IT IS the literary genre which has proved a cash cow for publishers and another vehicle to superstardom for their authors.
But celebrity memoirs are being left on the shelf because of falling sales caused by the credit crunch.
As well as a more cautious public, publishers can no longer afford fees reaching into seven figures for authors.
In the first six months of
this year, publishers' lists for non-fiction hardbacks were crammed with books by celebrities such as glamour model Katie Price, better known as Jordan, Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins, former pop star Myleene Klass and actor Craig Charles. Volumes were also scheduled from older stars such as Esther Rantzen, Julie Andrews, musician Mike Oldfield and Star Trek's William Shatner.
Lists for the first six months of 2009, however, reveal a celebrity drought, with only comedian Jack Dee and TV agony show presenter Jeremy Kyle making an appearance. The number rose only on Friday when it was revealed that comedienne Jo Brand will bring out her autobiography in the autumn.
Celebrity memoirs are set to be overtaken in popularity by self-help manuals and books on how to survive global economic meltdown.
The switch has taken place against a background of tumbling hardback sales. Many of them come with a recommended retail price of around £19.
Last December, books had to sell at least 10,000 copies to make it into the Top 20 of the Bookseller magazine's sales charts. This year, it will take sales of just over 5,000.
While tomes by comedian Russell Brand, TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson and cook Nigella Lawson had sold more than 50,000 by this time last year, comparable works by actress Dawn French, chat show host Paul O'Grady and Jamie Oliver are hovering around the 30,000 mark.
French is reputed to have received an advance of up to £2m for Dear Fatty. Julie Walters is believed to have picked up £1.5m for her autobiography, That's Another Story.
Danuta Kean, a lecturer on the publishing industry at Brunel University, said: "Celebrities are becoming a devalued currency now. Many of them have simply not delivered on sales despite big advances.
"Publishers are now only likely to go ahead if the writer has a real story to tell."
Stuart Kelly, Scotland on Sunday's literary editor, said: "When even the big names aren't selling, the economics don't add up. Add in the shrinking books market overall, as the credit crunch takes effect, and publishers become no longer willing to take a chance."
But Nick Davies, of Scottish publishing house Canongate, said: "Every time someone predicts the end of this type of book it surprises us.
"I would be reluctant to say it is over. The only difference now is that, in this economic climate, publishers will be a bit more cautious about whom they back."
Peter MacKenzie, of Edinburgh-based Mainstream, said: "Publishing is a game of risk – when you publish celebrity books then even more so."
