"I think it's a nice, frothy, bubbly confection," said Graham Marks, children's editor at Publishing News. "It's not literature, but there's nothing wrong with that." Continued...

The book is the latest step on the singer's comeback trail. Her Showgirl Tour, postponed in May, 2005 when she was diagnosed with the disease, resumes in November.

"I met with the publishers whilst I was having treatment, so yes, it was therapeutic to be working on something that I could basically do through meetings and on the computer and on the Internet," Minogue told Reuters on Saturday.

SOME RESENTMENT

Caroline Horn, children's editor at the Bookseller publication, said professional writers sometimes felt resentment toward celebrities who can command large advances.

Children's authors typically get an advance of 5,000-10,000 pounds ($10,000-20,000), rising to 20,000-30,000 pounds if they are well established, but such figures can be eclipsed by stars.

"A lot of what's selling these days comes down to the PR and the marketing," Horn said.

"That is the trend now. Books and authors are becoming more and more of a brand. But at the same time I think it's hard for publishers for it not to seem a little cynical."

Leading children's author Geraldine McCaughrean, whose official sequel to J.M. Barrie's classic "Peter Pan" is released this week, said resentment was not only about money.

"What really gets up writers' noses is when people who have no association with books or talent for writing do it as if it's something that anyone can produce," she told Reuters.

Some have found both critical and commercial success, such as British comedian Ricky Gervais and his "Flanimals" series.

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