Wow they really hype their own crowd. I think the success of books/memoirs is often down to aggressive marketing rather than engaging content. Have you ever been in a bookshop and felt as though specific books were being foisted on you? I think it's striking how many of these bestselling self-help type books were written by privileged individuals with ties to the media - thinking of Bryony Gordon et al. I feel as though we're missing out on a lot of interesting stories because these people are overrepresented on the shelves.
We really are missing out.
I think that’s at the crux of most people’s irritation with the LL crowd. It’s rarely on merit and it’s all so fecking samey. They might be a half decent writer but you can bet that much more gifted writers (or writers with a lot of potential) who actually have something to say cannot get anywhere because it’s so bloody privileged and cliquey.
I might have mentioned this before but I read an article years and years ago by a writer who was bemoaning the constant demands to write a recommendation for other author’s books. He was saying that it is tremendously awkward and fake and most people don’t even read the book, they just get told more or less what to say by the publisher (who is also their publisher). It’s very hard to refuse when you are so reliant on staying in the publisher’s good graces and you are only as good as your last book etc. This was before social media so basically just what you’d see on the cover in WH smith and not so prolific. Now it is truly out of control. However, I feel like a lot of these authors, esp the likes of Marion Keyes, are in the position to say no to giving a quote. Dolly keeps dishing them out too even though she acknowledged that people feel she is over exposed in this way, so why do it? Just ego or a genuine buy in the the lit luvvie crowd.
now, I know it’s already so self involved etc. but I would actually love one of them to write a novel about the crowd. Especially if it was really obvious who was who. I actually think Bella Mackie could and should do this
. She has a salty side and I’ve recently been disappointed that she has started to morph into a LL. She could redeem herself.