‘A smorgasbord of unlikability’: the authors helping ‘sad girl lit’ grow up

In this post-Fleabag world, publishing has become obsessed with the inner turmoils of messy millennials – but isn’t it time they pulled themselves together? Meet the novelists subverting the clichesYou’ve probably come across this woman: she is unfulfilled in her career, has been abandoned by at least one man, she is aimless and lamenting the obstacles in her life (of which, in reality, there don’t appear to be many). She is not just miserable, she’s a mess; self-absorbed and full of self-loathing.If you’ve read a book by a woman, about a woman, that has been published in the last five years, then it’s overwhelmingly likely that this woman was the protagonist. The narrative likely circled around this character’s sadness, her passive struggle to overcome it, and little else. Typically, such stories have notes of darkness but will rarely deliver the actual thing. Usually the main character (like the author) will be middle-class, if not incredibly wealthy. Almost always she will be white. The book’s cover will probably feature a devastated-looking woman with her hair covering her face or her head cradled in her hands. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-08-08 15:19:43 UTC ]
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Other Publishing stories related to: '‘A smorgasbord of unlikability’: the authors helping ‘sad girl lit’ grow up'


Book Prices: Have Authors Lowballed Themselves?

This week Porter Anderson sets up an #EtherIssue discussion on the market implications of bargain-basement book prices and looks at Kobo's fight for Agency. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors sign up to Hacked Off declaration

JK Rowling, Philip Pullman, Jeanette Winterson and tens of other authors have signed a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors sign #jk rowling #philip pullman #jeanette winterson


Authors on the Air March 14, 2014: Ralph Reed

Ralph Reed, author of "Awakening: How America Can Turn from Moral and Economic Destruction Back to Greatness" (Worthy, 9781617952876) will appear on "The Sean Hannity Show" on Monday, March 17. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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La Casa Azul Bookstore Helping Blast Victims

Harlem’s La Casa Azul Bookstore has stepped up to help residents affected by the gas explosion that destroyed two buildings in East Harlem on Wednesday. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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North Korean dictators: also successful children's book authors?

North Korean dictators Kim Jong-Il and Kim Il-Sung were credited with writing children's books featuring thinly veiled metaphors for North Korean political theory. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #successful children #book authors #writing children


Authors on the Air March 13, 2014: Melissa Wardy and Jenni Pulos

Melissa Wardy, author of "Redefining Girly: How Parents Can Fight the Stereotyping and Sexualizing of Girlhood, from Birth to Tween" (Chicago Review Press, 9781613745526) will appear on NBC's "Today Show" on Friday, March 14. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jenni pulos #today show


More authors added to YALC lineup

Sally Green and Charlie Higson have joined the line-up for the UK's first YA literature... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sally green #charlie higson #ya literature


“Self-Published Authors = 50% of the EBook Market by 2020″

Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, has made the prediction that self-published books will account for 50% of ebook sales by 2020. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook market #mark coker #self-published books #ebook sales


Netflix and Spotify help drive UK home entertainment revenues to £5.3bn

New figures show that three-fifths of Britain's video, video games and music sales are now derived from the internetGrowing demand for streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify helped the UK home entertainment sector increase its revenues in 2013 for the first time in five years to £5.3bn,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air March 12, 2014: Paul Brinkley

Paul Brinkley, author of "War Front to Store Front: Americans Rebuilding Trust and Hope in Nations Under Fire" (Turner, 9781118239223), will appear on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday, March 13. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Even if 'bossy' could be banned, there are far better ways to boost girls' self-esteem | Hadley Freeman

Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg and Beyoncé want to ban the word 'bossy' as disparaging to women. It's a good start, but there's so much more to be done. Here are my top tipsThat growing numbers of girls suffer from issues of self-esteem during adolescence – ones that can be carried over into... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #curtis sittenfeld #elizabeth gilbert


Libraries, Authors and Publishers Head to SXSW 2014

SXSW Interactive (March 7-11), the annual tech festival, opens today in Austin, Tex. and expect to see a wide range of publishers and publishing-related events. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers head #opens today #wide range #publishing-related events


Parents push to end gender division of boys' and girls' books

Let Books Be Books campaign wins instant repsonse from publisher Usborne, in time for International Women's DayA campaign to break down gender divides in children's publishing has met with instant success, after one of the publishers under fire announced they will stop producing titles labelled... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air March 7, 2014: Jenni Pulos and Lisa Bloom

Jenni Pulos, author of "Grin and Bear It: How to be Happy No Matter What Reality Throws Your Way" (St. Martin's, 9781250028198), will appear on the "Today Show" on Monday, March 10. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jenni pulos #lisa bloom #today show


Can A Startup Help Publishers Cut Out Twitter, Facebook, And Flipboard?

Connecting content creators and consumers would be an enormous coup for news sites, magazines, TV networks, and other media. We look at three startups that could help.At magazines like Fast Company, we rely on distribution networks to get our articles to our readers. In print, the primary... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hindu Book Controversy Grows

Amid contested reports that a second book about Hinduism by religion scholar Wendy Doniger may be withdrawn in India, a scholars group is expressing concern about a chilling effect on free inquiry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air March 6, 2014: Pat Williams

Pat Williams, author of "The Mission is Remission: Hope For Battling Cancer" (HCI, 9780757317828), will appear on "CBS This Morning" on Friday, March 7. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Award-Winning Authors Struggling to Make Ends Meet

Writing for The Guardian, Robert McCrum observes that “the credit crunch and the internet are making writing as a career harder than it has been for a generation.” Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Author Fair’s Debut: Change Agents

Porter Anderson reports on the inaugural London Author Fair conference in Covent Garden and looking at the role agents might play for self-publishers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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VIDEO: Cherub author begins a Rock War

A decade after beginning his successful Cherub series, best-selling children's author, Robert Muchamore, publishes his new book, Rock War. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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