J.K. who? 24-year-old YouTube star's debut novel smashes U.K. sales records
It helps to have a following.
Zoe Sugg, or Zoella as she's known by her 6.6 million fans on YouTube, is a 24-year-old vlogging sensation. And now, she's a top-selling author.
Bookseller reported that Sugg's young adult novel, "Girl Online," released Nov. 26 by Penguin, sold more than 78,000 copies in the U.K. in its first week, setting a new record for sales of a debut novel.
That beats first-time sales by such modern literary luminaries as Dan Brown and J.K. Rowling, whose first Harry Potter tome had an initial run of only 1,000 copies.
The tale of Penny, an anonymous teen blogger, is now the U.K.'s fastest selling book of 2014.
Sugg video blogs from London under the name Zoella about "beauty, fashion and life." Her videos -- hairstyle how-tos, makeup tutorials, girl-talk and life advice -- have racked up nearly 308 million views on YouTube since 2009.
Upon the breakout success of her book, Sugg tweeted her reaction to her 2.6 million Twitter followers.
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
Penguin offered Sugg a two-book deal in June. The sequel to "Girl Online" is expected next year.