"... berhubung kita penggemar chiclit, tentu kita expect none like prozac nation dong ..., waktu kita udah baca, yah gimana ya lain sama yang diharapkan ... Please note, urusan jilbab is not the main issue here, a lot of other things, which do not fit to what we expect when we read a chicklit, especially not on Chicklit Indonesia asli dong. As for pendapat orang whatsoever, ga tahu ya... buat penggemar cerita nyantai koq agak keterlaluan mengharap yang lain dari sekedar bacaan ringan dan menghibur."
quoted from Nagwa, a member of chicklitindonesia mailing list
Monday, December 27, 2004
Friday, December 24, 2004
Launching Reviews
from Disctarra.com
Rangkuman E-mail & Chatting Curhat dalam Novel Subject: Re:
BOSAN dengan novel-novel remaja yang belakangan kian banyak dipajang di rak toko buku? Kalau jawabannya iya, Anda patut melirik novel karya debut pengarang muda Novita Estiti (kelahiran Semarang, 30 November 1971). Pasalnya novelnya bertutur dengan cara berbeda. Pembaca diajaknya untuk menelusuri kenyataan hidup di kota yang semakin modern dengan fasilitas internet yang menghubungkan dua manusia meskipun berbeda jarak lewat e-mail dan chatting. more...
from Conectique.com
Subject: Re: Kisah Pencarian Sebuah Kebahagiaan
Bagi Anda yang selama ini merasa akrab dengan teknologi internet, mungkin layanan e-mail, chatting, web-blog dan friendster bukanlah hal yang asing. Namun pernahkan terpikir oleh Anda, bahwa sebenarnya 'pernak-pernik' internet tersebut bisa menjadi sebuah inspirasi untuk menciptakan sebuah karya yang bisa dinikmati oleh banyak orang. more...
Thank you very much!
Rangkuman E-mail & Chatting Curhat dalam Novel Subject: Re:
BOSAN dengan novel-novel remaja yang belakangan kian banyak dipajang di rak toko buku? Kalau jawabannya iya, Anda patut melirik novel karya debut pengarang muda Novita Estiti (kelahiran Semarang, 30 November 1971). Pasalnya novelnya bertutur dengan cara berbeda. Pembaca diajaknya untuk menelusuri kenyataan hidup di kota yang semakin modern dengan fasilitas internet yang menghubungkan dua manusia meskipun berbeda jarak lewat e-mail dan chatting. more...
from Conectique.com
Subject: Re: Kisah Pencarian Sebuah Kebahagiaan
Bagi Anda yang selama ini merasa akrab dengan teknologi internet, mungkin layanan e-mail, chatting, web-blog dan friendster bukanlah hal yang asing. Namun pernahkan terpikir oleh Anda, bahwa sebenarnya 'pernak-pernik' internet tersebut bisa menjadi sebuah inspirasi untuk menciptakan sebuah karya yang bisa dinikmati oleh banyak orang. more...
Thank you very much!
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Responses from Mailing Lists Members
I've been posting a clarification about this is not a chicklit to some mailing lists, some of them are resensibuku, yok_bacabuku, pasarnaskah, and others.
After just a few hours, I've already got several responses.
Click below to read them.
"... penerbit mungkin punya kekuasaan sehingga terjadi kesalahan seperti ini...mudah-mudahan penerbit tidak pernah berhasil membuat intervensi ke dalam orisinalitas ide tulisan" -- from Vennie
"Ini penerbit yang kurang bertanggung jawab. Dia wajib mengkonsultasikan penempatan label seperti ini pada penulisnya. Penerbit ini begitu terobsesi tampaknya untuk membuat buku ini laris...." -- from Manneke
"Hasil survey yang Novita lakukan nggak mengagetkan, karena biasanya penggemar novel chicklit mencari bacaan ringan dari point of view tokoh cewek ttg kehidupan sehari2 - sementara (seingat saya dari cuplikan2 yg saya baca dulu) SUBJECT: RE: itu bacaan yang lebih serius dan dalam. Yaa, nggak heran orang2 yg beli dgn pikiran bahwa buku ini adalah chicklit bisa jadi kecewa." -- from Monika
"aw, berarti saya termasuk yang tertipu. memang label chicklit itu mengurungkan niat saya membeli buku anda, dan saya tak sempat ikut acara di Dago Festival" -- from Jay/Yulian
"Untuk Mbak Novita, saya turut berduka cita atasbukunya yang ditulisin CHiklit asli pengarangIndonesia. SUngguh tragis. T__T selamat berjuang!" -- from Ireth
After just a few hours, I've already got several responses.
Click below to read them.
"... penerbit mungkin punya kekuasaan sehingga terjadi kesalahan seperti ini...mudah-mudahan penerbit tidak pernah berhasil membuat intervensi ke dalam orisinalitas ide tulisan" -- from Vennie
"Ini penerbit yang kurang bertanggung jawab. Dia wajib mengkonsultasikan penempatan label seperti ini pada penulisnya. Penerbit ini begitu terobsesi tampaknya untuk membuat buku ini laris...." -- from Manneke
"Hasil survey yang Novita lakukan nggak mengagetkan, karena biasanya penggemar novel chicklit mencari bacaan ringan dari point of view tokoh cewek ttg kehidupan sehari2 - sementara (seingat saya dari cuplikan2 yg saya baca dulu) SUBJECT: RE: itu bacaan yang lebih serius dan dalam. Yaa, nggak heran orang2 yg beli dgn pikiran bahwa buku ini adalah chicklit bisa jadi kecewa." -- from Monika
"aw, berarti saya termasuk yang tertipu. memang label chicklit itu mengurungkan niat saya membeli buku anda, dan saya tak sempat ikut acara di Dago Festival" -- from Jay/Yulian
"Untuk Mbak Novita, saya turut berduka cita atasbukunya yang ditulisin CHiklit asli pengarangIndonesia. SUngguh tragis. T__T selamat berjuang!" -- from Ireth
"... saya pikir mestinya Mbak Novita juga berhak dikasi tau ttg pencantuman 'chicklit'. kalo gak suka ya penerbit gak bisa 'maksa' nyantumin. jangan2 karena marketing gimmick lantas meremehkan hak penulis." -- from Dian
... more responses are coming
Thank you very much!
Comments on this 'Chicklit'
"...kalo menurut gue sih, gaya ceritanya terlalu serius/berat gitu, yah ga gue banget gitu deh..."
"...kayanya emang kurang greget ya..., bacanya ngga penasaran gitu..."
"... terus terang, aku BT banget bacanya! Maap ya yang nulis... ini curhat kan? BTnya, novel ini desperate banget sih??? halooo... kalo aku baca buku, apapun itu, aku selalu berharap aku dapat belajar sesuatu dari situ. tapi baca S:Re, maap aja, aku nggak nemuin sesuatu yang bisa aku pelajari...maap..."
"... maaf ya penulis, tapi tulisannya depressing banget, koq kayaknya tokohnya bukan merely ga bahagia, tapi menurut aku sih sakit jiwa, mungkin gara2 dicueqin kali ama emak nya ya???? Dan emang bener2 ga ada yang bisa didapat dari tuh buku, kecuali latihan caci maki aja, dan bener2 mengerikan, kayak sinetron indo, tidak ada tujuan, mau enaknya sendiri aja, moral free, dan kayaknya kejadiaannya bukan di Indonesia.
Walaupun aku tahu dan kenal ada orang yang hampir mirip kayak nina di Jakarta dan di community yang mirip (advertising), asli tidak punya teman, berpacaran sama laki orang, just to be left later on, dan sekarang lagi hobby nganggur dan mengurung diri di rumah, tapi montok abis, jadi ga sexually active kayak si nina, sama2 supporter for lesbian community, but at the end, dia sadar the reason dia jadi gila gitu karena ga punya tuhan dihatinya)
aku rasa kalau buat si tokoh di s:re mah ga ada yang ga mungkin lah, orang dia tuh gokil, moral loose, permisif abis, dan ga punya nurani. Aku yakin ga ada arti tuhan buat si nina gokil itu, tapi sok iye nya itu loh ampun …. Paling pinter kali sedunia, jangan2 nama panjangnya nina Einstein. Komentarnya soal orang pake jilbab yang ikut jadi dj, juga nyebelin abis, emang kenapa, yang telanjang aja boleh, masa yang ketutup ga boleh? Maksud aku be fair dong, ngaca, baru ngejudge orang. Pasti nih si Nina di kantornya nyebelin banget, aku kasihan sama anaknya, kali ini aku setuju sama si nina, wouldn’t be long she will leave her, good for her, maksudnya anaknya."
These are comments from the members of a mailing list for chicklit fans, thus these are people who'd bought the book lured by the chicklit stamp.
Thanks for the comments.
"...kayanya emang kurang greget ya..., bacanya ngga penasaran gitu..."
"... terus terang, aku BT banget bacanya! Maap ya yang nulis... ini curhat kan? BTnya, novel ini desperate banget sih??? halooo... kalo aku baca buku, apapun itu, aku selalu berharap aku dapat belajar sesuatu dari situ. tapi baca S:Re, maap aja, aku nggak nemuin sesuatu yang bisa aku pelajari...maap..."
"... maaf ya penulis, tapi tulisannya depressing banget, koq kayaknya tokohnya bukan merely ga bahagia, tapi menurut aku sih sakit jiwa, mungkin gara2 dicueqin kali ama emak nya ya???? Dan emang bener2 ga ada yang bisa didapat dari tuh buku, kecuali latihan caci maki aja, dan bener2 mengerikan, kayak sinetron indo, tidak ada tujuan, mau enaknya sendiri aja, moral free, dan kayaknya kejadiaannya bukan di Indonesia.
Walaupun aku tahu dan kenal ada orang yang hampir mirip kayak nina di Jakarta dan di community yang mirip (advertising), asli tidak punya teman, berpacaran sama laki orang, just to be left later on, dan sekarang lagi hobby nganggur dan mengurung diri di rumah, tapi montok abis, jadi ga sexually active kayak si nina, sama2 supporter for lesbian community, but at the end, dia sadar the reason dia jadi gila gitu karena ga punya tuhan dihatinya)
aku rasa kalau buat si tokoh di s:re mah ga ada yang ga mungkin lah, orang dia tuh gokil, moral loose, permisif abis, dan ga punya nurani. Aku yakin ga ada arti tuhan buat si nina gokil itu, tapi sok iye nya itu loh ampun …. Paling pinter kali sedunia, jangan2 nama panjangnya nina Einstein. Komentarnya soal orang pake jilbab yang ikut jadi dj, juga nyebelin abis, emang kenapa, yang telanjang aja boleh, masa yang ketutup ga boleh? Maksud aku be fair dong, ngaca, baru ngejudge orang. Pasti nih si Nina di kantornya nyebelin banget, aku kasihan sama anaknya, kali ini aku setuju sama si nina, wouldn’t be long she will leave her, good for her, maksudnya anaknya."
These are comments from the members of a mailing list for chicklit fans, thus these are people who'd bought the book lured by the chicklit stamp.
Thanks for the comments.
Friday, December 17, 2004
Launching Day
The Standing Banner: No more Chicklit stamp!
The Book Reader: Rahmah
The Book Reader: Tommy Tjokro
The Talk Show: Djenar Maesa Ayu, Tongclay, me, Hagi Hagoromo
The Smiling People
Book Signing
Book Signing
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Launching News
The launching will be held on:
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004
Boutique Café, Plaza Senayan 1st fl, Jakarta
6.30 pm onwards
- Book Reading by Tommy Tjokro (Metro TV)and Rahmah(presenter).
- Talk show with Djenar Maesa Ayu and Hagi Hagoromo(MTV Trax's Chief Editor) and moderated by Janner ‘Cl@y’ Siahaan.
- Book selling and signing.
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004
Boutique Café, Plaza Senayan 1st fl, Jakarta
6.30 pm onwards
- Book Reading by Tommy Tjokro (Metro TV)and Rahmah(presenter).
- Talk show with Djenar Maesa Ayu and Hagi Hagoromo(MTV Trax's Chief Editor) and moderated by Janner ‘Cl@y’ Siahaan.
- Book selling and signing.
Friday, December 10, 2004
More Comments
"Seru! Penyepian individu di megapolitan yang riuh!"
Jay Subijakto
"Thank you for your thoughts and beautiful book... it's refreshing. I can see you put your heart in there."
Biyan - Fashion Designer
Jay Subijakto
"Thank you for your thoughts and beautiful book... it's refreshing. I can see you put your heart in there."
Biyan - Fashion Designer
Friday, December 3, 2004
NOT a Chicklit
How happy I am that SUBJECT: RE: is now on sale, I was also disappointed when I saw that the publisher has put a stamp that says ‘Chicklit Asli Buatan Indonesia’ on the cover, without my knowledge.
I’ve got to make it clear that I have nothing against chicklit, I do love Bridget Jones’ Diary and Shopaholic Series, but this book is definitely couldn’t fall into this genre.
This is a definition of chicklit from The Free Dictionary:
“Chick lit is a slightly uncomplimentary term used to denote popular fiction written for and marketed to young women, especially single young women in their 20s, working in the business world. It was spurred on (if not exactly created) in the mid-1990s by the appearance of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary, Melissa Banks's The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing, and The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krause. The genre tends to feature lonely young women in urban settings, often working in the publishing industry; it may also be considered a subdivision of the romance genre. The favored style is hip, stylish, bold, self-analytical, and slightly irreverent. Sexuality may be a primary or secondary theme but is always present, and often is presented as adventuresome, as in Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City and the television series it spawned.”
And this one is from BookReporter:
"Chick Lit focuses on twentysomething and thirtysomething women who are dealing with that time in life when a woman looks for the perfect guy, apartment, job or, yes, shoe. Along the way these women question everything from the way they were raised to the the quality of their lives. The characters typically are either self-deprecating or overly analytical. At its best the writing is witty, bold and slightly irreverent."
On the other hand, SUBJECT: RE: features 2 characters, a man and a woman, in a very much the same portion. The woman herself is not single anymore and even has a kid. The writing style is never meant to be hip nor witty. Most of all, the story is not dealing on everyday life but more on the deeper issue of life.
We can refer to the paperback comments to see what the readers think about this book and I have received many comments that this book is far too serious to be taken as a chicklit.
When confronted, my publisher argued that the stamp is merely a marketing gimmick to put my book on the front display in bookstores. I have to say: What the fuck? I really believe that we should put books under their right genres, not to differentiate them, but to make it easier for readers to find their reading materials.
Putting a book under the wrong genre is a big mistake in marketing strategy. With the chiklit stamp on its cover, my book has lost some of its target reader. The ones who bought it -hoping for a light reading- might get disappointed upon its content. This is why I refused hard that my book be put under this genre.
We finally agreed that the next printings wouldn’t have the chicklit stamp on the cover, and I’m free to make an explanation whenever I want. But still, I have to admit that I’m really really disappointed.
Comments?
PS:
I don’t agree either that the words memek, kontol, ngewi, fuck, and fucking should be censored by the publisher. I mean, this book is talking about 2 adults having a sexual affair and even have a picture of condom in it, why should we be afraid to say (or read) those words?
But the publisher explained that the censorship is necessary to make sure that my book won’t get rejected by some bookstores. Under this circumstances, I should make myself agree to the censorship.
I’ve got to make it clear that I have nothing against chicklit, I do love Bridget Jones’ Diary and Shopaholic Series, but this book is definitely couldn’t fall into this genre.
This is a definition of chicklit from The Free Dictionary:
“Chick lit is a slightly uncomplimentary term used to denote popular fiction written for and marketed to young women, especially single young women in their 20s, working in the business world. It was spurred on (if not exactly created) in the mid-1990s by the appearance of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary, Melissa Banks's The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing, and The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krause. The genre tends to feature lonely young women in urban settings, often working in the publishing industry; it may also be considered a subdivision of the romance genre. The favored style is hip, stylish, bold, self-analytical, and slightly irreverent. Sexuality may be a primary or secondary theme but is always present, and often is presented as adventuresome, as in Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City and the television series it spawned.”
And this one is from BookReporter:
"Chick Lit focuses on twentysomething and thirtysomething women who are dealing with that time in life when a woman looks for the perfect guy, apartment, job or, yes, shoe. Along the way these women question everything from the way they were raised to the the quality of their lives. The characters typically are either self-deprecating or overly analytical. At its best the writing is witty, bold and slightly irreverent."
On the other hand, SUBJECT: RE: features 2 characters, a man and a woman, in a very much the same portion. The woman herself is not single anymore and even has a kid. The writing style is never meant to be hip nor witty. Most of all, the story is not dealing on everyday life but more on the deeper issue of life.
We can refer to the paperback comments to see what the readers think about this book and I have received many comments that this book is far too serious to be taken as a chicklit.
When confronted, my publisher argued that the stamp is merely a marketing gimmick to put my book on the front display in bookstores. I have to say: What the fuck? I really believe that we should put books under their right genres, not to differentiate them, but to make it easier for readers to find their reading materials.
Putting a book under the wrong genre is a big mistake in marketing strategy. With the chiklit stamp on its cover, my book has lost some of its target reader. The ones who bought it -hoping for a light reading- might get disappointed upon its content. This is why I refused hard that my book be put under this genre.
We finally agreed that the next printings wouldn’t have the chicklit stamp on the cover, and I’m free to make an explanation whenever I want. But still, I have to admit that I’m really really disappointed.
Comments?
PS:
I don’t agree either that the words memek, kontol, ngewi, fuck, and fucking should be censored by the publisher. I mean, this book is talking about 2 adults having a sexual affair and even have a picture of condom in it, why should we be afraid to say (or read) those words?
But the publisher explained that the censorship is necessary to make sure that my book won’t get rejected by some bookstores. Under this circumstances, I should make myself agree to the censorship.
On Sale Now
Gramedia, Pondok Indah Mall
SUBJECT: RE: is now available in bookstores for Rp.36.500,- only!
The book will be launched at the atrium of Plaza Senayan (in front of the fountain) on Thursday, Dec 16 2004 at 6.30 pm onwards. There will be reading by celebs, talk show with experts, book selling, and book signing. The cocktail party has been cancelled :(
Complete rundown will be posted shortly.
If you want an invitation, you can send me your mailing address, otherwise you can just come to the launching without it; your presence will be very much welcomed all the same. :-)
See you there.
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