Tama Janowitz's collection of short stories, Slaves of New York (1986), thrust her into the celebrity spotlight. Prior to its publication she had written one book, American Dad (1981), which received little critical attention. The appearance of her second book, however, was coupled with author tours, interviews, and radio spots. The attention continued through the next year, as R. Z. Sheppard chronicled in Time magazine (19 October 1987):

She attracted attention in 1986 when she crashed the Four Seasons restaurant with handouts promoting her short story collection Slaves of New York. . . . Janowitz has appeared in magazine articles for Amaretto and Rose's Lime Juice. Her face pops up with increasing frequency in newspapers and magazines, and she has given the MTV generation its first performance-writer by making videotapes to plug Slaves. . . . Janowitz has a catchy style and achieves her satiric effects with a sly Valley-girl delivery.