This Week in Chick Lit
  June 1, 2012  |    Author:  admin

~ By Melina Kantor

Hello Chick Lit Fans,

Happy Friday! And Happy First Day of June.

This week, two chick lit related stories caught my eye.

1. An article in The Economist called, “Chick-Lit Readers Keep Out!” claims that:

“Women’s Fiction” may be a familiar term, but it’s usually deployed in the marketing of certain books or else the demeaning of them, whereas men’s fiction is typically categorised as Literature—the standard against which other so-called niches are measured and defined.

The article also includes this quote from Jennifer Weiner:

If you write thrillers or mysteries or horror fiction or quote-unquote speculative fiction, men might read you, and the Times might notice you. If you write chick lit, and if you’re a New Yorker, and if your book becomes the topic of pop-culture fascination, the paper might make dismissive and ignorant mention of your book. If you write romance, forget about it. You’ll be lucky if they spell your name right on the bestseller list.

2. Then there was the “Female Writers Write Only Chick-Lit? That’s Pure Fiction.” article in The Sydney Morning Herald that began with:

Women should stop defending romance and start making fun of the fantasies men enjoy, beginning with action thrillers.

Now, there’s an idea!

So, what do you think? Please leave us a comment and let us know.

Have a great weekend! 🙂

Melina writes contemporary women’s fiction with a pinch of oregano and a dash of chutzpah. She loves to travel and enjoys turning her adventures into research and inspiration for her writing. This summer, she and her dog will be moving from Brooklyn to Jerusalem. You can visit her at http://melinakantor.com.