Does fan fiction spell the end of the professional novelist?

In popular genres such as sci-fi and fantasy, fan fiction based on the Wattpad model could easily disrupt the publishing industryFor a few years in the mid 2000s, I was the young librarian who got sent to schools to convince kids they really did want to read books. The truth of my experience was that the kids needed no convincing. There’s an odd belief in some parts of the book world that young people have to be made to read, or made to read “good” books. If you want a really telling piece of evidence to counter this strange notion, look no further than Wattpad.With more than 35 million users and over 100,000 stories published each day, Wattpad is staggeringly active community of readers and writers, the vast majority of whom are young adults. When I was working for libraries to engage young people with books, the idea of a website where kids could post and read stories for and by their peer group came up again and again. Wattpad is that vision made real, with the support of nearly $70m (£46m) in venture capital funding. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Does fan fiction spell the end of the professional novelist?"


Lit Hub Daily: April 18, 2024

“It always says the same thing: the vast majority of writers don’t earn enough from writing to make a decent living.” David Hill reflects on writing as labor. | Lit Hub Memoir Ethel Rohan on writing about grief: “For most of my life, I’ve suffered in shame and silence while the men who hurt me […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-18 10:30:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Jane Smiley on What It’s Like to Have Your Book Banned

Earlier this month, Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres was banned from the Iowa City Schools. Smiley is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 17 novels, two collections of short fiction, five nonfiction books, and eight books for young adults. She spoke to The Little Hawk, the student newspaper of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-19 09:59:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this


We Need Your Help: Support Lit Hub, Become a Member

Dear Lit Hub Reader, We need your help. For the past decade, Literary Hub has brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall. Now, as one of the last independent book-focused publications on the internet, we want to cover an even larger part of that world. Because of you, Lit Hub has […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-15 08:22:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Dhonielle Clayton Is Working to Make the Book World More Diverse

Her solution? A packaging business that sells ideas for commercial genre fiction featuring characters from broadly diverse backgrounds. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-10 10:00:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Fall Regionals 2023: Programming Highlights

This year’s gatherings provide opportunities for booksellers to rub shoulders with authors and strategize about challenges facing the book world. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Publisher Salon Grows Revenue After Cutting Resellers

Showing that publishers are better off controlling their own programmatic destiny, news publisher Salon has grown revenue after cutting off access to its inventory for the vast majority of resellers earlier this year. That increase comes that's from being able to charge more for its inventory... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2023-08-16 11:53:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Christian Publishers Add More Sci-fi/Fantasy Titles

With more adults and young adults looking for faith-based science fiction and fantasy books, publishers are responding by expanding imprints and new titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


TikTok Sells A Lot of Books. Now, Its Owner Wants to Publish Them, Too.

As ByteDance launches a publishing company, many in the book world wonder if it will create an uneven playing field by boosting its own authors at the expense of others. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-07-01 09:00:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Graphic/Comic Formats Enliven Religious Titles

Publishers use the power of imagery to reach kids, teens, and young adults with spiritual messages. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


An anti-trans children’s book illustrator has been charged with terroristic threatening.

Another day, another piece of horrifying anti-trans news in the book world. Even by recent standards, though, this one seems particularly fucked-up. An Alaska-based children’s book illustrator has been dropped by his publisher after making terroristic threats against transgender people. Mitchell... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-06 18:26:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Congratulations, we did it: 1,200 book bans in 2022.

The American Library Association (ALA) tracked 1,269 demands to censor library books and other resources last year, double that of 2021 and the highest in over 20 years; the highest since the ALA began tracking such things. Of the titles reported for whatever supposed thought crimes, the vast... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-23 15:00:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Things (Some) Readers Find Annoying About Books and the Book World

Even the most passionate bibliophile gets annoyed by aspects of books and the book world sometimes. Here are some examples. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-03-22 10:34:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘Things are definitely opening up’: the rise of older female writers

Unpublished authors in their 60s, 70s and 80s are now at a premium in the book world – with radical, edgy women in high demandThe literary world is often accused of an obsession with youth, from multiple awards targeted at authors under 40 to publishers who hunt for new voices exclusively among... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-02-25 07:00:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Beyond Book Trends: What the Book World Really Needs

Book "trends" are not what the world needs; we present here an extremely comprehensive overview of what the book world could really use. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-02-13 11:37:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The book world needs practical dreamers. Enter publisher-novelist Martin Riker

Micro-publisher Martin Riker has just published a novel of his own, 'The Guest Lecture,' that proves fiction can be experimental and rigorous at once. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-01-26 14:00:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Digital Book World 2023: The Future of AI Writing and Audio

According to multiple presenters at the Digital Book World conference, ChatGPT has potential to remake the way people write and streamline production and editing, while AI voice replication promises affordable audiobook adaptations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Digital Book World 2023: The Future of AI Writing and Audio

According to multiple presenters at the Digital Book World conference, ChatGPT has potential to remake the way people write and streamline production and editing, while AI voice replication promises affordable audiobook adaptations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Digital Book World Focuses on Data and Accessibility

Digital Book World, a conference focused on innovation in publishing, opened in New York City with a talk from the International Publishers Association about a two-year project focusing on data collection, as well as the need for more accessible books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Digital Book World Focuses on Data and Accessibility

Digital Book World, a conference focused on innovation in publishing, opened in New York City with a talk from the International Publishers Association about a two-year project focusing on data collection, as well as the need for more accessible books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘Let the fun begin!’ Why did romance writer Susan Meachen fake her own death? | Arwa Mahdawi

Two years after her apparent suicide, the novelist has announced she is still very much alive. Is this what it takes to sell books nowadays?‘All publicity is good publicity,” Susan Meachen thought to herself as she prepared to stage her suicide. In September 2020, Meachen, the self-published... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-11 07:00:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this