Zoe Sugg aka Zoella CC: Zoe Sugg Instagram @zozeebo
“Girl Online,” the debut novel by Zoe Sugg, also known on YouTube as Zoella, has just broken the record for highest first-week sales in the UK, breaking the record formerly held by JK Rowling, selling an estimated 78,000 copies. It’s the fastest selling book of 2014 in the UK.
Zoe Sugg Holding her debut novel ‘Girl Online’ CC: Zoe Sugg Instagram @zozeebo
Sugg’s climb to fame has been a work in progress. The now 24-year-old started blogging in 2009, sharing beauty tips, hair tutorials and make-up hauls. An avid blogger, Sugg slowly started to gain a loyal following. Sugg later began vlogging (video blogging) and now has more than 6.6 million subscribers on Youtube, making her the most-watched female YouTuber in the UK.
Sugg, a beauty maven that legions of teens are inspired by, not only talks about make-up and hair but has expanded, and touches on topics such as mental health (she suffers from anxiety and panic attacks), self-image and self-acceptance. Sugg is as squeaky clean as they get: The YouTube phenomenon doesn’t drink, do drugs or smoke, and is all-around totally adorable, garnering high acclaim from parents of young adults who look up to Sugg as a role model.
Sugg, who hasn’t had any formal training in what she does, is part of a new league of cyberspace superstars; the likes of Tyler Oakley (TylerOakley), Jack and Finn Harries (JacksGap), and Joe Sugg (ThatcherJoe), Sugg’s brother, are just a few of the vloggers who have become a new breed of celebrity. Sugg and Co. often take part in volg collabs with one another, and are also avid attendees at events such as Digifest, and VidCon, where YouTube stars from all over the world get together and have the chance to meet their legions of fans.
This new phenomenon of self-made YouTube celebs and their influence on young adults is rapidly becoming a major industry. Gleam Futures, which represents Zoella, is an agency that represents “Social Talent,” a term they’ve coined to describe their social media famous clients.
Sugg posing with fellow Youtubers (left to right) Joe Sugg, Tyler Oakley, Zoe Sugg, Alfie Deyes, Jim Chapman, and Tanya Burr CC: Zoe Sugg Instagram @zozeebo
Her first novel, “Girl Online”, was published Nov. 25 and became an instant bestseller,. The story follows 15-year-old Penny, who blogs under the alias GirlOnline and chronicles the events of her daily life, and her whirlwind romance with a guitarist when her family moves to New York. The book has been hugely successful and Sugg is already scheduled to release a sequel. A jack of all trades Sugg also launched a beauty line called Zoella Beauty this past September, which has also been a hit with her followers, as well as lending her voice in November to Band Aid’s charity single “Do They Know it’s Christmas?”, joining a slew of artists, including fellow Brits One Direction, and Ed Sheeran.
2014 has been a busy and hugely successful year for Sugg who, along with writing a book, lending her vocals to charity and lauching a make-up line, maintains her blog, two vlogs (Zoella and moreZoella), and various social media accounts.
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