‘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'

Debut authors make Waterstones 11

An award-winning ballet dancer and a French opera director are among the debut authors tipped for success in 2013 by book chain Waterstones. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ether for Authors: Can’t See the Reading for the Devices

Porter Anderson curates the best web clips for authors, including Random House's Facebook success, male vs. female genre writing, self-publishing success in the UK and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House UK to launch 'author portal'

Up-to-date sales and royalties information are to become available to authors and agents via an... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Retail sales grow in run-up to Christmas

UK retail sales grew by 1.5% in the run-up to Christmas and online retail saw a boost of 17.8%,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Andrew Lownie to grow fiction

The Andrew Lownie Literary Agency has appointed David Haviland to build a fiction list, with the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-published authors on Kindle bestseller list

Amazon has revealed that 15% of its bestselling Kindle books in the UK last year were written by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Gone Girl' Flynn stays at W&N

Weidenfeld & Nicolson has acquired two new novels by Gillian Flynn, author of bestselling... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-books grow but at low prices

  The consumer ebook market was worth more than £90m in the first 10 months of 2012... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Piatkus snaps up two digital first authors

Piatkus has acquired two debut UK authors, with their works to be published on their digital-... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apps For Everyone: 29th Street Publishing Helps Writers Get Paid

29th Street Publishing sees no reason why selling subscriptions shouldn’t be as easy as blogging. At a time when print magazines such as Newsweek and tablet publications like The Daily are shuttering, the team at 29th Street Publishing is betting on the future of magazines for iPad and... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2012-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Choc Lit gives away books on National Express

Independent publisher Choc Lit has teamed up with National Express to market its titles over the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Girls' creator Lena Dunham's book proposal leaks online

Lena Dunham's 66-page book proposal earned her $3.5 million in her deal with Random House. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US "unlikely" to follow UK lead on Open Access

  Hopes that the US will follow where the UK leads in terms of Open Access for publicly... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Curtis Brown's self-publishing list 'exciting', say authors

Authors Tony Parsons and Jane Fallon have said Curtis Brown’s new digital self-publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Frankfurt is Helping to Create a Magreb Publishing Community

Nacéra Khiat of Algeria's Editions Sedia discusses how training in Casablanca by the Frankfurt Book Fair has brought together disparate publishers from across the Magreb. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ether for Authors: Booking the Future

Porter Anderson reports from the FutureBook conference in London, where agents are making serious moves. Also: Irelands ebooks, YA inspiration and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Hunger Games' author Suzanne Collins will release a picture book

Collins' book, which will be based around her own experiences with a father in the military, will be released this fall. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon adds $1.5m to KDP author pot

Amazon is giving its KDP self-publishing platform a further push before Christmas by putting an... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S to launch self-publishing service with Author Solutions

Simon & Schuster has teamed up with Author Solutions to launch a self-publishing service... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ether for Authors: Circling the Collective

This week's edition looks at how online author communities promote members' books, the pros and cons of physical bookstores, and the steadily growing Kindle market. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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