--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think my first book was chick lit." description: "\"I don't think my first book was chick lit.\" — Lisa Jewell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/lisa-jewell-6988_book_i-don-t-think-my-first-book-was-chick-li_296502.jpg" --- # I don't think my first book was chick lit. ![“I don't think my first book was chick lit.” quote by Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/lisa-jewell-6988_book_i-don-t-think-my-first-book-was-chick-li_296502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/lisa-jewell-6988_book_i-don-t-think-my-first-book-was-chick-li_296502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/lisa-jewell-6988_book_i-don-t-think-my-first-book-was-chick-li_296502.jpg) > “I don't think my first book was chick lit.” [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author clarifies that her debut novel does not belong to the light‑hearted, romance‑focused genre often labeled “chick lit.” **In simple terms:** First book isn’t chick lit. Key Takeaway Don’t assume genre by title. Themes genre identity literary classification Mood reflective defensive Type literary clarificatory When to use this quote - marketing - bookstore shelving - reader expectations - literary criticism Key Concepts authorial intent genre perception Questions to Reflect On - How does genre labeling affect a reader’s openness? - What impact does author clarification have on sales? A Different Perspective Genre labels can limit a work’s reception and readership. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Chick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-chick-2841394/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Chick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chick/) [Chick Lit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chick-lit-671739/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Lit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lit/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-book-369892/) ## Related quotes > [I say, 'I write romance, women's fiction, chick lit.' I think it all fits very comfortably under the same umbrella. Basically, I write books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/i-say-i-write-romance-women-s-fiction-chick-lit-i-think-it-all-fits/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [Do I mind being called a chick-lit writer? Well, it's not the worst thing that could happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/do-i-mind-being-called-a-chick-lit-writer-well-it-s-not-the-worst/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [My feeling about my own work is, I could be writing 'The Aeneid' and they would still have to call it chick lit or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/my-feeling-about-my-own-work-is-i-could-be-writing-the-aeneid-and/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [“She might've previously veered off track and landed straight into chick lit land, but how many chick lits had the main character recognize how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-rosmarin/she-might-ve-previously-veered-off-track-and-landed-straight-into/) [Abby Rosmarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-rosmarin/) > [Chick Lit uses humor to reflect life back to us. It's a very comforting genre, and it's the first time our generation has had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/chick-lit-uses-humor-to-reflect-life-back-to-us-it-s-a-very/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [I don't read 'chick lit,' fantasy or science fiction but I'll give any book a chance if it's lying there and I've got half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-read-chick-lit-fantasy-or-science-fiction-but-i-ll-give-any/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [Much-derided chick lit, chick flicks, and chick magazines have left ambitious women in a bind. Why is it that I, a young woman, can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-minshew/much-derided-chick-lit-chick-flicks-and-chick-magazines-have-left/) [Kathryn Minshew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-minshew/) > [It's like if a young woman writes it, then it's chick lit. We don't care if she's slaying vampires or working as a nanny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/it-s-like-if-a-young-woman-writes-it-then-it-s-chick-lit-we-don-t/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [I always thought 'chick lit' meant third-person contemporary funny novels, dealing with issues of the day. I mean, it's not the ideal term; when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/i-always-thought-chick-lit-meant-third-person-contemporary-funny/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [I don't think anyone sits down and thinks, 'I know, I'll be a chick-lit writer.' You write the book that you want to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/i-don-t-think-anyone-sits-down-and-thinks-i-know-i-ll-be-a-chick-lit/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [I think that there's a lot of guys out there that want to read the equivalent of chick lit, but really there's not being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/i-think-that-there-s-a-lot-of-guys-out-there-that-want-to-read-the/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [I've always read broadly: literary fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, chick lit, historical, dystopian, nonfiction, memoir. I've even read Westerns. I prefer female protagonists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-ve-always-read-broadly-literary-fiction-sci-fi-fantasy-chick-lit/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [People say 'chick lit,' and what they mean is 'crap.' And so even though you might sell 100,000 copies of a book, you're never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/people-say-chick-lit-and-what-they-mean-is-crap-and-so-even-though/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [That whole idea of chick lit being a thing that you just lump all the commercial female writers into - it went on for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/that-whole-idea-of-chick-lit-being-a-thing-that-you-just-lump-all-the/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [I think of a book and a play, or a book and a movie, as two separate things - I don't think of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sachar/i-think-of-a-book-and-a-play-or-a-book-and-a-movie-as-two-separate/) [Louis Sachar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sachar/) ## More by Lisa Jewell > [“is a work”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/is-a-work/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [I changed my mind about being a famous pop star when I realised that it meant I'd never be able to get on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-changed-my-mind-about-being-a-famous-pop-star-when-i-realised-that/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [I loved her more than she loved me, that was the problem. 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I could not have been a writer in the age of typewriters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-am-a-terrible-terrible-typist-i-could-not-have-been-a-writer-in-the/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [My husband loves having his own room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/my-husband-loves-having-his-own-room/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [I would never, for the sake of the story or a twist, have a character do something that they just wouldn't do. I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-would-never-for-the-sake-of-the-story-or-a-twist-have-a-character/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [My publishers find me really challenging, as a lot of the time, I don't even know what I'm going to be writing about until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/my-publishers-find-me-really-challenging-as-a-lot-of-the-time-i-don-t/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [If you feel that your father was lacking as a husband, it affects your own choice of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/if-you-feel-that-your-father-was-lacking-as-a-husband-it-affects-your/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [Everyone thinks they've got a book inside them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/everyone-thinks-they-ve-got-a-book-inside-them/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [“You're here every night, you join in, but you always seem to be - I don't know - more of a spectator than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/you-re-here-every-night-you-join-in-but-you-always-seem-to-be-i-don-t/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [When I travel, I can leave everything at home apart from books. I curate my holiday reading rigorously and would be devastated if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/when-i-travel-i-can-leave-everything-at-home-apart-from-books-i/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [Publishers have published women's fiction into a corner, and now we are all trying to punch our way out of it. 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I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. 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