This is, not surprisingly, becoming an issue with authors who regard their work as more than beach reads. But Shipley sites several authors who try to buck this trivializing trend and lose; having found a winning formula, the publishing industry, which everyone knows to be in shaky shape in the best of economic climates, is taking no chances.

Shipley concludes that, bored by the number of identical-looking choices, we're going to experience a backlash. Doubtful; homogeneity has never hurt genre fiction like Romance and SciFi, and people looking for fun escapism are unlikely to be repelled by an increasing number of options. They are, however, likely to be disappointed when they get to the beach and find that instead of some heartwarming bit of froth they've ended up with Serious Fiction full of incest and substance abuse.

Yes, I can see why a serious writer would be irritated by what is most definitely misrepresentation (and Shipley's at pains to point out that this kind of branding now extends even to the work of male writers whose stories involve female protagonists.) But in a sense, they should regard this commercial branding as a vote of confidence: to my layman's eye, it means a publisher thinks it might actually sell. It seems to me (and this owes way more to my time in bookstores and on Amazon than my foray into the publishing world) that there's a fairly clear divide between "serious" fiction, and that which actually sells, and unless you're Cormac McCarthy or Annie Proulx, never the twain shall meet. A few Iowa grads on the roster with serious covers might spell prestige, but that's not where anyone's bread is buttered. There seems to be a feeling in our society now that if something's fun — be it movie or novel — it isn't Serious. Serious things are punishment, full of lives of quiet desperation and family tragedies — albeit repressed, undramatic ones. If you're having too much fun, you're not being intellectual. Yes, I'm oversimplifying and there are certainly exceptions that prove rules, almost exclusively by men, who probably have an easier time being taken seriously as bon-vivant wits without sacrificing literary cred. But nowadays there are far fewer Laurie Colwins or Barbara Pyms — great writers who happen to use levity as a medium — and if there are, it's hard to know because they're hidden under pink covers with lounging, thoughtful women on them. Oh, well; if good books are medicine, and you can't blame people for preferring it Pepto-Bismol colored.
The Great Chick Lit Cover Up [The Guardian]
Related:

Brand-Obsessed Chick Lit Makes Us Lose Our Breakfast (At Tiffany's)
Blogging Towards Bethlehem

[London, July 18. Image via Splash.]

The book, which will hit shelves again this summer as a special anniversary edition, is full of 'success principle' chestnuts for the entrepreneur like, "Make people feel important. They are." and "Sandwich every bit of criticism between two heavy layers of praise." Like any kind of self-help, most of it's pretty common-sensical, and yet suddenly looks creepy and calculating when framed as didactic, capitalistic axioms. That said, Mary Kay herself is obviously completely badass — and clearly has confidence in her own products — an amazing success story at a time when that wasn't easy for a woman. Even if, yes, she did it with makeup, pink cars and "The Golden Rule." But hell, there must have been some serious steel there: if niceness bought Caddys, we wouldn't be riding a bike.
Life Lessons From Mary Kay [US News And World Report]

While blue was liked universally, this preference stood out among men, the study found. This, too, could have deep-seated natural roots: water that appears blue is more likely to be clean and the colour is also an indicator of fine weather.

Third:

The Chinese participants also showed a marked preference for red over their British counterparts. As red symbolises luck and happiness in China, this indicates that cultural norms are also involved.

We did a "study" of our own and found that when we asked six chicks (including this writer) what their favorite color was, we got six answers: silver, green, mint green, orange, puce [Who picked puce? -Ed.] and blue. We're going to send our results to Dr. Ling, who, we hope, will turn a lovely shade of crimson.

Why Girls Really Do Prefer Pink [Times of London]
Related: As Girls Get Richer And Richer, Make Way For The New Pink Pound [Daily Mail]

The new C2, as the weapon is called, looks more like a large disposable razor than a gun, comes in a variety of colors and is $350, all of which Taser executives believe will persuade women to add the weapon to their checklist for the evening: lipstick, wallet, keys, Taser.

Interestingly, however, it was a woman who, way back in the early '90s, inspired the creation of the Taser in the first place (they do say that behind every great man is a great woman).

Tom Smith, a founder of Taser International, said he and his brother heard their mother say that she worried about protecting herself. She tried a stun gun, Mr. Smith said over sandwiches in his desert office compound here, but it has to be pressed against its target. "She said, 'This isn't something I am comfortable with.' She had pepper spray, and she sprayed herself in the face. She ended up buying a Doberman.

Feeling Secure With A Little Shocking Pink [NYTimes]
Related: Cease And Desist — The Pink Hats Have Got To Go [Batgirl]
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