If you’re looking for a really snarky and pointed discussion of gender bias in book marketing and other foolishness on the part of publishers, click on the link. (Thanks to Nichole Bernier, author of The Unfinished Life of Elizabeth D. and co-author of five children, for bringing this piece to my attention.)

http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/threeguysonebook/2010/09/someday-im-gonna-be-a-dead-white-guy/

My favorite quotes:

“[Tatjana] Soli writes a gritty, dark, thought-provoking, badass Viet Nam novel that is ‘literary’ by any standard, and St. Martin’s puts some hot chick in a red blouse at the beach on the cover. What the hell?”

“The prevailing wisdom seems to be that women (80% of everybody’s readership) don’t like gritty, they don’t like dark, they can’t handle thought-provoking.”

“Seriously, marketing people, what’s with the double standard? I know a TON of writers, and almost every female author I know has got a crappy cover design– either it’s wispy, or floral, or it looks like a Tampax ad, or there’s a MILF in a red blouse on the beach.”

“The thing is – it won’t break my heart if the NYT doesn’t review and front cover Franzen and Chabon’s every book – and I like those guys. I’m perfectly happy to have those books replaced by novels by women. There are lots of books worthy of marketing and publicity.”