find Louise's attitude extremely off-putting. Writing is a skill that has to be learned and practiced. It's difficult. If you don't have a following, then good luck at getting a book out there. You will be rejected, you have to organise everything yourself, and there are probably a ton of obstacles I do not know of because I've never attempted to publish something myself. I find it really disrespectful towards authors who had to work so hard that hers will probably be a bestseller because it has her name on it. She probably didn't have to do half of what most authors have to. If she was nice about it and wouldn't have such an attitude, I wouldn't hold that against her because who wouldn't use their connections to publish a book if they had the chance and a great idea?

[Birdie]

This is something that's annoying me as well. A writer who's pestering people to pre-order so they get to be in the charts and who doesn't like criticism is not a good writer. Period. I find Louise's attitude extremely off-putting.

I love your entire post but this bit stood out to me, I agree so much. I keep getting the feeling she doesn't even really care about her book that much or about being an author, she just wants it to be a bestseller for the gratification. The way she brushes off critics is really bugging me and I'm a bit scared of what will happen once the one-star-reviews start rolling in.

I don't like how Louise is going about this either. "Pre-order my book so it will chart high", really, Louise? Do you even care whether or not your fans will like the actual book? Do you really just care about making your book a bestseller? I love Louise, I really do, but her attitude just highlights what's wrong with the book industry so well. You can put out a mediocre book and create a hype solely by putting a famous name on it or putting so much money into a great marketing campaign that everyone's just dying to read the book before there's even a sneak peek out.

[offtopic]I hate being this negative, but Louise's latest video made me really grumpy. It's just blatant book promo without any real content, and now it feels like she's trying to guilt-trip the audience into pre-ordering the book.

A book blogger, who had apparently previously worked for a publishing company in the US, once explained on Tumblr that publishing houses depend on the revenue from pre-orders to actually be able to pay for the printing of new titles. I am not saying this absolutely can't be true, especially in case of small companies, but I am under the impression that most titles in English-speaking countries are published by corporate giants like Penguin Random House and HarperCollins. If book publishers in my tiny country can get by without relying on pre-orders, I seriously doubt that the real reason for pushing people to pre-order is a lack of money.[/offtopic]

[offtopic]Keep in mind that big publishing houses publish a lot more books than small publishing houses and have more expenses. They have to pay the author, the editor, the cover designer and everyone else who helps make a book, then there's marketing.... What the blogger said is actually true for the English language book market. It relies heavily on pre-orders. So much that if you get a book deal and your book isn't pre-ordered often enough it gets canceled and isn't even published at all. :wtf: That rarely happens though because people pre-order like crazy here. I do it too, especially since I found out about how important pre-orders really are.

That's why little scandals like the one Maggie Stiefvater just had over whether her new book was problematic are fatal when it comes to selling books. I don't think it will affect her sales too much since she's uber-famous by now and has a very loyal fanbase but if that had happened to a lesser known author during the pre-order phase it could have created quite some problems selling the book months before it even comes out.

It's also true that bestsellers usually become bestsellers before they're even published via the pre-orders. Publishers need to make sure a book pays off, especially when they put a lot of money into the marketing campaign. I'm also super fascinated by the book industry, I wish I could snag a job at a publishing house but they're not that easy to come by.[/offtopic]

[fancy_nancy]

About second book talk being irritating: when ytrs write books it's common for them to get a 2 or 3 deal. So it's normal for the second one to be in the making before the first one is out. D&P had a two book deal.
I like Louise a lot and I would like to watch her pregnancy videos but i don't i will hahahah i'm so sick of hearing about Wilde Like Me. If anyone here reads post a review please!! I'd like to know how bad it is.

[LtrllySusan]

I agree with things that have been said so far about the book and I went and re-read the blurb. I am wondering what kind of audience she is trying to target with this, as it sounds like a semi-autobiographical Mary Sue?

[somethingsketchy]

[offtopic]That's why little scandals like the one Maggie Stiefvater just had over whether her new book was problematic are fatal when it comes to selling books. I don't think it will affect her sales too much since she's uber-famous by now and has a very loyal fanbase but if that had happened to a lesser known author during the pre-order phase it could have created quite some problems selling the book months before it even comes out.[/offtopic]

[offtopic]I was literally about to pre-order Maggie Stiefvater's upcoming book today, so thanks for reminding me to check what has been said about it. After the mess that was her last book I probably should have known better than to trust her blindly.[/offtopic]

[somethingsketchy]

Louise talks about her writing process and getting a book deal starting @7:37. It was actually quite nice and might interest some of you.