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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Amazon opens fan-fiction service

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[ Stuff | 2013-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon reveals fan fiction platform

Fan fiction authors will be able to publish and sell some titles in the US via new ebook platform Kindle Worlds. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2013-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Kindle Worlds will allow writers to sell fan fiction

The digital publishing platform will let fans write, publish, and sell the stories they've written based on popular books, TV shows, and more. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon launches Kindle Worlds publishing platform for fan fiction, will pay royalties to writers and rights holders

Amazon's taken a number of steps to bring different types of content to the Kindle Store, and it's now venturing into an area that has a long history with the internet: fan fiction. The company's today announced Kindle Worlds, a new publishing platform that promises to pay writers royalties for... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bakker's The Detour wins Independent Foreign Fiction Prize

Dutch writer Gerbrand Bakker has won this year's £10,000 Independent Foreign Fiction... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is Interactive Fiction Finally Reaching Critical Mass?

Several new high profile interactive fiction titles have been released so far this year, suggesting that publishers and readers may finally be ready for the medium. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Short Books snaps up Iraq-set thriller

Short Books has acquired a thriller written by Justin Huggler, former foreign correspondent for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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“A Short History of Nuclear Folly” is GBO’s Book of the Month for May

The German Book Office's May Book of the Month is Rudolf Herzog’s "A Short History of Nuclear Folly: Mad Scientists, Dithering Nazis, Lost Nukes, and Catastrophic Cover-Ups." Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S wins Vinnie story

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[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'The Hunger Games' trilogy drives juvenile fiction sales up 13.1 percent for 2012

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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Novelicious to launch fiction imprint

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[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New York Times' Google Glass App Reads Stories to You

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[ AdWeek | 2013-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Saud Alsanousi wins International Prize for Arabic Fiction

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[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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African fiction prize chooses longlist

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[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nickell son to tell his story

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[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Discover A Foreign City Through Its Fiction Via New Gimbal App

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B.J. Novak will release a book of stories in 2014

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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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