Glossy magazine editor-in-chief Imogen returns to work after a bout of breast cancer to find her former assistant, Eve, is now in charge of a digital-only magazine. The Harvard-educated business student has hired a bunch of young, tech-savvy staffers and turned the office into a virtual sweatshop, where pulling all-nighters and losing weight for their boss' wedding are mandatory. As Eve's tactics alienate the fashion designers who feature in their pages, Imogen has to decide whether it's time to get out of the game or figure out how to play by the new rules. This is like a Devil Wears Prada, except the devil this time is the narcissist young assistant. At times Imogen turns to an online forum called Techbitch, where women vent about their young upstarts, and it would have been good to have seen this play more of a role in the story. Written by a duo who know the fashion and media worlds well, this is a thoroughly entertaining read which sounds a warning about the march of the know-it-all Millennials.
Known as either Techbitch (UK) or The Knockoff (US), this novel by debut authors Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza centres around the world of a New York fashion magazine in the digital age. The summary says: "Imogen Tate, editor-in-chief of Glossy magazine, is a legend in the fashion world. But when she returns from a sabbatical to find her twenty-six-year-old former assistant, Eve Morton, behind her desk, she realises times are changing. Armed with a business degree, naked ambition and an iPhone, Eve announces she has been brought in to turn Imogen's beloved magazine into an app. With herself at the helm. In this terrifying new world, Imogen is almost invisible. In place of her team of dedicated staff is a constantly evolving line of twenty-something bloggers at their desks day and night ('Only losers need sleep!'), amateur snaps instead of elegant photo shoots, and a URL address in place of Imogen's glossy pages. But Imogen isn't ready to give up her hard-earned career without a fight. Where Eve has Twitter followers, Imogen has experience, talent and real relationships, and she's prepared to fight for the fashion world she knows and loves. Even if it means going to war with a ruthless Techbitch . . ." The book is out in May 2015. Sykes has been fashion director for marie claire and renttherunway.com and has launched a children's clothing line, Piazza is the travel editor of Yahoo.