The Fug Girls on Fashion, Blogging and Books
The Go Fug Yourself Bloggers Talk Book Deals and Celebrity Fashion
Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, the bloggers behind the celebrity fashion blog Go Fug Yourself, continue their interview about the book based on their blog, their latest book project and celebrity style.
Suite101: Did you approach publishers with a book based on the blog, or were you approached?
Jessica: We were lucky enough to be approached by our wonderful agent, and then we did some work with him to figure out the best way to translate the blog to book form, since we didn't want to just publish pieces we'd already written. So no one came to us with the specific idea, but we definitely didn't have to go out and sell ourselves as writers to publishers, which was a blessing.
Heather: It definitely helped that some of the publishers knew and trusted our writing, because they already read the blog. Scott, our agent, gave us the confidence to imagine a book could actually happen, based on murmurs of interest he'd heard buzzing around the industry. That really helped spur us on to figure out the most fun way to adapt GFY to print.
Suite101: Have you been happy with the publishing process and the resulting book?
Jessica: It was a fascinating process, and one that was totally new for us. We have no complaints! In particular, the woman who designed the book, Jane Archer, did an amazing job.
Heather: We are really, really proud of "The Fug Awards." Our big fear the whole time was that our readers would feel gypped in some way; it takes real loyalty to go buy a book based on something you can read for free, and we didn't want that support to go unrewarded or for them to feel gypped, you know? Some of the photographs were new and some weren't, but all the writing was done specially and specifically for the book -- the whole awards-show conceit really helped us take a fresh approach to the material, and Jane's little touches like drawing custom statuettes for every crazy award category really made it come to life.
Our editors were amazing about helping us trim the fat without removing any of our particular personality. They trusted us, and that made it so much less daunting. And in the end, people wrote to say they loved it, which has been such a blessing. Our readers are a unique breed of awesome, and at a time when we were terribly nervous about putting our baby out into the world, we got nothing but warm hugs in return.
Suite101: What will your new book be about, and when will it be released?
Jessica: We're working on a young adult fiction project, but we're in the VERY early stages yet, so I don't have any details beyond that. We still have plenty of work ahead of us!
Suite101: What is the worst fashion trend that you've noticed since you began the blog?
Jessica: That's a tough choice. I am not a fan of jumpsuits, I have to say.
Heather: Nor am I happy that high-waisted jeans made a return. Those are so awful that I'm almost out of words about it.
Suite101: Who is your favorite dresser of all time?
Jessica: Everyone makes a misstep now and then, but I love how Rachel Bilson dresses, usually. Is she my favorite of all time? Probably not. But I love her look right now.
Heather: It's so hard for me to deal in absolutes! Especially when there are different flavors of "favorite." I love seeing pictures of Bjork and Grace Jones, but not because I want to run right out and buy what they're wearing. Those might be my very favorite people of all – the ones whose ensembles bring me tears of mirth in an awe-struck, gob-smacked way.
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