Not too long ago I came out as a writer. It’s been a big year for me in really embracing myself as a writer. I wrote a book (two books, actually), landed an agent, and started blogging. One of my books is called Diary of a Mad White Mama. Think Mommy Psychologist but with a lot more words. And no pictures.
Today my agent forwarded me yet another rejection from a big publishing house. Thankfully, I have pretty thick skin and this isn’t my first rejection, but this one REALLY bugged me. It said:
Harrison does not have the celebrity status needed to compete in this category….
Um…I don’t know about you, but I’ve never wanted to be a celebrity. Not even close. I know lots of people come to Hollywood for this reason, but it’s never been mine. I came to work at Children’s Hospital. I have a strong desire to make a positive impact in this world and I do it in lots of ways. One of them is through writing.
I don’t have anything against celebrities. I really don’t. I see them nearly every day. Well, the days when I go to the gym anyway. I just don’t want to be one.
What I really don’t understand is why celebrities are the primary competitors in the parenting book market. The only people who parent like celebrities are other celebrities. The world of celebrities is simply not the world the rest of us on the planet live in.
So much time and energy is spent in the media proving that celebrities are just like us. But here’s the deal: celebrities aren’t just like us.
I don’t read celebrity parenting books. Maybe it’s just me because apparently, their books sell. Do any of you read the celebrity parenting books? And if so, I really would like to know why….
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