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At the moment, all we seem to hear about is how people mis-concieve chick lit, and this isn’t help by articles in the press such as Polly Courtney’s now infamous sacking of her pbulishers HarperCollins as she felt her books were being wrongly branded. However, we have a very steady and high number of visitors to this website, and there are a lot more chick lit bloggers out there too which suggest that the demand for ‘chick lit’ is still out there. However, the facts seem to show that there is sadly a decline in the sales of this type of fiction, and you have to wonder how much of it is due to the slating of the genre in the press, and even writers themselves disliking being classified under the chick lit umbrella. Yet despite this, endless chick lit novels achieve huge success, and quite a few lately have been turned into successful movies too: Emily Giffin’s ‘Something Borrowed’, Karyn Bosnak’s ‘What’s Your Number’ and Allison Pearson’s ‘I Don’t Know How She Does It’.

I found an interesting article on The Bookseller website this morning , about how women’s fiction isn’t selling as well as it used to, including big names like Marian Keyes and Jodi Picoult, with the top 20 women’s fiction authors selling on average 10% less this year than they did on their last title. However, can it just be attributed to the fact people haven’t got the spare cash to buy books? Or are women buying books on electronic reading devices such as Kindles, so they don’t have to be seen reading chick lit in public? I personally don’t understand some people’s issues with reading chick lit in public, Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes et al. are all hugely popular - why should I feel bad reading them because they have pretty covers? I don’t, I never have and I never will. So is the problem therefore down to the publishers and the way they have been marketed? Surely, they know their business and what sells, and it its worked well in the past, why change something if it isn’t broken?

So do you think that there is a downturn in women’s fiction, and if you do, why? Do you want your chick lit to be packaged differently, just changing what’s on the outside, and not on the insisde? I personally think that I definitely don’t want to see it being changed, and from seeing the activity we have on our website here, our Twitter feed where we are always asked for recommendations of chick lit to read and on our Facebook page, where lots of people still seem to be saying they are buying new releases when we post our photo albums of any given month’s releases, and women still seem to be excited for it. I’m always seeing on Facebook and Twitter that authors have sold rights to their books to many foreign countries, so there’s clearly still a global appeal for this type of fiction too. However, when you have women complaining to WH Smith about a problem with a ‘Women’s Fiction’ section in their stores, you have to wonder what we’re up against. We can spread the word about fantastic authors and books, but some people are so blinkered they don’t want to listen. I for one, and Leah, Danielle and all of our readers too are proud chick lit lovers, and hopefully as long as there is a demand for this fiction, it’ll continue to be written, published and loved!

Long live Chick Lit!

Article on The Bookseller mentioned in this article: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/womens-brands-hard-hit-downturn.html

So, Polly Courtney did something dramatic this week. You could also say Polly Courtney did something stupid this week and you’d be correct. On the night of the launch of her new novel It’s A Man’s World, Polly Courtney announced to the world (if Courtney can be dramatic, so can I) she was “firing” her publishers Harper Collins. That’s actually rubbish. She isn’t “firing” them. She’s at the end of her three-book contract and one can presume she hasn’t been offered another so… out comes an outburst so ridiculous it’s actually laughable. To add to the drama of the night Polly then said this about her reasons for leaving: “[That her novel covers are] ‘patronising [to] women’ with ‘fluffy’ marketing campaigns.” That the book cover and title of her new book is “racy” and “inappropriate” and then to top it all off, she went and insulted the very same women who will (or, rather, won’t) be buying her book by saying this: “A lot of chick lit patronises women. There’s intelligent writing out there and I don’t know why it has to be sold in such a fluffy package.”

Let’s start with Polly’s dramatics. Firstly, what she did was unprofessional. I’m sorry, but if you have a problem with the title of your novel or the cover of your novel, is the best thing to do really to speak out loud? No, I didn’t think so. What’s worse is that there’s nothing wrong whatsoever with the title or the cover of her book because the cover isn’t “racy” and the title isn’t “inappropriate”. In fact the only argument she has in relation to her books cover is that it’s a rip-off of the Morning Glory movie poster. It’s A Man’s World. Wow, it just makes me bristle with indignation. Oh, wait, no it doesn’t because it actually makes sense. I see that the title is obviously because the novel is about, wait for it wait for it, A WOMAN GOING TO WORK AT A LADS MAG. A lads mag that is MALE-DOMINATED. A Man’s World, then, no? I have no words if Courtney thinks the cover is “racy”. It’s hardly a Mills and Boon type cover. In fact it’s, again, entirely appropriate. It’s a woman sitting presumbably on a desk or that’s the idea. Oh dear Lord, how racy. MY EYES. MY EYES. Not that you see that every day at work places up and down the world. Not that women regularly wear (gasp!) skirts and (gasp!) might perch on a desk and (gasp!) might have a bit of leg showing. Totally inappropriate. I think skirts should be banned forever, miles too racy for me. My poor eyes may never recover. (In fact, the only thing that DID hurt my eyes was seeing Courtney with her legs akimbo on a pole which is miles more racy and inappropriate than anything in or on or about her book. I mean, I ask you. This is someone who is so ardently feminist yet she goes and poses on a pole. A pole that women dance on in strip clubs where seedy men give them money for lapdancers. Very empowering, pole dancing… Say all you like about Polercise but at the end of the day when I hear pole dancing, I think of half-naked women swinging around in greasy, dank bars for drunk, horrible men. For the record, I’m aware it’s up to Courtney what her hobbies are but it’s a bit rich of her to complain about things like a racy cover and inappropriate title and then for pictures to come to light of her on a pole).

Second, lets address the Chick Lit issue. I’d really rather not, because I am sick and utterly tired of discussing just how Chick Lit is not patronising. I’d first like to point out that Polly Courtney writes Chick Lit. I don’t care what she thinks, she writes Chick Lit. It’s not about how her publishers dress it up, it’s not about the covers the publishers put on, it’s not about the title, it’s about the content. I’ve only read It’s A Man’s World, but I’ve read Chloe’s review of The Fame Factor and both(!) would fall into the Chick Lit category. Chick Lit has come a long way since it started and covers a vast range of topics and things. I have never felt patronised by reading a Chick Lit novel, pink or fluffy cover or not. What Polly doesn’t realise is that her comments are patronising. Women aren’t fooled by beautiful pink covers. For someone who advocates women as being intelligent and perfectly capable of doing so-called “men’s” jobs, it’s a bit rich she presumes because a publisher gives a book a pink cover it’s going to be patronising or a fluffy read and that it may just contain a heroine capable of not going nuts over a guy. To clarify: No matter what Polly says, she writes Chick Lit. That’s the long and short of it and if she doesn’t like it, well, she can go and write the next great British literary novel.

Courtney has done herself no favours with her outburst. It’s all a big publicity stunt, frankly. Her publisher did nothing wrong at all with the cover (by that, I mean it’s not racy; it’s still wrong it’s a rip-off of Morning Glory) - or the title - of It’s A Man’s World. It adequetly conveys what the novel is about and it’s adequetly targeted to the audience it’s meant to target. Women. At the end of the day, Polly Courtney writes novels for women, so it’s somewhat reasonable the book will look attractive to women. Big whoop. Courtney may feel she’s somehow starting a “revolution” against Chick Lit but that’s rubbish. She shouldn’t be alienating people like me (for the record, I will never pick up another Polly Courtney novel). In what way is her outburst going to realistically sell more copies? It won’t. If Courtney had said all this stuff before I’d read her novel, I’d never have read it. Because she sounds stuck-up and ungrateful. Who’s going to buy a book by someone who talks such utter nonsense? So Polly Courtney can tell herself whatever it is that makes her feel better, but all us readers know better. We know what her novels are, we know that there’s nothing wrong with her book cover or title and we know this is seemingly nothing more than someone who’s at the end of her contract and hasn’t been given a new one and needs a leg-up since she’s now going to self-publish. I hope she doesn’t put a woman on her cover, because it might appeal to women a bit too much for her liking when she wants a more diverse readership.

Most people have heard of Katie Price. She’s a celebrity… Well, she is in the loosest sense of the word. She’s huge in the UK, although I have no idea if her “talents” have made it across the pond. Katie Price has millions of fans, though - for every Katie Price detractor there are ten who would jump off a bridge if Katie did. Katie’s many enteprises include being a model, a fashion designer, a singer, a reality TV person and a writer. Katie Price has “written” six novels so far, although they were all written by a ghostwriter who, as far as we’re aware, is Rebecca Farnworth.

Now Katie Price gets a lot of stick for the novels she puts out. Mainly because she doesn’t write them herself, but also because they’re nothing more than trashy novels. I was one of those people. For so long, I’ve said Katie Price shouldn’t be allowed within one hundred feet of a Chick Lit novel, but after doing some research it appears - gulp! - that Miss Price probably helps, not hinders, the Chick Lit industry.

Despite the fact Katie Price doesn’t write her own novels, there is somebody back there who does. There is somebody beavering away at a laptop, ostensibly turning KP’s ideas into a fully-fledged novel. So although Katie may not bash them out herself, there is a “real” writer out there who is writing them. So you could say that by Katie Price being an author, it’s given a “real” writer a shot at proving their worth. Each time Rebecca Farnworth writes a KP novel, she’s showing her wares. She’s having a book published - whether under her real name or not, it’s something she wrote. Obviously the lines are probably a bit blurred, as KP does indeed go around doing the publicity but I’m sure Rebecca Farnworth sees the books as her own work, or at least part of them anyway. I’d also hazard a guess that via writing Katie Price’s novels she got her own book deal, too. She published two novels through Arrow (an imprint of Random House, who publish… Guess who?) Valentine and A Funny Thing About Love. So if anything, writing for Katie Price has helped Rebecca become a proper, I-wrote-these-novels-and-they-have-my-name-on author.

Since I’ve read over 500 books, it’s fair to say I’ve come across a lot of wonderful characters. I figured I’d narrow it down and pick my top 5 and the give honourable mentions to 5 others that just missed out. (This is going to be so fun. For me, anyway.) Look out for my Top 5 Male Characters Ever coming soon, too (then who knows what else - book covers, pets, children… lemme know what you’d like to know)!

1. Stephanie Plum, from Janet Evanovich’s “Plum” series.
Stephanie Plum is new to me, but from the first page of One for the Money I decided I wanted to be her when I grow up. I mean she’s a bounty hunter, for crying out loud. If that’s not the best job ever then I do not know what is. She lives in Jersey, with her hamster Rex (I love Rex) and has the funniest family ever (the ever-sprightly Grandma Mazur, her mom who likes to make the sign of the cross regularly, and her dad who likes to keep his head down and his mouth shout). She has a sidekick in Lula and men flock to her. Morelli, Ranger and (from what it seems) Diesel, too. I like Ranger best. I’ll tell you why in my Male Characters post. If I could be anybody for the day I’d be Stephanie Plum, although hopefully I won’t get shot at, and my car won’t blow up.

2. Becky Bloomwood, from Sophie Kinsella’s “Shopaholic” series.
Becky Bloomwood was the first Chick Lit character who I ever really wanted to be. I love her. I mean, seriously. I want her life. The shopping included. Despite her shopaholic tendencies, I never tire of reading the Shopaholic books and I’ve read each book multiple times. I wasn’t a fan of the Isla Fisher version of Ms Bloomwood, mind, I don’t imagine Becky like that at all (THE RED HAIR being a major major drawback). Plus if I was Becky I’d get to wear that t-shirt from Shopaholic & Baby (hence why I really didn’t like Isla Fisher’s red-headed-ness).

Oh, yeah, and I’d get to be married to Luke Brandon.

3. Abigail Wood, from Gemma Burgess’s novel “A Girl Like You”.
Abigail is on this list for one reason only (no, not for Robert, though I do admit, he has a certain charm). No, Abigail is the kind of Chick Lit character I wish more Chick Lit authors would write. She’s ballsy, she speaks her mind and I just plain old love her down to the ground. She’s someone who if you met her in real life, she’d tell you how it is and how it’s going to be. Sass (from The Dating Detox) was exactly the same, but it’s Abigail who won out. Just thinking about the lovely Abigail makes me want to read the book again. That’s some good work there!

4. Scarlett O’Brien, from Ali McNamara’s novel “From Notting Hill With Love… Actually”.
I fell in love with Scarlett O’Brien from the first page of Ali McNamara’s debut novel last year, her love for the movies was the major thing. I’m a big movie fan, though I don’t watch many these days because I just don’t have the concentration unless it’s something I really want to see. But Scarlett’s love for the movies is so much more than that. It encapsulates her, it’s how she lives her life, hoping to be involved in her very own movie scenes, trying to make it so she can get herself into situations from her favourite movies. I can’t wait to meet her again in Ali’s sequel to the novel, which will be out at some point in the future.

5. Katy Carter, from Ruth Saberton’s novel “Katy Carter Wants A Hero”.
Another heroine who will be back soon in a sequel (woohoo!) is the brilliant Katy Carter. Katy Carter reminded me hugely of Becky B. She’s so warm, so funny and her friends mean the world to her. She’s the kind of character who stands out - or she did to me anyway. Even now I still laugh at the way she dealt with Pinchy the lobster. It still makes me smile remembering the bathtub scene. That’s the kind of character who stands out and Katy Carter is such a character. I can’t wait to see her let loose in New York (despite the fact the bells are clanging since Becky B. also ventured to New York in her second novel…). Either way, long live Katy Carter!

Honourable mentions: Isabel Spellman (from Lisa Lutz’s “Spellman Family” novels), Sophy (from Liz Young’s “Asking For Trouble), Maeve Connolly (from Kerry Reich’s “The Good Luck Girl”), Meg Stiles (from Paige Toon’s “Johnny Be Good” and upcoming “Baby Be Mine”), Holly Colshannon (from Sarah Mason’s “Playing James”).

As someone who reviews not only Chick Lit, but also Children’s books including Young Adult fiction it’s always nice for me when the two worlds collide. But what I wonder is how Chick Lit Reviews readers feel about it?

In the past here I’ve reviewed a few different Young Adult Chick Lit books that I thought were fantastic reads, but all seemed to be much more than what I would deem a “typical YA read.” I’m not a huge fan of love triangles which seem to be prevalent in YA books and these all fell either outside that area or were a much more mature version of that idea. I think that as time has gone on books are becoming more diverse, that the “age level” is much more negotiable and that themes many YA books tackle can be just as thought provoking as an adult title dealing with the same thing. Are there themes you look for or try to avoid when reading YA Chick Lit so that it doesn’t feel too young?

Now, with the summer quickly approaching there seems to be a plethora of Young Adult Chick Lit books being released. Is it due to the summer? Perhaps an increased interest in the crossover appeal from Adult Chick Lit to YA Chick Lit? You tell me, which of the following books might you be interested in and why (just click on the cover to go to the Goodreads synopsis)?

Are trends in Chick Lit becoming a bit old?

Everybody knows I’m a huge Chick Lit fan, I’ve made a website from my love for Chick Lit for crying out loud. But recently, I’m noting an alarming trend. Instead of focusing on well-written novels, publishers seem to be publishing books that are ‘on trend’.

For example, as soon as it was announced that Prince William and Kate (should I call her Catherine now?) would be marrying, there came an influx of wedding-related books released in the build-up. Chrissie Manby published Kate’s Wedding and Jenny Haddon, under the pseudonym of Sophie Page released To Marry A Prince. Most alarmingly, Kim Gruenenfelder’s third novel There’s Cake In My Future, about a cake pull, suddenly became Wedding Fever, despite the fact there’s one (!) wedding in the novel which happens fairly early on in the book.

Coming in August is Gypsy Wedding by Kate Lace, undoubtedly influenced by the sudden interest in gypsy weddings due to the highly popular Channel Four show (I can’t see the interest, personally, but each to their own). I would be very interested to know if Kate had originally decided to write the novel or if it came more at an opportunistic time. I mean, many people will pick it up because it’s about a gypsy wedding!

To be honest, it all seems a bit manufactured. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Kate’s Wedding and I can’t wait to read Gypsy Wedding, but I don’t read books depending on what’s popular, I read books I know I will enjoy. Sure, gypsy’s are hugely popular at the moment but I’m not going to overdose myself on gypsy themed TV shows and books just because of it.

Then there’s the trends that every author must have to write about before they’re considered a proper author (I am joking, honest). The first one is a Christmas-themed novel. Every author with at least five novels will have at least one Christmas-themed novel. I guarantee it. It’s like a right of passage. Personally I don’t understand it. I like a Christmas-themed novel, sure, but they can get really old, really quick because there’s only so many times you can have a unique Christmas novel. I understand that most people want to curl up with something Christmassy in the Winter months, but I’m not one of those people. I don’t read by season, I read what I like the sound of. (For the record there are currently 9, yes 9, Christmas-themed novels due to be released in 2011).

The second trend for any author worth their salt (still joking) is a New York novel. I am getting sick to my back-teeth of novels set in New York. Because it’s losing its appeal. It’s not as magical, because everybody is doing it. There are 49 other states in the USA and many other countries beyond, but New York is still where every author sends their characters. It’s becoming gimmicky. Currently there are 7 novels that will be set (or part set) in New York that will be released in 2011 (New York Valentine, The Jewels of Manhattan, Manhattan, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?, Something From Tiffany’s, Destiny, Christmas At Tiffany’s). I also know that there are two authors currently working on sequels that will be set in New York (Ruth Saberton and Ali McNamara) which to me, in all honesty, seems a rip-off of the Shopaholic novels as after Confessions of a Shopaholic, Becky goes to New York in Shopaholic Abroad. Don’t get me wrong, I love both of those authors, but it just lacks any uniqueness. I wish they’d explore other countries, because there are more countries and cities than England and New York!

I understand why publishers publish books that are on trend, don’t get me wrong, obviously publishing Christmas-themed books at Christmas is a no-brainer. I’m not an idiot, I’m well aware of that, but I find it sad that instead of authors writing a story they believe in, that perhaps they have to theme it to a certain event. Christmas, New York, gypsy weddings, royal weddings… I mean, where will it end? Next year, with The Only Way Is Essex, Geordie Shore & Made in Chelsea, will we have an influx of reality TV themed novels? It sets a bit of a precedent, is all, and I for one don’t want to be inundated with reality TV Chick Lit novels next year. I bet I’ve set it off now, actually. Well, at least I’ve warned you. You can thank/blame me if you want.

It’s almost Summer! Can you believe it?! I was recently asked in an interview which Summer reads I was most looking forward to and it got me thinking…what makes a great summer read? Now, I may have an unfair advantage having grown up a short drive from the beach and now living in our current residence only about ten minutes from some gorgeous beaches. Having said that…I think most imply a certain “getaway” feeling. For me, that may happen to be a breezy beach locale or it could be simply a getaway from life in general; something completely different from where I’m at at the moment, either in mindset or location.

At the moment there are quite a few books I’m looking forward to reading this summer, but I thought I’d highlight a few very “Summer-y” looking books you might be adding to your to-be-read pile. Take a look and you tell me…what makes the perfect Summer read for you?

The LA Times Festival of Books is an annual book festival that happens each April in Los Angeles. Up until this year it’s been held at UCLA, but beginning this year they’ve switched the venue to USC campus. I was able to attend last year and had an incredible time! So, needless to say I’m eager to go again this year, not only to meet with authors & publishers, but also to see how things change with the new locale. Here’s a bit of info direct from the The LA Times Festival of Books site for those who haven’t attended before, but might like to:

Dates & Location
The annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will be held Saturday & Sunday, April 30 – May 1, 2026 at:
University of Southern California
Click here for map.
To locate USC on Yahoo! Maps or similar mapping software, you may use the intersection of Exposition Blvd and S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90089.
Tickets & Admission
General attendance is free!
Parking
Parking at the USC campus will be $10.

My question for our readers is, will you be attending?
Are you an author, publisher, publicist, or book blogger who will be there? If so, please let me know! I’d love to schedule time to meet with as many people as possible for interviews or just to chat! Please feel free to email the site at editor{at}chicklitreviews{dot}com to set up a time to chat! Until then, I hope to see you there!