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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iBooks StoryTime app narrates children's stories on your Apple TV

To encourage parents and kids to read together, Apple has debuted a new app for tvOS. The iBooks StoryTime app features "Read-Aloud" tool that narrates books and flips pages automatically. For the times when you'd rather read to your child yourself,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Emad Akhtar to join Orion Fiction as publishing director

Orion Publishing Group has appointed Emad Akhtar, senior commissioning editor at Michael Joseph, as publishing director for Orion Fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #michael joseph #orion fiction


How well do you know historical fiction? Take our quiz and find out!

Love to read historical fiction? Take our quiz and find out how well you really know the genre. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Story of The Songaminute Man to HQ

HQ has snapped up rights to The Songaminute Man, an "inspirational" memoir of entertainer and "viral sensation", 80-year-old Ted McDermott, told by his son Simon. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's New App, Rapids, to Offer Children's Stories

Amazon Rapids is a new children's app that features short, illustrated stories designed to look like the text-chat feature on a smartphone. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Juno Dawson and Alex T Smith team up for YA story

Author Juno Dawson and illustrator Alex T Smith have teamed up to create a YA novel, which will be published by Barrington Stoke in October next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #juno dawson #barrington stoke


Audio download chart, September 2016: non-fiction excels

Non-fiction had a strong month in the Audio Download Chart, as the Harry Potter canon is displaced from Audible’s epper echelons in September by a slew of newcomers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Profoundly moving' story of neuroscientist's brain disorder to Transworld

Transworld is to publish the "extraordinary" story of neuroscientist Dr Barbara Lipska’s own brain "going awry". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Gripping' love story set on Turkish/Syrian border to Daunt Books

Daunt Books Publishing has acquired Elliot Ackerman’s "timely" new novel Dark at the Crossing – a "gripping" contemporary love story set on the Turkish/Syrian border. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tool, Story Add Female Directors; and More Production Moves

Tool has signed Director and Photographer Danielle Levitt to the integrated production company's live-action roster. She has worked with Marc Jacobs, Reebok, Nike, Sprite and Old Spice. She has also photographed celebrity portraits for Jenna Lyons, Rick Owens and the cast of Broadway's... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #marc jacobs #rick owens #vanity fair


Bluemoose, Tilted Axis and Mayfly join Northern Fiction Alliance

Three new independent publishers are to join the Northern Fiction Alliance which intends to position the north of England as a "centre of publishing excellence". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From Murder Mysteries to Christian Fiction: PW Talks to Karen Kingsbury

With over 7.8 million copies sold in the Baxter Family series alone and a new collection on the way, Christian fiction star Karen Kingsbury reflects on her writing career. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #murder mysteries #christian fiction #karen kingsbury #writing career


Ekbäck and Gregory win Historical Fiction awards

Cecilia Ekbäck has won the 2016 Historical Writers' Association's Goldsboro Debut Crown for her Nordic noir thriller, Wolf Winter (Hodder). Meanwhile, the Outstanding Contribution to Historical Fiction Award was presented to Philippa Gregory. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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2017 Folio Prize to include non-fiction

The Folio Prize is planned to return in 2017, with its remit extended to include non-fiction for the first time. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2016: Bonnier CEO Touts Stories, People

Jacob Dalborg, CEO of Bonnier, was the featured speaker during the CEO panel where he talked about the plans the Swedish publisher has for the future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth love story to be published next year

Beren and Lúthien, a story of the perilous romance between a man and an elf, is one of a number of texts by the author brought ‘together for the first time’JRR Tolkien’s legend of the mortal man Beren and the immortal elf Lúthien – a story that meant so much to the Lord of the Rings author that... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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C&W signs 'heartbreaking' story by PEN International president

Chatto & Windus is to publish Gun Love, a "powerful and heartbreaking" story of a mother and daughter by novelist and PEN International president Jennifer Clement. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vivek Tiwary: Telling Stories Any Way You Like

After producing award-winning works in music, musical theater and comics, Vivek Tiwary is now writing an illustrated YA novel and working to turn Dave Roman's children's graphic novel 'Astronaut Academy' into a TV series. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fiction and picture books look set to boost Christmas sales

Fiction and picture books are likely to take the lion’s share of sales over the Christmas period, although this year’s YA and teen offering is not as strong, according to a number of children’s booksellers. Florentyna Martin, children’s buyer at Waterstones, said younger fiction is particularly... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #picture books #christmas period #jacqueline wilson #rick riordan #liz pichon #david walliams #jeff kinney #tom fletcher


Frankfurt: women-centric stories dominate

The firing pistol for the annual rights frenzy ahead of the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) has sounded, with publishers battling it out to find the next The Girl on the Train as the psychological thriller phenomenon shows little sign of slowing down. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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