Spellbound: why ‘witch lit’ is the hottest new genre on our bookshelves

Vampires and ghosts have long haunted popular fiction, but now a string of new releases is focusing on marginalised women with hidden powersSomeone, or something, shadowy has put a strong spell on popular literature aimed at women, once cheekily labelled “chick lit”. This perky genre, packaged in bright covers, jauntily titled and so long a mainstay of the publishing industry, has been slowly transforming into something darker and rich with sorcery, with 2023 set to be a new high point in a growing “witch lit” trend.“Witches are definitely a big thing, which is exciting and fun,” said Phoebe Morgan, a publisher at Hodder Fiction, “but it also has something to do with a sense that women’s rights are in danger of being stripped away again, with things like the overturning of Roe v Wade in America. These books are often concerned with pregnancy, abortion and abuse, as well as magic.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-08 12:00:47 UTC ]
News tagged with: #publishing industry #high point #big thing #hodder

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Spellbound: why ‘witch lit’ is the hottest new genre on our bookshelves'


More men join the RNA as genre overcomes 'snobbery'

More men are joining the Romantic Novelists' Association and writing romantic fiction under their own names as the genre overcomes a "lurking literary snobbery", RNA chair Nicola Cornick has said, after two men won prizes in its flagship awards for the first time. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #romantic novelists


Children's Books in China 2018: Flying High with Winnie the Witch

In April 2018, Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP) will publish Winnie and Wilbur: The Naughty Knight, the 18th title in the Winnie the Witch series. Plans are also in the works for illustrator Korky Paul to do a three-week tour of China, giving several lectures, including one... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Booksellers Respond to Kid Lit Sexual Harassment Scandal

Booksellers are responding in varied ways to the sexual harassment scandal that has engulfed the chuldren's book publishing world. One bookstore has pulled books by two authors under fire, while others want the market to decide whether they will stock such books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #booksellers respond


Mostly Lit and Waterstones announce year-long partnership

Books and pop-culture podcast, Mostly Lit, has teamed up with Waterstones on a year-long partnership to create a new series of events and online content for the bookseller. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pop-culture podcast #online content


Patrick Stewart to headline Huddersfield Lit Festival

Sir Patrick Stewart is to headline the Huddersfield Literature Festival this year, which is taking place from the 8th to the 18th March. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #taking place #18th march


The Graphic Novel’s Dilemma: Debating a Genre’s Search for Respect

If the the graphic novel has come of age, that didn't slow down the debate around this genre's search for its place in publishing at Guadalajara. The post The Graphic Novel’s Dilemma: Debating a Genre’s Search for Respect appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Choc Lit signs #HeatSeeker winner Hannah Pearl

Ruby Fiction, a new imprint of women's fiction publisher Choc Lit, has signed a three-book deal with Hannah Pearl, last week's winner of the #HeatSeeker Short Story Writing Competition. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Mostly Lit brings live show to FutureBook

Alex Reads, Rai, and Derek Owusu, the creators of the books and pop-culture podcast Mostly Lit, are to bring their live show to the FutureBook Conference. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #futurebook conference #alex reads #pop-culture podcast #live show


These 14 Digital Publishers Are the Hottest Voices on the Internet. Here’s What They’re Doing

In the world of digital publishing, sites, brands and podcasts saw tremendous growth this year thanks to politics, partnerships and social media. By being true to themselves and leaning into what they do best, destinations like BuzzFeed's Tasty and Teen Vogue resonated with their audiences even... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital publishing


Icelandic witch trials thriller to MJ

Michael Joseph has acquired a "darkly atmospheric" historical thriller set against the backdrop of the 17th-century Icelandic witch trials. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #michael joseph


'Lazy and sloppy': historical novelist Philippa Gregory's bizarre take on genre writing

In an interview that raised many hackles, Gregory dismissed erotica as ‘pornography’ and crime novel villains as ‘blindingly obvious’ – despite her own novels occupying a distinct genre themselvesIn a bizarre miscalculation, the historical novelist Philippa Gregory took a sideswipe at the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #philippa gregory #genre novels #boleyn girl


Canada's Top Lit Fest Announces Author Line-up

The International Festival of Authors, which returns to the Toronto Harbourfront Center this October 19-29, will feature over 60 fiction writers and poets including Canadian authors Barbara Gowdy and Frances Itani. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #international festival


Up lit: the new book trend with kindness at its core

From Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time to Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, the empathetic literature inspired by a year of tragedies, political upheaval and economic uncertaintyA bruising year dominated by political and economic uncertainty, terrorism and tragedy has, publishers... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #eleanor oliphant #completely fine #economic uncertainty #human connection #impossible things


Scholastic to release 'genre-busting' Beetle Boy companion

Scholastic will publish a “innovative and genre-busting” companion volume to M G Leonard’s acclaimed Beetle Boy as an “in-world, non-fiction introduction to the wonderful world of beetles”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #wonderful world


Murray and Kay on Scot Lit Fest virtual line-up

Judy Murray, Scottish tennis coach and mother to tennis stars Jamie and Andy Murray, will be joining the Saltire Society’s virtual book festival Scot Lit Fest in the weekend after this year's Wimbledon tournament. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #judy murray #andy murray #saltire society


Caroline Hutton to chair Cheltenham Lit Fest

Journalist Caroline Hutton is to become the chair of The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, replacing Baroness Gail Rebuck who stepped down last year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Milkweed Unveils Lit Prize Honoring Young Poet

Milkweed Editions is launching the $10,000 Max Ritvo Poetry Prize for debut collections, in honor of the young poet who died of cancer in 2016, weeks before his debut collection was published by the Minneapolis-based nonprofit press. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #milkweed editions #debut collections #debut collection


BookNet Canada Offers Studies of Popular Genres

BookNet Canada has issued four studies looking at the demographics for book buyers of biographies/autobiographies, detective fiction, science fiction and cookbooks, each showing trends for the genre. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #popular genres #booknet canada #book buyers #detective fiction #science fiction


Short stories: How well do you know the genre? Take our quiz

These literary gems are proof that good things come in small packages. How many classic short stories have you read? How much do you know about their authors? Take our quiz and find out. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2017-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #short stories #literary gems #good things


New Tor Imprint to Focus on Experimental Genre Publishing

Tor Labs will launch this summer with a 14-episode podcast called 'Steal the Stars' about two government employees guarding a crashed UFO. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tor imprint