Self-Published eBooks: Good or Bad?

PubIt! is the new self-publishing platform by Barnes & Noble. It is a 3-step process to publishing your book as an eBook and selling it through Barnes & Noble. All you have to do is upload your book and cover art. Then, PubIt! will turn the files into ePub format and make the book available for purchase from BN.com. It is similar to Lulu and Amazon’s CreateSpace. With the creation of self-publishing tools, some questions and concerns come up. Is self-publishing helpful or hurtful to independent writers? On one hand, it is great that writers who have not been able to secure an agent or a publisher can still have their work published and sold through popular retailers. But how will this affect agents and publishers? If the eBook continues to gain popularity, maybe writers will completely bypass the agent/publisher step and go straight to self-publishing. The most difficult and stressful time of a writer’s career is usually the search for an agent or publisher. Platforms like PubIt! take away the waiting and the rejection letters. However, I would imagine that it would be difficult to sell and market a self-published book. Yes, it is available through Barnes & Noble but people need to know that it is there. Writers won’t have the advantage of a publisher’s marketing team or the support of an agent or maybe not even the means to hire their own PR firm. Do the disadvantages of self-publishing an eBook outweigh the advantages? What about copyediting, revisions, and suggestions? An independent writer will have to rely solely on help from crit groups, family members, and friends. Is it worth it to be independent or should writers hold out for a contract? Will self-published eBooks help writers get noticed by agents and publishers when trying to pitch their next book?

What do you think? Have you self-published anything? What are your experiences with PubIt!, CreateSpace, and/or Lulu? Are there other self-publishing platforms not mentioned in this post? Let us know!

Nancy

Giuliana & Bill: Real-Life Romantic Comedy

I am really looking forward to reading the new book by Giuliana and Bill Rancic, I Do, Now What?: Secrets, Stories, and Advice from a Madly-In-Love Couple. I first saw Bill on The Apprentice several years ago and was somewhat familiar with Giuliana as the host of E! News. But I really became a fan of theirs when I started watching their reality show Giuliana & Bill, dubbed the Style Network’s real-life romantic comedy. They are such a quirky, fun couple who seem like genuine people, sharing their lives with the public. I am usually a bit skeptical of celebrities who let the public into their private lives, especially because of the whole Newlyweds disaster with Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. However, Giuliana & Bill are different. If you have watched their show, you know what I am talking about. If you haven’t watched it, you should tune in on October 11^th when the show’s third season premieres. They are so down-to-earth and deal with actual issues and tough situations that couples face. They have been open about their struggle to conceive and will reveal how they are dealing with a miscarriage on the new season of their show. Some might disagree with their decision to detail such painful, private issues but I think they are brave to share their story that could, in some way, help others. Their show documents the good times and the struggles of a real couple, which is so refreshing. Giuliana and Bill prove that celebrities are human just like everyone else and their lives are not all glitz and glamour. I really hope they beat the Hollywood odds and stay together.

To learn more about Giuliana and Bill, check out their Twitter accounts, @GiulianaRancic and @BillRancic

Have you watched their show or read their book? What do you think about their decision to open up about their private lives? Do you think they are sincere? What other reality TV couples do you watch? Please share your thoughts with us.

Nancy

First vs. Third: Which POV is better?

The point of view (POV) from which a story is told is a very important part of any novel. The trademark style of chick lit is first person conversational. The protagonist tells the story like she is the reader's best friend. All of the details are very personal to the main character. The first person POV can really connect readers to the main character on a deeper level. In a recent interview with Sophie Kinsella, she said that fans of her Shopaholic series told her they often ask themselves, "What would Becky do?" They are, of course, referring to Becky Bloomwood, the charming protagonist who tells her stories directly to readers through Kinsella's use of the first person POV. This is an example of how much readers can become attached to characters and love them as if they were real friends. Can the same be said of characters whose stories are told through third person POV? I enjoy different writing styles and different points of view. However, I have noticed that my favorite books are in first person. Is that just a coincidence or another example of how important the conversational tone is to chick lit? The advantage of third person is that several different characters' points of view can be featured throughout the book. This gives readers more of a whole picture of the story, rather than only seeing the story through the eyes of the main character's personal account. However, the first person POV allows readers to be so close to the story that they almost feel like they are part of it.

What do you think? Which POV is better? Can readers connect better to stories told in first person? Are third person stories taken more seriously than first person stories? Do you have any examples of exceptional first person and/or third person chick lit?

Nancy

Hats Off to TV's Groundbreaking Female Characters

I saw Marlo Thomas promoting her new book Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny on The Today Show recently. Thomas tells her own story of how comedy has played an important role in her life and the lives of other notable comedians. I love her 60s sitcom That Girl. It is one of my favorite TV shows. Her character, Ann Marie, was groundbreaking for women. Ann Marie was an aspiring actress who moved to New York City alone to pursue her career. Sounds like many of the protagonists in chick lit, doesn’t it? A single girl trying to make it on her own in the city and succeed in her career while dating. One of my favorite episodes is called "Anatomy of a Blunder." In this episode, Ann and her boyfriend, Donald, set out to visit her parents where Donald will meet them for the first time. One their way there, so many things go wrong for Donald. They have the audience wondering whether or not they will even make it to her parents’ house. This episode reminds me so much of the novels in this genre. Ann Marie is free-spirited and optimistic while Donald is more rational and practical. In this particular episode, the roles are reversed from what was usually seen on television at that time and it was Donald who needed Ann’s help. Ann had to come to his rescue. During the last season, Ann and Donald got engaged but the series did not end with their wedding. This was done on purpose to show girls that marriage might not be the goal for every woman, which is okay. Ann and Donald make a great duo, like many of the couples in chick lit. Usually, to form a great comedic couple on screen or in novels, there are distinct differences in personality that make both characters necessary to balance each other out and be the catalysts for humorous situations. Another single-in-the-city-working-woman was shown in the 70s sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It was also a groundbreaking show (and another one of my favorites) that followed the life of Mary Richards, an independent career woman in her thirties who had never been married. Mary dates during the series but remains single. Both of these sitcoms were and still are empowering for women. I think we should thank sitcoms like That Girl and The Mary Tyler Moore Show for paving the way and showing everyone that it is okay to be an independent woman. They broke the mold and portrayed a different kind of female character than what was traditional. These characters and the actresses who played them are inspiring to so many people. They didn't tell everyone what women should and shouldn't do but, instead, they showed us that women have options. 

What other classic TV shows showed women in non-traditional roles? What other shows, films, and/or books have been groundbreaking for women?

Nancy 

The New Triple Threat?

The most common triple threat among celebrities is acting, singing, and dancing. So many celebrities can do it all (JLo, Britney, Justin Timberlake, just to name a few). But there is a slightly different triple threat that seems to be emerging among celebrities and it includes being a chick lit author. Here are some examples of the new trend:

Lauren Conrad - best known for her role on the reality show The Hills on MTV. She is a reality star, a fashion designer, and an author. She writes the L.A. Candy series about friends who move to L.A. and join the cast of a reality show. So original, right?
Nicole Richie - best known as Paris Hilton's former best friend and as daughter of Lionel Richie. She is a reality star, a fashion designer, and an author. Seeing a pattern? She wrote The Truth About Diamonds a few years ago and her new novel Priceless comes out next week. The Truth About Diamonds is about a girl who has a life very similar to Richie's. No surprise there.
Sharon Osbourne - best known as Ozzy's wife and for being on the reality show The Osbournes. She is a reality star, a television personality, and an author. She wrote Revenge, a book about two sisters who are both vying for fame.
Lo Bosworth - another person to come from The Hills. She is a reality star, a blogger, and an author. She wrote The Lo Down, which will be published in January. It is a book of dating advice. Technically, it probably isn't chick lit but it's close. She manages a blog of the same name.
Hilary Duff - best known as Disney's Lizzie McGuire, for various movie roles, and for singing. Hilary Duff is the exception to the new triple threat theory. She is an actress, singer, producer, fashion designer, and author. Oh, and she has perfumes too. Her first book, Elixir, comes out next month. It is about the daughter of a politician who is a photojournalist and has lived her whole life in the spotlight. Similarly, Duff has been in the spotlight since she was a child.

Aside from Bosworth's dating book, the pattern among these novels is that they are all about fame. Write what you know, right? I wonder if these novels really add anything to the genre. Would these celebrities ever have written novels if they weren't famous? Do they write only because they know they can get their books published? Are books just more things for them to sell under their already popular names? I question the intentions of celebrity authors. For them, books seem to be just another product. I think they release books because they can and not because they have always dreamed of being writers. I could be wrong but I'm skeptical of their intentions. What do you think?

Nancy