Shewanda Pugh's Blog: The Wandering Mind of a Romance Writer - Posts Tagged "chick-lit"
Just What the Heck is Women's Fiction
The term “women’s fiction” is broad and encompasses a wide range of work. Among its breadth are romance novels, so-called “chick lit” and many works otherwise thought mainstream. What they all have in common is that they are deemed “marketable to women.”
Sexist language aside, women’s fiction is often described in muddled, near incoherent fashion by an industry who oft-times seems as confused by what constitutes the genre as those who actually seek the answer. “Books marketable to women” is a definition so vague and borderline offensive as to be deemed worthy of dismissal. Yet, it is the description most often relied upon. On FindmeanAuthor.com, women’s fiction is described as able to “touch the reader in ways other fiction cannot. Relationship stories, generational sagas, love stories and women's commercial fiction must touch on subjects women can relate to in their real lives. Put another way: Women's fiction taps into the hopes, fears, dreams and even secret fantasies of women today.” Agent Scott Eagan states that women’s fiction must “follow the female journey and learn what it takes to be a female.” This is the most concise and approachable definition I’ve found to date.
Since women’s fiction encompasses a range of specialties, it runs the gamut from superficial to sobering. Romance novels have been around for a few hundred years. Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded was an early romance considered a breakthrough on two fronts. One, romance was the primary force of the story. Two, said story was told from the view of a female protagonist. Richardson would pave the way for Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and publishers Mills and Boon and Harlequin, which succeeded in marketing romance to the masses. Romance novels, while largely criticized as fluff and thoughtless fiction, or, at times referred to as “bodice rippers” are the bread and butter of publishers. According to Romance Writer’s of America, romance is and continues to be the largest producer of book sales in the industry. Not only did romance fiction generate $1.358 billion in sales in 2010, but also it remained the largest share of the consumer market at 13.4 percent. The following is a breakdown of sub-genre’s the organization claims under the umbrella of romance and the associated sales:
Romance Subgenres Published in 2011
Romance fiction: $1.358 billion in estimated revenue for 2010
Religion/inspirational: $759 million
Mystery: $682 million
Science fiction/fantasy: $559 million
Classic literary fiction: $455 million
More information on this phenomenon can be found here.
The category known as “chick-lit” was ushered in with Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary in 1996. Traits of the work include a light-hearted approach to the issues of modern woman and, according to Suzanne Ferris, author of In the Classroom or In the Bedroom, “often feature a career-driven heroine, an obsession with appearance, and a passion for shopping.” As a monster unto itself, chick-lit is a major enterprise, with television shows and movies like Sex in the City garnering a tidal wave of fans.
Chick-lit and romance aside, the rest of women’s fiction is a conglomerate of paths, ideas and works all deemed to be “marketable to women.” Each deals with the female experience—whether that be how she relates to her mother/sister/husband or children, or, in any context in the outside world. It cannot be stressed enough how broad and all encompassing this definition is, thereby defying any all-inclusive definition altogether. Many of the literary world’s best known authors write women’s fiction, imcluding Amy Tan, Sue Monk Kidd, Lisa See and Jodi Piccoult, leading us all to beg the question of just “what the heck is women’s fiction,” once again. For a novel that finds itself women's fiction and romance (circular argument, I suppose), check out my debut, Crimson Footprints, today.
Sexist language aside, women’s fiction is often described in muddled, near incoherent fashion by an industry who oft-times seems as confused by what constitutes the genre as those who actually seek the answer. “Books marketable to women” is a definition so vague and borderline offensive as to be deemed worthy of dismissal. Yet, it is the description most often relied upon. On FindmeanAuthor.com, women’s fiction is described as able to “touch the reader in ways other fiction cannot. Relationship stories, generational sagas, love stories and women's commercial fiction must touch on subjects women can relate to in their real lives. Put another way: Women's fiction taps into the hopes, fears, dreams and even secret fantasies of women today.” Agent Scott Eagan states that women’s fiction must “follow the female journey and learn what it takes to be a female.” This is the most concise and approachable definition I’ve found to date.
Since women’s fiction encompasses a range of specialties, it runs the gamut from superficial to sobering. Romance novels have been around for a few hundred years. Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded was an early romance considered a breakthrough on two fronts. One, romance was the primary force of the story. Two, said story was told from the view of a female protagonist. Richardson would pave the way for Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and publishers Mills and Boon and Harlequin, which succeeded in marketing romance to the masses. Romance novels, while largely criticized as fluff and thoughtless fiction, or, at times referred to as “bodice rippers” are the bread and butter of publishers. According to Romance Writer’s of America, romance is and continues to be the largest producer of book sales in the industry. Not only did romance fiction generate $1.358 billion in sales in 2010, but also it remained the largest share of the consumer market at 13.4 percent. The following is a breakdown of sub-genre’s the organization claims under the umbrella of romance and the associated sales:
Romance Subgenres Published in 2011
Romance fiction: $1.358 billion in estimated revenue for 2010
Religion/inspirational: $759 million
Mystery: $682 million
Science fiction/fantasy: $559 million
Classic literary fiction: $455 million
More information on this phenomenon can be found here.
The category known as “chick-lit” was ushered in with Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary in 1996. Traits of the work include a light-hearted approach to the issues of modern woman and, according to Suzanne Ferris, author of In the Classroom or In the Bedroom, “often feature a career-driven heroine, an obsession with appearance, and a passion for shopping.” As a monster unto itself, chick-lit is a major enterprise, with television shows and movies like Sex in the City garnering a tidal wave of fans.
Chick-lit and romance aside, the rest of women’s fiction is a conglomerate of paths, ideas and works all deemed to be “marketable to women.” Each deals with the female experience—whether that be how she relates to her mother/sister/husband or children, or, in any context in the outside world. It cannot be stressed enough how broad and all encompassing this definition is, thereby defying any all-inclusive definition altogether. Many of the literary world’s best known authors write women’s fiction, imcluding Amy Tan, Sue Monk Kidd, Lisa See and Jodi Piccoult, leading us all to beg the question of just “what the heck is women’s fiction,” once again. For a novel that finds itself women's fiction and romance (circular argument, I suppose), check out my debut, Crimson Footprints, today.
The Wandering Mind of a Romance Writer
This is the official blog of novelist Shewanda Pugh. Author of Crimson Footprints, and in general, works of sweeping interracial/multiracial novels that celebrate culture and diversity, challenge our
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