Redefining ‘Chick-Lit’ and Women’s Publishing within Trade Publishing in South Africa

Abstract

There is a clear imbalance between female- and male-penned fiction and non-fiction within local and international publishing, as shown by high-profile statistics like the VIDA and Stella counts. The aim of this research is to investigate the representation of female authors (often grouped together under the term ‘chick-lit’) within a South African publishing context, using sales history from Nielsen’s Bookscan, Sunday Times reviews and participant interviews. Findings show that the split in South Africa is not as obvious in certain Western countries, but two trends are clear: non-fiction sells more than fiction; and non-fiction is more likely to be written by male authors. South African trade publishing is still very much feminised and representation within the workforce is more balanced than the international case, but white male decision-makers still sit in senior positions. However, there is still an imbalance in what gets published and how it is promoted: in particular, publishers use cover design tropes to genrefy female authors. The term “chick-lit” is used here as a form of short-hand for the main techniques used to position women’s writing: the term is often employed to market, sell and promote a title aimed at a specific audience, although findings show that few authors or publishers are comfortable using the term. Moreover, this is a genre that is changing due to societal issues and time period trends. Positioning in the book review pages is also gendered, and reviewers remain trusted watchdogs that play a role in determining what gets published. While local reviewers are more often women than men, in contrast to international trends, more social esteem is attached to male authors and to those who have won literary prizes. These remain male-dominated. This study makes a number of recommendations for ways to improve the representation of women in published works as well as in the publishing workforce. This research aimed to define the situation of women’s publishing in South African trade publishing with a specific focus on what tools publishers use to position female authors in a specific genre. Further, it aimed to define the term 'chick-lit', describe it and perhaps even modernise the term from its current definition for the genre. This research came to a consensus on the various issues authors face within the publishing industry, with a specific focus on female authors. And, finally, this research considered how feminist presses and traditional publishers differ when it comes to publishing women’s writing.