Pippa Middleton's party-planning book Celebrate has been slammed by Queen of the bonkbusters Jilly Cooper.
Cooper, who made her name with the raunchy novels Rivals and Riders, gave a scathing verdict of Middleton's debut tome, describing it as "terrible".
She also told The Telegraph: "The sales have been dreadful, and I hear that the people at Penguin are virtually slitting their wrists over it. To think of all the money they spent on it, too!"
Pippa Middleton at the launch for her book Celebrate
Middleton pocketed a £400,000 advance from Penguin for the book, which is described by the publishers as "packed with recipes, crafts and inspirational ideas".
The 416-page glossy hardback, which features photographs of Middleton engaging in party planning activities like cooking and decorating went on sale for £25 but has since been slashed to £10.99 on Amazon.
But the public seem less than enamoured with her efforts, with Celebrate shifting just 2,000 copies in its first week and sinking from sight on sales lists.
The damp squib response of her efforts has put Middleton somewhat on the defensive.
Jilly Cooper describes Middleton's book debut as 'terrible'
In a piece for the Telegraph, she wrote: "I could have written a book that showcased the most extravagant or elaborate of occasions- after all, I spent three years working for an events company planning parties - but I wanted to produce something that was achievable; something that people would have on their shelves for years; something that was not too fussy - just simple and comforting."
Cooper adds: "I don't blame her, I think she was ill-advised. All I can say is I hope the British public don't demonise her because of it.
"She seems like a lovely girl and her sister is wonderful."
Middleton's labours have also been lampooned via a genuinely funny Twitter parody account entitled Pippa Middelton Tips.
It offers such gems as:
Pippa at her book launch:
Pippa Middleton
