Another YouTube star can add best selling author to her growing list of accomplishments. The lovely Zoella who is already a queen in the YouTube beauty scene is now the author of the fastest selling British release for a new author since Nielsen started keeping records of such things in 1998. Girl Online moved 78,000 copies in its first week which, for context, means that Zoe’s book sold more copies during its release week than any first-time author on record, including British pop-literary icon JK Rowling. Of course when the Harry Potter author released her first book she didn’t have the benefit of millions of digital fans pulling for the project and pre-ordering copies before it even hit the shelves.
Zoe’s fans and subscribers have been pulling for the project ever since the beauty vlogger first announced that she would be publishing a young adult series with Penguin back in June. Though Girl Online is fiction the plot definitely hews close to Zoe’s personal experiences. The story is centered around an anonymous blogger who is thrust into the online spotlight after her relationship with a popstar goes viral. Fans are sure to be parsing the text for hints about the inner working of “Zalfie,” the YouTube power couple of which Zoe is one half along with fellow vlogger Alfie Deyes. The two had their own relationship thrown into public view last year when an errant clip from vlogger and friend Jim Chapman revealed evidence of the secret relationship which had been long speculated by fans.
I’m legit blown away by this. I never in a million years thought that so many of you would pick up a copy of Girl Online. Almost wanna cry..
— Zoë (@ZozeeBo) December 2, 2014
