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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Jilly Cooper believes literary fiction should not receive state funding

Author Jilly Cooper has said that literary fiction should not receive state support, arguing instead that the money would be better spent on the declining newspaper industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary fiction


Facebook will ‘completely deprioritize publishers’: Confessions of a publisher audience development head

An audience development head said Facebook reps advised the publisher to rely less on Facebook than it has in the past. The post Facebook will ‘completely deprioritize publishers’: Confessions of a publisher audience development head appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PubTech Connect 2018: New Stories, New Platforms

At this PubTech Connect breakout session, innovators will share how they’ve brought book content to new platforms and created new experiences for readers Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW's Top Publishing News Stories of 2017

A canceled book deal, Amazon buy buttons, and sexual harassment were among the big news stories this past year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Most Popular Slate Stories of 2017

Slate has published more than 11,000 articles in 2017. Determining the 10 most popular wasn’t easy. When we do this roundup every year, we inevitably debate the same question: What’s the best way to determine popularity? We measure our traffic in many ways. We look at how many visitors and page... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2017-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The facts on fiction and Marley’s origins | Letters

Karl Sabbagh says small publishers face with huge obstacles with selling books and even letting anyone know they exist; plus a descendant of Dr Miles Marley sets the record straightWith reference to your leader on literary fiction (28 December), as a small publisher we are faced with huge... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW’s Most-Read Cooking Stories of 2017

This year, we took a look at one cookbook’s journey from Broadway and ate Shake Shack burgers at home. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thursday's TV highlights: 'Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story' and more

SERIES Movie Night With Karlie Kloss The supermodel and her celebrity guests watch flicks, play games and gab in this new series. First up, 2002’s “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.” 6:30 p.m. Freeform The Perfect Suspect The debut installment of this true-crime series tells the tale of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Snapchat Plans to Implant Its Video Stories Everywhere Online

Snapchat is looking to get more viewers on its videos by letting publishers post them outside the app.The "Stories Everywhere" video product currently in developmentfirst reported by Cheddar on Wednesdaywould be a way for the company to break out of its insular world and impact the larger... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Guardian view on literary fiction: in need of support | Editorial

Stories should come from all parts of society – not just from the well heeled and the middle classLiterary fiction, you might think, is in wonderful health. Book festivals, from Edinburgh and Wigtown in Scotland, to Hay-on-Wye in Wales, to Cheltenham and Bath in England, are flourishing. There... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW’s Most-Read Comics Stories of 2017

The 'New York Times' eliminating its Graphic Novel Bestseller List and the continued growth of manga sales in North America were among PW’s most popular articles about graphic novel publishing in 2017. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indies reminded to complete 2017 Christmas Trading Survey

Indie bookshops in the UK and Ireland are being called upon to complete The Bookseller’s annual Christmas Trading Survey. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Espionage novel bags Little, Brown UEA Crime Fiction Award

Merle Nygate has won the inaugural Little, Brown Award for crime fiction at the University of East Anglia (UEA). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Edward St Aubyn's King Lear and the future of literary fiction - books podcast

As a new report reveals the dire financial straits being faced by literary novelists, we investigate how these bleak conditions arose and what can be done to help the writers, regarded by some as thoroughbreds and by others as ghosts of Christmas past. We also catch up with Edward St Aubyn, one... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The UK’s Man Booker Prize for Fiction Observes Its 50th Anniversary in 2018

Ahead of special events for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction's half-century anniversary, the foundation releases a desk diary with covers of winning titles. The post The UK’s Man Booker Prize for Fiction Observes Its 50th Anniversary in 2018 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary fiction is in crisis. A new chapter of funding authors must begin | Claire Armistead

Competition from smartphones and readers sticking to well-known writers means novelists are suffering. We must find ways better ways to enable themFinally it’s official: literary fiction is in crisis, and writers across the land are burning the midnight oil in their garrets, teaching or slogging... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Crisis in literary fiction a 'wake-up call'

Arts Council England’s report into the crisis in literary fiction should serve as a "wake up call" to the industry which needs to "radically rethink" how it presents the genre, the chief executive of Curtis Brown has warned. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arts Council England’s Alarm for Literary Fiction: ‘The Problem Is a Real One’

'Overall the books selling well' in the UK 'are not literary,' Arts Council England's commissioned report from the Canelo team announces. The post Arts Council England’s Alarm for Literary Fiction: ‘The Problem Is a Real One’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary fiction under threat, ACE report concludes

Arts Council England has pledged to engage with more bookshops, fund more writers and lobby the government to provide tax relief to independent publishers following a report finding that “the general trend for literary fiction is a negative one”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary fiction #independent publishers