How to Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity: Guiding Your Child to Success and Fulfillment

by Rick Chillot, Dustin Fenstermacher (Photographs)

In the twenty-first-century economy, there’s only one way to guarantee your child a bright and happy  make that baby an Internet celebrity. But how? In  How to Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity , you’ll learn to assess your baby’s best attributes (is she smarter than a chimp?), assign a compelling screen persona (clumsiness = on-screen gold), and plan the ultimate viral Internet video. Make your baby an Internet celebrity . . . because the world needs cuteness now more than ever!

Genres: Parenting, Humor, Photography, How To

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Natasha M. Nurse, Esq. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute but hardly helpful for developing a social media strategy that is impactful

[Jessica (Odd and Bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free through BookLikes' Giveaways.

This book is much like its predecessor, How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity: A Guide to Financial Freedom. It's funny, clever and a quick read. Another fun book from Quirk Books.

[Julia S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an advanced copy of this book, as my baby is featured in 2 photographs! This is a comical look into the social media instant-celebrity craze. It’s a quick, hilarious read that would be a great gift for expecting or new parents. And the pictures of the babies are especially cute too. You can check out Elliot (THE cutest) on pages 60 & 68 

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to think that these satirical "how-to" books genuinely only have one joke. If you've read the title and a few pages, you get the joke. Books like How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety or How to Traumatize Your Children wear out their singular joke much too fast. While How to Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity doesn't have a lot of depth, at least it has cute pictures and diagrams of babies.

Humor books with a "bit" like the ones mentioned above are usually better when they fully commit. That's why I prefer The Baby Owner's Manual for its ability to translate raising a baby into car mechanic terms. How to Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity isn't quite that clever, since you might read it not knowing it's satire and try these techniques on your own baby. And perhaps my appreciation of satirical humor comes when it's so ridiculous that you can't take it seriously. I'd almost wager that there are some people out there blogging about this very topic and are very serious about it.

With the fast growth of the internet age, one thing that becomes clear here is how this book feels dated almost a decade after it was released. On the flip side, it's almost prescient in its examination of how algorithms control almost everything we see on the internet nowadays. Almost as a case in point, half of this book is filled with cute pictures of babies. If the satire doesn't quite hit, at least you get to see professional pictures of adorable children.

One-joke satire that's half-saved by its cute pictures, I give How to Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity 3.0 stars out of 5.
  

[Meghan Keen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book at the dollar store and my goodness it was the best dollar I’ve ever spent. This book was so hilarious and it made me laugh more times than I imagined. Would definitely read again 😅

[Yvette · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you or someone you know has had or will soon have a baby, this is the book for you. But only if you or they enjoy snarky humor and satire. Unless you are the type to take this book seriously, then by all means get a copy. But hurry, you need to strike while the iron is hot – before your baby hits the 12 month mark and is no longer internet-cute.

Rick Chillot, with photographer Dustin Fenstermacher, and absolutely no pesky professional advisors, has produced a fun and quick “how-to.” Starting with the introduction, you will learn just why that 12 month mark is so crucial. Walking and talking in complete sentences = a washed-up has-been.

The first chapter explains some crucial pre-filming work including how to rate your baby’s cuteness and establish their “archetype” from 10 specific types, complete with parenting/filming tips. This is where we also learn that triplets reside at the apex of cuteness, and how to detect and/or fake them.

Chapter two is the “how-to” of shooting the videos, where we learn that low quality might be preferable. 25 settings/scenarios for optimal on-camera cuteness are provided.

Going viral, aka maximizing exposure and cha-ching, is covered in the third chapter with a guide to the proper cringe to cute ratio and where to put your video and milk it for all its worth.

Chapter four is a bit less entertaining that the prior chapters, naturally, as it is about the drawbacks of internet baby fame and possible exit strategies.

Not having a baby of my own at any point, I can’t comment on the practicality of any of the advice. So I’ll just say that, even for someone without children, this is a quick and fun read, especially out loud in your snarkiest voice.

But wait, you might be thinking, why did you get this book when you don’t have any children? Is there some news you need to share? To quote the p.82 of the text: Hahaha, no. My copy, which I won from Quirk Books in a booklikes.com giveaway, is most likely destined to be part of a shower gift to my niece, the one whose husband is obsessed with using social media. She might not appreciate it, but he will.

[Shelly Donaghey · Rating 4 out of 5]

HOW TO MAKE YOUR BABY AN INTERNET CELEBRITY by Rick Chillot with photos by Dustin Fenstermacher is either an absolute hoot of a satire about parents who go so far overboard when it comes to their children or these two should be hauled off and sentenced to five to tens years in a maximum security playpen.
Riding on the craze of making your cat or dog or pollywog famous by sticking a goofy video on the Internet, these two have delved into the parent/child bond and exploited a gold mine of funny. While the book is short it is chock full of humorous material. They tell us to remember that there are no shortcuts to fame and fortune. Not to be missed are the 25 Essential Shortcuts to the Top which include having your baby videoed with any of the following: Balls, Animals (as long as your baby can hold their own in the cutie-pie department), fingers and feet (of course), that old stand by the Horse’s Head (?) and my particular favorite, the lemon.
They also give you tips on just what kind of baby you have and how to exploit their strengths to include the terminally cute baby, the feral Hellbaby, Royal Child, Goofball and the Action Hero among many others.
You should rate your baby in adorability, brainiac-tivity and charisma-tude, but all of that is spelled out in four simple chapters. They are: 1. Assess your baby. 2. Shooting the Video. 3. Infesting the Internet and 4. After the Fame. There it is, everything you need to know, and far more, to make your child a star and their college savings account grow into five of six-digit figures.
And the pictures are adorable.
I won this book through Goodreads.

[Anna Janelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seeing as I just had what has to be the CUTEST BABY IN THE WORLD, I had to request this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program. Not that I'm looking to whore-out my owndaughter to weirdos on the internet, but I find internet baby memes and videos highly amusing. See also: the drunken baby meme and the All the Single Babies backup dancer or especially Will Ferrell's The Landlord. See? I appreciate these things. I've appreciated them dating back to B.R. (before Ruby, my own daughter), but I can admit that my fondness for baby-internetness has heightened since I've become a parent. When I get to use the internet, that is.

Anyways, knowing the greatness of what this book could be, I was a bit disappointed. I felt it really somehow missed the mark for me - having cute photos and funny writing but not really succeeding to make me LOL. The book does allude to some of our favorite internet babies (a la Charlie Bit My Finger) but it includes only orignal baby pictures - which are cute... but, let's admit it, aren't Rubycute or internet-funny. It was okay. Just okay. A short, quick fluff piece that, ultimately, wouldn't be anything that I'd recommend.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading and thoroughly enjoying How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity: A Guide to Financial Freedom, I picked up this book hoping it would be a fun gift for new parent friends. Luckily, it lived up to my expectations! Any parent with a sense of humor will find plenty of giggles throughout. Full of jokes just for (probably exhausted) parents, the book, like "How to Make Your Cat..." does actually give advice on how to capture entertaining video and pictures of your little darling. It even includes some technical stuff such as how to tag your videos to get the most views. The photos and diagrams should not be overlooked, and are as enjoyable as the reading. Recommended as a unique gift for parents who need a little levity in their lives.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received How to Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity as part of a Goodreads giveaway.

In this age of viral videos of precocious children and mischievous animals, How to Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity is a tongue-in-cheek "handbook" for achieving your (or your offspring's) 15 minutes of fame.

I already received How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity as part of a previous giveaway, and while I don't actually have [human] children yet, I found this installment just as entertaining, if for no other reason than the 21st century has brought about a whole other level of "OMG LOOK AT MY BABY" through YouTube videos, mommy and daddy blogs, and Facebook. Funny, timely, and an all-around good, short, read.

[Kasey Cocoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute and funny book to read although I'd wager there are several (many?) parents out there who would take it seriously. I'll admit I have been suckered into watching and re-watching several baby videos and even linking them to people I know will laugh (and cry) as much as I have. As far as usable content, there is some but I wouldn't bank anything on this book. That said, this book is an enjoyable read and makes a great gift, especially for that couple you have no idea what to get them. I received an evaluation copy in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOTE: I received this book for free through LibraryThing - this has not influenced my review.

Absolutely hilarious, and an essential tool for anyone having a baby. (Is it wrong that I thought about acquiring-er, having one to test out the plan?) The babies pictured are adorable, which is always a plus. The only nitpick I have is that it's so super-current that inevitably going to be one of those things that isn't funny in a year or two. But until then, worth buying as a baby shower gift for prospective parents.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in the mail today as a first reads winner. I was able to read it all while I fed my baby and my toddler watched Frozen.

I found this to be an entertaining read with sweet pictures of babies (though perhaps I wouldn't have drawn a cigarette in the badass baby's mouth). I enjoyed figuring out where my baby for on charts and wondering what her persona might be, though I have no plans to make my baby a star. I was hoping for a bit of real life guidance and not everything being about video making but it was still fun.

[Kelley Hicken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book as a first reads winner, and I was SO relieved when I realized it's not a serious attempt to plunge innocent children into internet fame. It made me laugh. In fact, I became one of those obnoxious readers who kept reading snippets to anyone within earshot. The only reason I didn't give it a five-star is because it's not one of those books that you'd read over and over again. But, it's a perfect coffee table book to freak out the in-laws or start some interesting conversation with the neighbors.

[Lindsey Lawntea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review, with videos, is now available on my blog. Received a free review copy from LibraryThing.

How To Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity is a cute, easy-to-read book that would be a great baby shower gift. Honestly, the mommy-to-be is getting enough practical gifts already, and she’s going to need a laugh in about 3 more months.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderfully humorous book that I recommend to anyone with a baby, or with friends with rug rats! I won this in a Goodreads giveaway, and after perusing it, immediately mailed it to a friend with the most adorable baby I have ever seen! lol He sent me an email saying that he and his wife really loved it. This book is a most excellent example of satire/humor aimed at babies and their fawning parents.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this free with FirstReads.

A fun, quick, quirky book. Comedy and nothing else (which is its intent). Makes for a quick fun 1 hour reading. I don't think I'd make a purchase on this, as there's so little substance, and the humor is nothing more than what you could find on the web/TV. But, with 3 daughters of my own, I did appreciate some of the humor. I definitely recommend it to parents only.

[Jillian (Peapod Historical Bookery) · Rating 3 out of 5]

{ I won a copy of this book as a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. }

A snarky, humorous look at the world of internet celebrity babies. I entered the giveaway for this book because I'm a big fan of Quirk Books - their books always manage to entertain, amaze, and/or horrify me. This was a shorter and lighter read than the other Quirk Books I've tried, but still entertaining. Loved the marked-up photos of the adorable babies.

[Kelvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

won in goodreads giveaway...

Where was this book when my babies were little? What a wealth of knowledge Mr Chillot has condensed into an easy to read, well illustrated and fun book. In these pages you will learn how to brand and market your child to his/her adoring public. Sadly, my kids are way past the "prime" 0-12 month age. I feel like we really missed something...So long Harvard.

[Pam Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a hit with my baby friends! We love to laugh. Loved the photography - these babies are sensations. Too cute! I can't see how anyone gave less than 5 stars. It is as advertised!

[Dan Sisco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an essential read for anyone with children, or thinking about having children. Rick perfectly blends humor and instructions for instantly rocketing your child to Internet stardom.

Before you read "What to expect..." read this. It will be infinitely more valuable.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as a Goodreads giveaway, and immediately knew I would "regift" to a friend in the PR business. I thought this was a cure book and would be a great gift for any blogger, social media guru, or modern parent with a good sense of humor.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect coffee table book. A light read with lots of subtle, and not so subtle, jokes. Pick up the book, flip to any page, and enjoy.

[Lauri]

A fun quirky little book. I originally was interested in it to make my pet an internet celebrity. Good little read.