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 When he wanted to stretch beyond the format of a six- or
10-minute video, the new media sensation chose an old-fashioned
media form: a book. It took a year to write and publish the
224-page memoir "A Work in Progress" and, to his surprise, it
stuck on the New York Times best seller list for 16 weeks.
With that kind of appeal to young readers, Franta is part of a
generation of YouTube stars giving a boost to the book
publishing industry.
More than a million books, both physical and digital, by online
stars have been produced globally by Franta's publisher,
Keywords Press, alone. Such authors have sold nearly 700,000
physical books in the United States in the past year, according
to data provided to Reuters by Nielsen BookScan, which tracks
about 85 percent of the U.S. printed book market.
Their inspirational, quirky and often personal writing takes the
form of advice manuals, cookbooks and collections of essays such
as Shane Dawson's "I Hate Myselfie," or fiction such as Paige
McKenzie's "The Haunting of Sunshine Girl."
"I never thought of myself as an author," Franta told Reuters in
an interview. His best seller about his Midwestern upbringing,
his path to YouTube stardom, and his struggles with sexuality
and body image, has sold more than 200,000 copies. "It really
blew mind."
For comparison, Franta's YouTube channel has almost 4.9 million
subscribers. (https://www.youtube.com/user/ConnorFranta)
While YouTuber titles are only a small fraction of the 2.7
billion books sold in the United States each year, they are part
of a resurgence in reading among kids and millennials that is
helping to keep the publishing industry alive in the age of the
Internet.
Overall U.S. book revenue is expected to total $28.8 billion
this year, according to research firm IBISWorld, a 9 percent
decline from a decade ago. But young adult and children's books
- fueled by popular series like "Harry Potter" and "Twilight" -
are bucking the downward trend. The number of juvenile books
sold rose 63 percent from 2004 to 2014, according to Nielsen
BookScan.
The success of YouTube authors is a further sign that people who
grew up surrounded by screens like reading books.
"As someone who would like our youth to read a little more, I
appreciate that they are telling their story in a different
way," said Stephanie Horbaczewski, CEO of StyleHaul, a video
network that is home to YouTube creators such as fashion expert
and author Zoe Sugg.
Publishers who understand the financial appeal of the young
adult are now looking for new authors on YouTube, which is owned
by Google Inc, and social media platforms such as Vine, Tumblr
and Snapchat, said Sara Sargent, an executive editor at
HarperCollins Children's Books.
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 She joined the publishing house in July in the newly created
role of acquiring teen, middle-grade and picture books from
digital and social media personalities.
EASY SELF-PROMOTION
In a time of media saturation, YouTube stars come with a marketing
edge: fervent followers and a ready-made place for promotion.
Franta revealed his finished book in a YouTube video posted in
March. Weeks later, thousands turned out for a book tour that
stretched to Britain and Australia.
The authors "mobilize their fan bases," said Liz Perl, chief
marketing officer for the Simon & Schuster publishing house owned by
CBS Corp. CBS highlighted hit books by YouTube stars when it
reported higher profits for the publishing house in its quarterly
earnings report in August.
Simon & Schuster's Atria Publishing Group and United Talent Agency
last year created Keywords Press, a division for books by online
celebrities. Five of its first six titles, including Franta's,
became best sellers.
Books are one way online stars are branching out to generate steady
income beyond YouTube, where the site typically keeps 45 percent of
the revenue from the ads that run with their videos, which can be
difficult to predict. Book publishers generally pay upfront advances
and royalties on sales.
At least 20 YouTube personalities have released books since the
beginning of last year, and publishing executives said they expect
the pace to increase. Several top YouTubers, including Tyler Oakley
and Shay Carl, already have announced coming titles.
YouTube's biggest star, the Swedish gamer PewDiePie who attracted 39
million subscribers with his high-pitched screams and comic musings,
releases "This Book Loves You" in October.
PewDiePie's book offers unlikely self-help advice, such as "You can
never fail if you never try." That brand of humor is a big hit on
YouTube.
Franta said he worked to make the humor and enthusiasm of his videos
apparent on the printed page, putting extra letters in words like "yay!"
or "amazing!" His editors had to get used to his writing style.
"They would ask, 'Why did you add ten Y's to that word?'," Franta
said. "I would say, 'It's on purpose. Keep it in there!'"
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine, editing by Peter Henderson and Bill
Rigby)
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