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If it has any impact at all on the publishing world, I would be pleased. I can see that it is galling when an author with a genuine passion for writing, say for a young audience, hones their craft and achieves moderate success, and then watches a celeb waltz in like an unoriginal bargain-basement Roald Dahl, have a small fortune spent on publicity, and then be lauded as a great writer. Even worse if that “great writer” hasn’t actually crafted a word themselves.

My feeling is that the impact will be slight. Writers who rise from the ranks to make a big impact, and lots of money for the publishers, are few and far between. A celeb-linked book is almost guaranteed income for the publisher. They all say that they do it because they love great writing, but in the main they like money more.

If it stops publishers going under, then I suppose it’s tending towards the “good side”. But there is a fine ethical line there, and I believe that those big publishing feet often cross it too willingly.

And the celebs themselves are so used to the endless rounds of nepotism, back-scratching, and it’s so comprehensively incestuous that I honestly think they don’t see any irony. Not so long ago I listened to Clive Anderson interviewing Josie Long about a collection of short stories she’s written (short stories as a first book?). For all I know, they may be great, but I had to chuckle when, after discussing how she came to write them, Clive remarked that she was getting some great feedback. I was wondering who these reviewers might be. Zadie Smith, Ian Rankin, maybe even Stephen King? No, Clive supplied Joanna Lumley, Frankie Boyle, and Dawn French.