Is literary fiction in trouble? Readers and authors respond

The Arts Council England report has set the internet ablaze – but are sales of literary fiction in decline because of snobbery, bad writing or Candy Crush?News: Literary fiction in crisis as sales drop dramaticallyArts Council England has sounded the alarm for literary fiction with a report revealing a collapse in sales, advances and book pricing that has left authors unable to support themselves through writing alone. UK sales of general fiction slumped from £216m in 2010 to £143m last year, with the market increasingly skewed towards commercial bestsellers, which was news enough set the Arts Council’s Twitter handle – @ace_national ‏ – trending on Twitter, as readers and writers stared down the barrel of cultural Armageddon.There may be only 10 days to go, but the report was enough for the author Anna Mazzola to start tearing up plans for Christmas:Wondering what to buy your writer friend for Christmas? Turns out it's a hot meal or bottle of meths.https://t.co/92eJOY6wbFSome worrying figures in here for literary fiction... Though it does highlight the need for us to keep writing, telling stories, promoting new voices, and exploring what literature means and the impact it has. https://t.co/UpyFEcbnQxThis report says in cold Christmassy daylight what writers have known for a while: https://t.co/LnxDwuOSXDThe fact that 'literary fiction' defines itself against 'commercial fiction' might explain why it isn't doing well commercially.Far too many of the books published as... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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