no cure for curiosity.

“According to the book, one of the most lucrative revenue streams for U.S. publishers during this period came from churning out unauthorized copies of British books before their rivals could. Authors didn’t get a dime, say Burrows and Wallace. But don’t feel too bad for the British publishers—they’d done exactly the same to French authors.”

“I’m not averse to the term chick lit,” said Courtney, “but I don’t think that’s what my book is. The implication with chick lit is that it’s about a girl wanting to meet the man of her dreams. [My books] are about social issues – this time about a woman in a lads’ mag environment and the impact of media on society, and feminism.”

The jacket, which displays the chick-lit staple of a pair of slender legs, misrepresents the novel, Courtney believes. “The titles and covers have been a problem with all three of my HarperCollins books, right from the start,” she said. “If I had my time again I certainly wouldn’t have signed with them. There’s a feeling that any author should be grateful for any attention they can get from any publisher – that they should take what they can get. But I don’t think they should have looked to sign me on the basis of what I’d written so far.”