‘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'


‘The crime writer crime writers read’: Garry Disher, author of 60 books and finding fame in his 70s

The Australian author is ‘incredibly influential’, but has had to survive decades of ‘cultural cringe’ and genre snobbery to make finally ‘a decent sort of living’Before parched and dusty towns across Australia became full of fictional sinister people; before the explosion of outback noir and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-04-05 23:00:18 UTC ]
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Lynne Reid Banks, Author of ‘The Indian in the Cupboard,’ Dies at 94

She explored the struggles of young women in the novel “The L-Shaped Room” but found her biggest success with a children’s book about a magical cupboard. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-04-05 22:36:08 UTC ]
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Lynne Reid Banks, author of The Indian in the Cupboard, dies aged 94

Writer was also one of first female news reporters on British TV, interviewing stars such as Charlie ChaplinThe author Lynne Reid Banks, known for her novel The L-Shaped Room and her children’s book series The Indian in the Cupboard, has died at the age of 94.She died of cancer “peacefully with... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-04-05 14:04:44 UTC ]
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New Climate Fiction Author Sarah Ruiz-Grossman’s Favorite Cli-Fi Books

This Earth Day, settle into "A Fire So Wild," Sarah Ruiz-Grossman's debut novel about the societal impacts of climate change. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2024-04-05 09:45:24 UTC ]
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Author T L Swan Launches Publishing Venture, Keeperton

In its first year, Keeperton will publish 10 titles—four of them by Swan, whose Miles High Club series is a BookTok favorite—under its romance imprint, Arndell. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: April 3, 2024

Get ready for the fun and the fantastical. Caroline Carlson recommends new children’s books by Maple Lam, Felicita Sala, Laurie Morrison and more. | Lit Hub Reading Lists The collapse of Small Press Distribution has left over 400 publishers uncertain about the future. Adam Morgan talks to small... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-03 10:30:45 UTC ]
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Red Antler Names Kiser Barnes Partner and CCO to Grow at Scale

Brooklyn agency Red Antler named Kiser Barnes as partner and chief creative officer to elevate the work of its client roster, expand its portfolio of global business partners and solidify the agency's creative reputation. Barnes comes to Red Antler from Digitas, where he... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2024-04-01 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: April 1, 2024

New month, new books. Here are the best sci-fi and fantasy reads coming in April. | Lit Hub Reading Lists We know. Sometimes lugging around a hardcover is, well, hard. Maybe these new paperbacks are exactly what you need. | Lit Hub Reading Lists “I ate my food on the couch. Then I went upstairs […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-01 10:30:36 UTC ]
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‘I will defeat Richard Osman!’: Holly Jackson on being Britain’s top selling female crime author

The YA novelist talks about her early love of Tomb Raider, true crime and fangirling the cast of the BBC adaptation of A Good Girl’s Guide to MurderA few minutes into our conversation, bestselling author Holly Jackson is convinced she’s spotted the American singer Nick Jonas. It would be... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-03-30 11:00:08 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: March 28, 2024

 It turns out that sitting down to write and stepping up to the starting block aren’t so different. Jade Song on what swimming has taught her about craft. | Lit Hub Memoir The Great Bambino wasn’t the only slugger with an unforgettable nickname. Kevin Baker introduces us to Boom-Boom,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-28 10:30:28 UTC ]
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Kate Banks, Children’s Author Who Wrote About Grief, Dies at 64

She became an award-winning author of children’s books and young-adult novels despite debilitating health issues and the murder of her father. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-03-27 20:06:57 UTC ]
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How Hearst Magazines is using its digital membership model to grow its e-commerce marketplace business 

Hearst's Sheel Shah took the stage at the Digiday Publishing Summit to speak about why its marketplace business is focusing on authority. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2024-03-27 04:01:00 UTC ]
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Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize–Winning Psychologist and Author, Dies at 90

Kahneman's 2011 bestseller 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' exposed the psychological underpinnings of economic decision-making, and his research—much of it conducted with fellow psychologist Amos Tversky—earned him a Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2002. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Babar’ Heir And Author Laurent De Brunhoff Dies At Age 98

Laurent de Brunhoff, who revived his father's popular picture book series about an elephant king, has died. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2024-03-23 20:35:30 UTC ]
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Fast-Growing Independent Publishers, 2024

The eight indie presses that made PW’s fast-growing list for 2023 thrived in a challenging business environment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: March 20, 2024

Howard Norman talks to Michael Ondaatje about his first collection of poetry in twenty-five years. | Lit Hub In Conversation “If the infant is primitive so is its earliest vice, jealousy—probably the most innate vice of all.” The late Elspeth Barker on the most human of experiences. | Lit Hub... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-20 10:30:01 UTC ]
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Frans de Waal, Primatologist and Bestselling Author, Dies at 75

Bestselling author and Emory University primatologist Frans de Waal—credited by many with changing our understanding of both animals and humans through a number popular, groundbreaking books—died on March 14. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Everyone’s Reading Books About Hot Faeries Now. This Bestselling Author Has Been Writing Them for Decades.

The Prisoner’s Throne author Holly Black reflects on the rise of “romantasy” novels, explicit sex scenes, and BookTok. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2024-03-18 21:31:31 UTC ]
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Lauren Groff Prepares to Open Her Bookstore—with a Little Help from Her Bookseller Friends

Fortified by advice and tips from Ann Patchett and Emma Straub, her fellow authors-turned-indie-booksellers, the author of 'Fates and Furies' and 'Matrix' readies to open her new bookstore, the Lynx, in downtown Gainesville, Fla., this spring. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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