‘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 ]
News tagged with: #ve read #main character #rarely deliver #novelists

Other Publishing stories related to: '‘A smorgasbord of unlikability’: the authors helping ‘sad girl lit’ grow up'


Spellbound: why ‘witch lit’ is the hottest new genre on our bookshelves

Vampires and ghosts have long haunted popular fiction, but now a string of new releases is focusing on marginalised women with hidden powersSomeone, or something, shadowy has put a strong spell on popular literature aimed at women, once cheekily labelled “chick lit”. This perky genre, packaged... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-08 12:00:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing industry #high point #big thing #hodder


US interest grows after Prince Harry book revelations

New York Times suggests Spare could be one of most divisive celebrity memoirs as comedians and talkshow hosts weigh inConcern, comedy, and confusion – Prince Harry’s upcoming book has generated different reactions across the US, his adopted home country.Excerpts from the autobiography Spare were... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-07 19:39:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #prince harry #autobiography spare #brother william #king charles #marry camilla #british army #upcoming book


A Publishing Group Grows on Facebook

At the start of the pandemic, several publishing professionals from around the world launched a Facebook group called Publishers Without Borders to stay connected to the broader global publishing community during lockdown. Today, the group has grown to 4,800 members and become a hub for... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing professionals #world launched #stay connected #international networking #publishing community


A Publishing Group Grows on Facebook

At the start of the pandemic, several publishing professionals from around the world launched a Facebook group called Publishers Without Borders to stay connected to the broader global publishing community during lockdown. Today, the group has grown to 4,800 members and become a hub for... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing professionals #world launched #stay connected #international networking #publishing community


Why AI audiobook narrators could win over some authors and readers, despite the vocal bumps

Apple and Google’s AI turn in a booming market may sound less than human and raise the ire of voiceover actors, but it has cost benefits For the first few seconds, the narrator of Kristen Ethridge’s new romance audiobook, Shelter from the Storm, sounds like a human being. The voice is light and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-05 06:41:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #audiobook narrator #voiceover actors #audiobook


United Talent Agency Grows Its Literary Business

With the acquisition of the literary agency Fletcher & Company, UTA added hundreds of authors to its client roster. The deal comes amid consolidation in the entertainment industry. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-01-04 17:18:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #entertainment industry #literary agency


A new indie bookstore named for Octavia Butler is opening in the author’s hometown.

Here’s a piece of good literary news to start the year: a new independent bookstore named after the legendary Octavia E. Butler is opening in Pasadena, California, where the late Sci-Fi icon was born and raised. I took the leap and quit my job to open my very own bookstore. Octavia’s Bookshelf... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-03 17:31:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #octavia butler #independent bookstore #bookstore


Book club helps inmates at this Ontario women's prison connect and communicate

Book Club for Inmates, a program run in federal penitentiaries, is having a big impact on inmates at Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ont., helping them develop great discussions and open up about their own lives. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-01-03 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big impact #book club


Announcing the Winner of Electric Lit’s 2022 Book Cover Tournament

Over the holidays, we asked our social media followers to vote for the best book cover of 2022 and after an especially close competition, a crowd favorite won the hearts of book lovers. From 32 beautiful cover designs, here are the semi-finalists: Valley of Want by Ross White, cover design by... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-12-30 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post announcing #electric lit #book lovers #cover design #ross white #electric literature #book cover


12 Sci-Fi Stories to Help Make Sense of the Climate, Risk, and Our Digital Lives

Don’t miss these short stories featuring firefighting drones, lab-grown mammals, long-buried fan fiction, and much more. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2022-12-30 10:50:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #make sense #digital lives #short stories


My Delirious Evening With a Microwave Cookbook for Sad Single People

How does a microwave work to soothe single people’s woes? I tried some truly demented recipes from "Microwave Cooking for One & Two" to find out. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2022-12-29 20:56:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cookbook


Lit Hub’s Favorite Books of 2022, with Emily Temple and Katie Yee

Author and Literary Hub Managing Editor Emily Temple and Lit Hub Associate Editor Katie Yee join hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to talk about Lit Hub’s 38 favorite books of the year as chosen by the staff. The list spans genres from historical to memoir to post-digital... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-29 13:27:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lit hub #emily temple #katie yee #whitney terrell #memoir


Top-selling Canadian cookbook author Jean Paré dies in Edmonton at age 95

Jean Paré, a farm girl from a small village in rural Alberta, and who gained worldwide fame for her Company's Coming cookbook series, has died. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2022-12-27 15:54:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jean par #cookbook


‘The live shows have really lit a fire under us’: how podcasts became arena fillers

Funny, frank and intimate … in recent years, the live versions of audio shows have shot up by 2,000%. Now, comedians are selling out auditoriums nationwideWhen Freddie Mercury jogged on to the stage at Live Aid, he knew he had the crowd in the palm of his hand. When comedian and radio host John... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-12-27 15:00:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #live shows #bloomsbury


French comic book author Fabcaro to pen next Asterix

Author says he will remain faithful to the characters in 40th volume of series, due out next yearThe French comic book series Asterix will turn a new page for its forthcoming 40th volume, with a new writer chosen to pen next year’s instalment, the publisher has said.The French novelist and comic... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-12-20 08:21:03 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Weekly: December 12-16, 2022

Behold the 103 best book covers of the year, as picked by the experts. | Lit Hub How much pain should we tolerate for publicity? Or, when your book tour is interrupted by a near-death experience. | Lit Hub Memoir How Paul McCartney responded to the Beatles’ slow but inevitable disintegration.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-17 11:30:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book covers #lit hub #near-death experience #memoir #book tour


New Releases from Popular Religion Authors

The new year has a wealth of titles from well-known and bestselling authors in the religion and spirituality category who address topics including getting unstuck, “holy fear,” resilience, and even silence. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bestselling authors #spirituality category


HC Union Update: Authors Co-Host Rally at Harper Headquarters; Agents 'Overwhelmingly' Support Strike

Authors including Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, R. F. Kuang, and Molly McGhee rally with HarperCollins union workers outside the company's headquarters on December 16. Meanwhile, nearly 80% of literary agents responding to a recent poll said they support the ongoing strike. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #recent poll #literary agents #harpercollins


Authors Guild Urges New York Governor to Sign Freelance Isn’t Free Act into Law

The bill is a crucial step to protect freelancers based in New York and hired by New York-based companies from wage theft, said Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger in a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #free act #wage theft #authors guild


Children’s Book Author Tomie dePaola and Activist Icon John Lewis on 2023 USPS Stamps

The U.S. Postal Service announced new subjects for 2023 stamps: children's book author Tomie dePaola and civil rights activist John Lewis. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-12-14 18:11:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #children's book #book author