Soft Pink and Baby Blue

I like those colours. Maybe not in my house, but I don't scream and run away when I see them. From what I heard lately in the publishing world, book covers in pink and baby blue had lost their lustre.

After Bridget Jones and The Devil Wears Prada, the explosion of Chick Lit produced a plethora of pink dresses, stiletto pumps and shopping bags. Hollywood and television followed suit with shows and movies about 'women in the big city'.

Eventually publishers started to cringe at the term. Agents began to discourage submissions of chick lit novels.

Has the genre run its course in New York? Maybe. But hang on. Evidence suggests it's still strong elsewhere. Kristin Nelson's blog touched on the continuing popularity of humorous contemporary women's fiction in the UK. Perhaps NY will take a second look if they see something fresh.

Yesterday, I walked around my local Chapters bookstore (while constantly checking to see if Bad Ice was nice and comfy on its shelf), and noticed there were still a healthy number of books with funky lettering and pastel covers. I've read a few - Marian Keyes for example, and was delighted at the depth of the stories. I still re-read Bridget Jones on occasion.

Chick Lit isn't all selfish urban twenty-somethings running around wreaking havoc in the big city. There are lots of intelligent, character-driven stories out there -- tender, sexy and full of laughs. I would hate for Chick Lit to die just because of a few spoiled brats. Perhaps it just needs a different name.

Image: I borrowed this from The Gardeners Glove. What pretty artwork from C. Dianne Lieber.