Gallery UK acquires memoir by daughter of disgraced YouTube parenting vlogger Ruby Franke

Gallery UK, an imprint of Simon & Schuster UK, has acquired The House of My Mother by Shari Franke.  

Senior commissioning editor Alison MacDonald acquired UK & Commonwealth Rights (excluding Canada) from Paul O’Halloran at Gallery US. Gallery UK will publish simultaneously with the US on 7th January 2025. 

The House of My Mother is the story of growing up on her mother Ruby Franke’s viral vlog.  

At its peak, Ruby’s vlog, "8 Passengers"—which documented the picture-perfect lives of Shari and her five younger siblings—boasted 2.5 million subscribers on YouTube. Viewers began to notice signs of child abuse, however, and Ruby and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested. 

The pair were sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for aggravated child abuse in February this year. 

Shari has not spoken to any press, instead wanting to tell her story on her terms. 

Alison MacDonald said: "At just 21, Shari is the first of a generation of child vloggers whose lives have been relentlessly mined for content—without their consent. Her experiences of growing up with an abusive mother are powerfully told on the page, resulting in one of the most compulsive memoirs I’ve ever read. Hers is a deeply unique and fascinating perspective, and her story raises important questions about the ethics of family vlogging and the invasion of privacy, which should be our birthright."

Shari Franke is the eldest daughter of the Franke family. She is a student at Brigham Young University.