‘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'


Turning Up the Volume on Author Podcasts

The emergence of author podcasts as a viable and entertaining marketing tool is apparent in the success of three such efforts originating from literary Web sites on the West Coast: Brad Listi’s the Nervous Breakdown, Tom Lutz’s Los Angeles Review of Books, and Tyson Cornell’s company Rare Bird... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House Group UK to tout authors as speakers

Random House is diversifying into author management with the launch of an international speakers... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder: Author Found on Penguin's Web Site Signs Book Deal

An imprint of Penguin Group USA discovered Kerry Schafer after she posted samples on Bookcountry.com, a site that lets writers share their work. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wimpy Kid author files lawsuit against Zombie Kid publisher

Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, has filed a trademark lawsuit against... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Choc Lit snaps up debuts

Independent publisher Choc Lit has bought the world rights to two debut romance novels.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Russell Hoban dies

The author Russell Hoban, published by Bloomsbury, died last night at the age of 86. Hoban is... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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High-profile authors sign up to Vaizey letter

Authors including Patrick Ness, Kate Mosse, Simon Singh, Mary Hoffman and Katherine Langrish,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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History Press makes redundancies, grows digital

The History Press is in consultation with a "small number" of staff over redundancies,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury launches online service for unpublished authors

Bloomsbury is to offer online services to help unpublished authors learn about the publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US Authors Guild attacks Amazon over Kindle Lending

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 15/11/2011 - 10:12 The US Authors Guild has accused Amazon.com of "boldly breaching its contracts" with publishers by signing them up to its new Kindle Lending programme without permission. It claimed it is doing this to drive sales of its Kindle... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Concern grows in US over Kindle lending

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Mon, 07/11/2011 - 09:10 Concern is growing in the US over the launch of Amazon's Kindle lending initiative. Amazon launched the new service last week aimed at Kindle-owning Prime users, but publishers have expressed concern over titles appearing in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yale has a rummage through authors' books

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 31/10/2011 - 08:00 Yale University Press will be nosing around authors' bookshelves with the publication of Unpacking My Library: Writers and Their Books next month, with authors including Philip Pullman, Jonathan Lethem and Junot Díaz... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Meredith Increases Dividend by 50% and Authorizes a $100 Million Stock Repurchase

This story first appears on FOLIO: sister site, minonline. Meredith Corp. chairman/CEO (since July 2004) Steve Lacy announced that the board of directors approved a $1.02-to-$1.53 per-share increase in the quarterly dividend paid to investors and authorized the repurchase of $100 million of... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Subtext Livens Up Ebooks With Author Commentary and Social Reading

A new social reading app called Subtext today launches on the iPad with a selection of books laden with annotations from authors and researchers. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shortlist revealed for South Asian Lit prize

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 25/10/2011 - 08:30 The six shortlisted books competing to win 2012’s $50,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature have been unveiled. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Somper sets up author training company

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 21/10/2011 - 11:35 Vampirates author and long-time children's book publicist Justin Somper has set up Author Profile, a training company aimed at helping authors navigate the media and social networking. Writers including Damian Kelleher,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shining Girl Beukes lands at HC

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 21/10/2011 - 10:42 HarperCollins UK and Australia have won out in a five-way auction for hotly tipped Frankfurt Book Fair title The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. HarperFiction crime and thriller publisher Julia Wisdom, together with Shona... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors to Get Sales Data From Three Big Publishers

Simon & Schuster, Random House and the Hachette Book Group said they would allow authors to access book sales data online, a service Amazon began providing last year. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Global woes unlikely to hit US business at Frankfurt

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 10/10/2011 - 08:43 Leading US publishers are looking forward to this week's Frankfurt Book Fair, with both Simon & Schuster and Hachette bringing more editors than they did last year. Hachette US chairman and c.e.o. David Young will be... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Perseus Creates New Service for Authors Seeking to Self-Publish

David Steinberger of Perseus, which will offer distribution and marketing to authors. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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