Rod and Gabi VS Luke Bateman vs BookTok

Former Raider Luke Bateman’s Book Deal Causes a Stir

Former Raider Luke Bateman made headlines last week for joining #BookTok and gaining a ton of followers.

Only weeks last Luke announced he has signed a book deal and people aren’t happy, find out why

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
X Rayter. Luke Bateman. We were speaking about him a
few weeks ago because he he's a big reader, and
he joined an online yeah book club, and it's called
book Talk, and tens of thousands of people you know,
I guess followers.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Yes, it's just a hashtag on TikTok called book talk,
which you can then follow, which means it's just a
lot of people on TikTok talking about books.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Okay, Well they're right into him, they're a big fan.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Of Well, we've got a lot of fans just in
one hit. So Luke, he played for the Raiders back
in like I don't know what was it, twenty thirteen
to twenty fifteen. Then he was a bachelor, so he
became even more well known because of that.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
To clarify, not just a bachelor, he was on the
TV show The Bachelor.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yeah that's what I mean. Yes, sorry, he was in
the last ever rendition of The Bachelor's where there was
three bachelors looking for a girl until they canceled the
whole show. And then he's now I believe a farmer,
and I say that because he's doing a lot of
videos and tractors at the moment, So that's.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
What I assume man working the land.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yeah, but anyway, he put up a video on TikTok
and hashtag book talk book talk talking about how he
really likes fantasy books, going to.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Do book talk Toba, book Talktoba. Oh that's he might
do that.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
We should let him know. Yeah, yeah, I just pictured
to him. That's up to him. So he joined book
talk by putting up a video saying, I really love
fantasy books. I'm a dude that hasn't had many people
to talk to about this because other dudes don't talk
about reading, they don't talk about fantasy and I've just
been into it for so long. And everyone was really
loving that video, and he got like one hundred and

(01:37):
seventy thousand followers off the back of that within a week.
So he builds up his following really really quickly on
TikTok using book talk, and then all of a sudden
there's a bit of controversy because everyone's loving him, the
loving that a guy's talking about his love of reading.
And then he goes, guys, I've got a book deal,

(01:59):
and he was so excited about it. So a publisher
has come to him and said, well that he's done
a deal with them to do I think two books,
two fantasy books that he's going to write. He didn't
really go into a lot of detail, but people just
kicked off and they are so mad about it.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Why would you be mad about this? Be happy for
the guy.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Be happy for the guy exactly. So a lot of
people are really upset because it's really hard to get
a book deal, and there's a lot of people out
there who have manuscripts who have been trying to get
to get seen by publishers, let alone have a conversation
with them, and they just it's impossible to do because
it's just such a competitive area and publishers are really, really,
really picky because just people aren't reading as much anymore,

(02:41):
so it's really hard to sell books.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
So should those people not be the ones who are
most excited for him?

Speaker 2 (02:47):
Well, I think the controversy comes from them being a
little bit jealous, a little bit envious, because they've been
finding it so hard. He's come into the stratosphere of
books and within two weeks he has a book deal.
But I don't think it's as shallow as that, Like,
surely it takes longer than two weeks. To get a
book deal across the line. Yeah, how reckon? He joined

(03:11):
book top to get the pr going. She is knowing
that he was about to get a book deal.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
Conspiracy theory. Gabby's in the house, and it won't be
for the last time today. I can promise you that.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
Do I have more conspiracies?

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Yeah, there's one coming up? Is there later on? Oh?

Speaker 2 (03:28):
Okay, sure you're not going to get a book deal
and sign it off and get lawyers to check it
over and make sure it's all good and correct within
two weeks, are you? I mean, you know all those
books you've written, you should know.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
All I know is is a big book reader? Is
this guy Swan's in here at the last minute acting
like he's been reading books.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
I want to see your book review.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
As far as I know, he's had nothing to do
with books. As far as I know, he's illiterate.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
The gut gut read what a claim? That's the famentry.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
Well, well, I wish I had that cueue back up
so I could hit it again.