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 ]
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The Bodley Head is publishing a new "important" non-fiction book by journalist Rachel Cooke, called The Reckoning. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie bookstores aren't known for stocking a wide assortment of genre fiction titles, but booksellers are finding that it's time for that to change. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Once a ghost town, Facebook Stories has gotten increasingly more attractive to publishers. The post ‘Efficient’: Publishers are recycling their Instagram efforts for Facebook Stories appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2019-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Profile Books has bought the "hilarious and soothing" Bedtime Stories for Worried Liberals by Guardian columnist Stuart Heritage. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jake Lingwood, who left Ebury in October after more than 20 years, is joining Hachette's Octopus Publishing to launch a new non-fiction imprint specialised in first-person narratives. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Transworld has acquired Jane Sanderson's latest novel, a "nostalgic and romantic" story called Mix Tape pitched as perfect for fans of David Nicholls and Laura Barnett, in a six-figure deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A collection of recent releases celebrates the joy of connecting with a grandparent, remembering the Moon landing, and slowing down to appreciate life, and much more. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With 2018 in the rearview mirror, we take a look back at some of the biggest stories that captured headlines in the industry last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Drag queen story hours at libraries have proven popular with kids and adults, but some conservatives have challenged the sessions in courts. Since debuting in San Francisco a little over three years ago, drag queen story hours—where performers read from children’s books to crowds of kids and... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2019-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The New York Times publisher was reportedly eager to appease the Chinese government because its operation in China was at stake. In her new book Merchants of Truth, former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson claims that the news outlet’s publisher drafted a letter “all but apologizing”... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2019-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Over the past few years, Future Tense has occasionally published short science fiction, including a story from The Windup Girl author Paolo Bacigalupi on a murderous robot and one from Emily St. John Mandel, of Station Eleven fame, on time travel. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2018-12-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lionel Shriver's controversial opinion piece on diversity, a publishing start-up offering aspiring writers a £24k salary and Waterstones' shock acquisition of Foyles all feature in the Top 10 most-read stories on The Bookseller website in 2018. But what's at number one? Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Say this for 2018: There wasn't a single slow news day this year. While most of this year's headlines focused on Washington, D.C., there were quite a few notable events in the world of literature as well. Here are seven of the biggest literary headlines from the last 12 months: Michelle Obama's... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Clare Mackintosh is making her non-fiction debut with a memoir about family life in the countryside: A Cotswold Family Life. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Contrary to appearances, it’s still possible to stare down the tech giants. And in 2018, Fortnite proved it. In 2018, the platforms have the power. Which means if you aren’t Apple, Google, or Facebook, you answer to them. That’s true for advertisers, for publishers, and even for our democracy.... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2018-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eleanor Dryden, currently publishing director at Bonnier Zaffre, is joining Headline Review in April to head up its commercial fiction team. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Declines in adult fiction and juvenile fiction and nonfiction offset a 7.6% increase in adult nonfiction sales, resulting in a 0.8% drop in unit sales of print books for the week ended Dec. 8, 2018, compared to the similar week last year at outlets the report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW takes a look back at some of the library stories that captivated the publishing world in 2018, and what they portend for 2019. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In 2019, Kensington expands its commitment to publishing novels that celebrate Southern heritage and also boldly face the past. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Questions over the changing religious beliefs of millennials, a defamation suit filed by the subject of 2010’s bestseller ‘The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven,’ and reports of sexual misconduct at Christian writing conferences make up some of PW’s top religion and spirituality stories of 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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