Complete fiction: why 'the short story renaissance' is a myth

With soaring sales, viral hits like Cat Person and a cameo by Tom Hanks, the form seems to be staging a comeback. But did it ever go away?In 2017, almost 50% more short story collections were sold than in the previous year. It was the best year for short stories since 2010. Booksellers are reporting a surge in popularity for the form, commentators note publishers are buying more collections and issuing them with greater care and enthusiasm; in December the newcomer Kristen Roupenian cut five- and seven-figure deals in the UK and US after her New Yorker story “Cat Person” went viral. On top of all that, collections are being reviewed more than ever before, the Sunday Times EFG short story award (worth £30,000) has received its highest ever number of entries and the BBC national short story award continues to grow in popularity. We are experiencing the renaissance of the short story form, right?Wrong; which isn’t to say 2017 wasn’t a good year for the short story – it was, but the “renaissance of the short story” story is an old one that is rolled out year after year. Does that matter? I think it does. By getting caught up in this recurring phantom narrative, and dwelling on press release froth rather than the work being produced, we spurn the opportunity to talk about short stories in a way that might actually deepen how they are understood and engaged with by readers.How can the short story ever have time to wither, given the frequency of its rebirth?In the cases of Tom... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #books sold #complete fiction #cat person #tom hanks #short stories #short story #jojo moyes

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Faber wins nine-way auction for 'fascinating' story of British Isles

Faber & Faber has acquired The City That Fell of a Cliff by historian Matthew Green following a "heated" nine-way auction.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #british isles #faber faber


Indie bookshops called on to complete annual Christmas Trading Survey

The Bookseller is calling on independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland to complete its annual Christmas Trading survey. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story global publishing program rolled out

DK has unveiled its Rogue One: A Star Wars Story global publishing program today (16th December), following the film's nationwide release this week. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Top 10 Library Stories of 2016

PW takes a look back at some of the library stories that captivated the publishing world in 2016, and what they portend for 2017. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pw takes #library stories #publishing world


The Big Book Publishing Stories of 2016

The ouster of Barnes & Noble's CEO, the sale of Perseus, and Follett's purchase of Baker & Taylor were the big publishing stories of 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #barnes noble #baker taylor


Publishers Weekly’s Top Comics Stories of 2016

Here are the ten most popular stories about graphic novels and comics published on publishersweekly.com in 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #popular stories #graphic novels #comics published


PW’s 10 Most-Read Religion Stories of 2016

From the ever-changing terrain of Christian fiction to a preview of religion books getting big-screen adaptations, here are PW’s most-read religion and spirituality stories of 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp’s Domain pornography story is ‘gutter’ journalism, Fairfax says

Report in the Australian says property portal is buying ad space on pornographic and illegal download websites to inflate its audience figuresFairfax Media has accused News Corp of gutter journalism after the Australian claimed the company placed advertising for its property portal Domain on... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #boost revenue


Best of the week: Twitter’s woes and Snapchat Live Stories doubts

To get you ready for the weekend, we've rounded up some of our best stories this week: Twitter is falling out of favor with publishers as a reliable driver of traffic. It doesn’t have the audience scale, visual storytelling tools and ad products that Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook do. On... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ve rounded #audience scale #ad products #paying customers


Nicholas Allan donates archive to Seven Stories

Author and illustrator Nicholas Allan, whose books include as Father Christmas Needs a Wee and The Queen's Knickers (Red Fox), is donating his entire archive to Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arts Foundation Award 'creative non-fiction' shortlist revealed

Writers Marina Benjamin and Joanna Walsh, author/illustrator Oliver Kugler and poet Jack Underwood are on the shortlist for a new prize for creative non-fiction writing. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Noir Press: Bringing Lithuanian Fiction to English Readers

‘Does a Lithuanian author stand a chance in the ocean of books on British bookshop shelves?’ Noir Press’ Stephan Collishaw says he has a good answer. Laura Sintija Černiauskaitė is the Vilnius-born, 39-year-old author who won the 2009 European Union Prize for Literature for her ‘Kvėpavimas į... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Audible offers strike relief with free Philip Pullman story

Audible is giving away a short story by Philip Pullman to help London commuters deal with the Southern and TfL strikes. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Erri De Luca wins Bad Sex in Fiction Award

Erri De Luca has won the 24th annual Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award for The Day Before Happiness (Allen Lane). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Instagram recruits college football teams to market Stories

Instagram has recruited seven colleges to use Instagram Stories as part of a new initiative to show the behind-the-scenes atmosphere on game days through the rest of the college football season. For the program, Instagram is also providing training and insights on Instagram Stories. The approach... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cover Story: 'The Girl Who Knew Too Much'

When Jayne Ann Krentz decided to take her 19th century Amanda Quick mysteries into the 20th century, the look of the novels needed a thoroughly modern update. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Small Stories, Big Picture

Why a new era of multimedia storytelling, fueled by smartphones and powerful digital tools, means change for libraries and publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Colson Whitehead wins for fiction at the National Book Awards

In a year plagued by racial tensions, Colson Whitehead took the National Book Award for fiction for his novel "The Underground Railroad," a visceral and creative imagining of a female slave's escape from slavery. Although it takes years to write a book and bring it to publication, the National... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #racial tensions #colson whitehead #underground railroad


International Notes: IPA Blasts New Turkish Censorship; Amazon Awards Spanish-Language Fiction

Further action against media in Turkey prompts international publishers' criticism; and Amazon KDP names a new recipient of its Spanish-language award. The post International Notes: IPA Blasts New Turkish Censorship; Amazon Awards Spanish-Language Fiction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #international notes