The Knockoff: A Novel

The Knockoff follows Imogen Tate, editor in chief of Glossy magazine, a publication known for its lavish 768-page September issue. When Imogen returns to work after six months away, she discovers that her former twentysomething assistant Eve Morton has taken control of the magazine. Eve, fresh out of Harvard Business School, has implemented sweeping changes: firing senior staff, relocating the managing editor, eliminating landlines, and hiring young employees who conduct business primarily through texting and social media. Under Eve's leadership, Glossy has transformed into a high-pressure digital operation featuring all-night hackathons, mandatory company-wide coordinated dances to Beyoncé, and a culture where sleeping employees are fired. Imogen, despite her connections to fashion industry figures like Alexander Wang and Diane von Furstenberg, struggles with basic digital literacy and finds herself vastly out of her depth. Eve is plotting to reduce the magazine into an app and take over Imogen's position entirely. Faced with this situation, Imogen must decide whether to leave or fight back to save both the magazine and her career. The novel features characters based on fashion industry personalities and examines the collision between traditional publishing and digital-age business practices.