BookTok turns on Luke Bateman after career announcement

News.com.au

4 days ago

The 'hot' farmer who went viral for his love of books has responded after some fans turned on him after he announced a brand-new development in his career.
Luke Bateman, who played for the Canberra Raiders and appeared on The Bachelor before taking BookTok by storm earlier this year, took to the video sharing platform this week to announce he had signed a two-book deal with Atria Books Australia, a division of Simon & Schuster.
'This is a childhood dream come true for me. I've wanted to be an author my whole life, so it really blows me away,' he said.
Mr Bateman said after he got the call he 'cried so much' and thanked his support online, saying the opportunity only came because of his recent following.
'I can't wait to write this book, it's going to be an epic fantasy book and I can't wait to put my heart on the page for all of you,' he said.
It's not clear whether anything had already been written, or if only a concept had been pitched, when Mr Bateman landed the deal that is set to be a coming of age story.
While Mr Bateman initially got a lot of support when he entered the BookTok community — a place where avid readers bond over novels — some were outraged at his recent news.
British creator @josie_library said there were 'so many' authors on TikTok who were 'dying' for a publishing deal.
'And a man, without having ever written anything, got a two-book deal from an idea. Stop it. Not mad at the man, but Simon & Schuster what the f*** are they doing,' she said.
'Like, don't get me wrong if that was me I would hop on that train immediately — even if I can't write for sh*t. But, what do you mean?
'As a publishing company with a marketing team, I think Simon & Schuster just continuously drop the ball.'
Meanwhile, @grapiedeltaco said a 'white man' joined BookTok on April 22 and 'less than two months later achieved getting a two-book epic fantasy deal'.
'We don't have very many details of what he's already written, but it seems like he didn't even have a manuscript. Like it seems like he had a concept, which is something that many established authors who have already been traditionally published can't even manage,' she claimed.
Australian advocate Jeff Kisubi also weighed in, saying; 'Meanwhile, Black and marginalised authors, especially women and gender-diverse creatives, are out here with finished, powerful stories that still get overlooked.
'This isn't just about talent. It's about who the industry chooses to believe in before the work even exists, privilege both racial and gendered, which shapes who get a head start and who's told to prove themselves over and over again.'
news.com.au has contacted Mr Bateman and Simon & Schuster for comment.
Mr Bateman has since addressed the criticism, stating he 'wholeheartedly understood' the anger and frustration from the author community.
'I obviously have advantages that other people don't. How do I capitalise on those to help lift everyone up because I feel like dragging people down leaves everyone at the bottom whereas a rising tide lifts all ships,' he told Chattr on Wednesday.
'And if I can use my platform and my voice and my privilege and position in society to help uplifts others, I say, that is what books are about.'
He said for his book deal to ignite such a reaction, it was obviously something 'very close to their heart'.
He also said he recognised that he has never experienced the same barriers or discrimination as some others, and that he held so much love for these people.
Mr Bateman said the reaction didn't take away from the joy he felt, saying two things could be true at the same time.
He added that a lot of the conversations he's now having are new to him.
The farmer previously told Yahoo Australia that he reached out to a publisher six months ago to pitch a book but never heard back from them.
'Then, all these TikToks took off, and my management company reached out to a few publishers and said, 'Hey, Luke has a book that he'd like to pitch, would you be interested',' he told the publication.
'She said, 'I'd love to be able to publish all of them with you, let's get started,' and yeah, that's how it came about!'
Many defended Mr Bateman, who was dubbed the 'hot booktokker' when he initially went viral.
'All haters please note: a 60 second video does not tell you every detail of a person's life. Don't assume there isn't a manuscript or that this hasn't been something in the works for some time. Question your assumptions, because that's all they are, assumptions,' one said.
QBD Bookstores commented: 'Congratulations Luke! We can't wait to read your debut book!!'
Another said: 'Why the hate? Why is it about race? Why is it about gender? The double standard has got to stop. We made him famous. Now we are tearing him down? He did nothing wrong. Right place at the right time. Say congrats and move on! And if the book is good or bad, remember reading is subjective. Congratulations! I wish you all the best! This is an insane opportunity!'
Earlier this month, Mr Bateman spoke to news.com.au about how he came to be on BookTok — and how he'd always been an avid reader.
'I've just never ever had anyone to discuss books with obviously being a male in sporting circles and I've never had mates or friends around me who are readers,' he told news.com.au.
So, he posted a video introducing himself to the community after two of his female friends told him that's where he would find his people.
BookTokers were immediately drawn to the Aussie's casual style and tendency to post from the seat of a tractor wearing an Akubra style hat.
The clip racked up 1.9 million views and gained Bateman 136k followers in just days. Currently, on his public Instagram, he has 17,000.
Mr Bateman, who is originally from Queensland, was welcomed to the social platform by the likes of popular influencers Alright Hey and Blue Eye Kayla Jade.
'This poor guy just wanted to talk about books,' one social media user said.
Another added: 'Are we all in love with him or just me?'
Mr Bateman said he had a love for reading since he was very young, but was convinced this habit was nothing to be proud of.
He said his first memory of reading comes from buying a Pokemon book from the Scholastic Book Fair when he was in Year One.
'I couldn't even read at the time, but I remember I used to sit there and pretend to read,' he told news.com.au, adding that his brother used to make fun of him for it.
But it was when he got to the age of 10 that he really started to delve into the world of fantasy, saying it was easy to do so when he parents were big readers.
'It's not a chore for me. It's a genuine joy,' he said.
Mr Bateman said he felt so 'embarrassed' and 'shameful' about his reading habits for so long, and he wanted to use his new-found popularity to encourage other young men to pick up a book. He said his entire life he felt like an 'undercover nerd'.
He said he didn't want anyone else to feel that way, and encouraged parents to get their kids into reading.