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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The story behind the ALCS author earnings survey numbers

Richard Combes examines the findings of the Authors Licensing and Collecting Society's author earnings survey. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quality control helps fiction from afar punch above its weight, says MacLehose

Christopher MacLehose, rehoused in the Hachette empire with his eponymous list, reflects on the pros and cons of big-business publishing and the health of the market for translated fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #eponymous list #translated fiction


Inside stories: Turkey’s grim tradition of publishing behind bars

Former HDP leader Selahattin Demirtaş has published a short story collection, written while in jail awaiting trial – just the latest example of a writer clashing with Turkey’s governmentAt the Istanbul book fair last November, there was a signing for the politician Selahattin Demirtaş’s short... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sharing Stories Wherever Readers Are: Chicken Soup for the Soul in 2018

The beloved brand has been reimagined as a multiplatform media juggernaut with the classic real-life story at its core. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Osiander success story defies tough market

Increasing pressure on sales and costs together with fewer customers on the shopfloor has created a challenging bookselling environment in Germany. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W&N buys Malik on dangerous myths behind status quo

Weidenfeld & Nicolson is to publish We Need New Stories, a "vital" book about dangerous myths that are maintaining the status quo. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #status quo #weidenfeld nicolson


AT&T completes purchase of Time Warner, ushering in new era for Warner Bros., CNN and HBO

Time Warner Inc. is no more. Late Thursday, AT&T Inc. announced that it completed its $85-billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc., just two days after a federal judge in Washington gave the deal the green light. AT&T wasted little time consolidating its hard-fought prize — a blockbuster... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Carpenter wins Big Idea contest with primary school story

Jack Martin, a 23-year-old carpenter from Devon, has won this year’s Big Idea Competition with an idea based on a story he wrote in primary school. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Group C Acquires Three More Titles; Grand View Media’s Breakup Nears Completion

After 21 years, Alabama-based Grand View Media appears to be exiting the publishing business. Group C Media—the New Jersey-based publisher of Business Facilities and Facility Executive magazines—announced last week its acquisition of Turf, Turf Design Build, and Tree Services magazines from... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Both Text and Audio Sold Together in Amazon Original Stories Collections

The second-newest imprint in Amazon Publishing’s portfolio offers both audio and ebook editions of works brought together in thematic collections. The first was released during BookExpo in New York City. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson A First Collection Bundles Text and... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon publishing #ebook editions #porter anderson #editor-in-chief @porter_anderson


Soft Fiction Sales Continue Into June

Unit sales of print books fell 2% in the week ended June 3, 2018, compared to the similar week in 2017, at outlets that report to NDP BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shamsie scoops 2018's Women’s Prize for Fiction

Kamila Shamsie has scooped this year's £30,000 Women’s Prize for Fiction for her "extraordinarily topical" novel Home Fire (Bloomsbury Circus).  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kamila Shamsie Wins £30,000 Women’s Prize for Fiction

In the year that Kamila Shamsie once proposed as a 'Year of Publishing Women,' the Pakistani-British author has won the Women's Prize for Fiction 2018 for 'Home Fire' in London. The post Kamila Shamsie Wins £30,000 Women’s Prize for Fiction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Just Write Your Own Fairy Tale': Chris Colfer on His 'Land of Stories' Series

At BookExpo, actor turned writer Chris Colfer spoke with 'NYTBR' editor Pamela Paul about the paperback release of the sixth and final book in his bestselling The Land of Stories series. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Muslims wins prize for radical children’s fiction

A children's book published by a tiny independent publisher has beaten off competition from authors such as Malala Yousafzai and Gill Lewis to win the Little Rebels Children's Book Award for Radical Fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #radical fiction #radical children #rebels children #book published #malala yousafzai #gill lewis #book award


Love story exploring male mental health to Orion

Orion has acquired the story of a 10-year relationship told in 24 hours, Our Life in a Day. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Brainy backlist’ helps boost non-fiction market

A dramatic shift is under way in the non-fiction market with "more intelligent" titles on the rise, partially the result of the continuing wane of the celebrity market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Weekly E-Ranking: Eleanor Oliphant is no longer Completely Fine

And with that, the Honeyman is over. Peter James’ Dead If You Don’t has ended Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’s record run in the Weekly E-Ranking number one spot, becoming the first new number one in the ebook chart since the second week of February. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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10 Essential Offbeat Science Fiction Novels

Catherynne M. Valente, author of 'Space Opera,' picks books by Cory Doctorow, Stanislaw Lem, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo 2018: April Genevieve Tucholke Visits New Fictional Terrain

With 'The Boneless Mercies' (FSG, Oct.), a reimagining of the Beowulf legend in which four mercenary girls set out to defeat a marauding monster, Tucholke is making her first foray into fantasy. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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