In what might as well be dubbed "Pippagate," sales of Pippa Middleton's book Celebrate have been decidedly flat following a barrage of scathing reviews and the creation of @pippatips, a popular Twitter account that highlights the so-called "basic" advice she gives in the party-planning book. Naturally, Pips decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
The Duchess of Cambridge's little sis has written a diary for The Spectator, a weekly British magazine, to address her critics head on... again. It was only a month ago that Pippa penned an essay for The Telegraph, assuring the world that she's a "real foodie" and that the book's contents were intentionally simplistic and "not too fussy." Now, after Celebrate has prematurely hit the bargain bins, the 29-year-old tries a more cheeky attempt to get the public on board with her book, offering up her own @pippatips for office Christmas parties. Here are a few of her suggestions:
- Choose, if you can, a Christmas-themed menu. A turkey, for example, can be perfect for large gatherings.
- Don’t not invite any members of staff, as this can cause offence.
- Keep speeches brief and cheerful: Christmas is not a time to talk about redundancies.
Har har har, Pippa. But don't think the writer missed an opportunity to more seriously defend her entertaining bible. As has been widely noted by critics, Penguin Group handed Ms. Middleton a $600,000 advance to write the book. Sales have been underwhelming, to say the least, and fellow author Jily Cooper has said that "the people at Penguin are virtually slitting their wrists over it." Once again, Pippa goes on the defense:
I have been much teased for my book, Celebrate. Lots of journalists are saying that my advice is glaringly obvious. It’s all good fun, I know, and I realise that authors ought to take criticism on the chin. But in my defence, let me say this: Celebrate is meant to be a guide to party planning and, as such, it has to cover the basics. If I were to write a cookery book, for instance, I would be compelled to say that, to make an omelette, you have to break at least one egg.
It's nice to see that Pippa is a decent sport when it comes to all of the criticism. In the diary, she even references her arguably most popular asset: her bum. "Maybe I should write a sequel and call it Bottoms Up," she writes. "Now that could be a bestseller."
Actually, Pippa, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Think you'll be able to talk Penguin into another hefty advance?
You can read Pippa Middleton's entire diary in The Spectator's Christmas double issue.
See Pippa Middleton's style!
