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 is certainly no shortage of people eager to become authors of literary fiction: creative writing courses have proliferated. The British, you could argue, are more at home tucked up with a decent novel than with any other artform. Britain is, after all, the country of Austen, the Brontës and Eliot; of Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith and Hilary Mantel.Look at the facts, though, and a more worrying picture emerges. It is well known that financing for the arts in Britain suffered a great blow after the global financial crisis: public funding for cultural organisations took a hit, the art market was severely knocked, and spending on theatre and concerts became impossible for many. A decade on there have been some signs of a recovery, albeit patchy and fragile. But this is not so for sales of literary fiction, which have not recovered from the recession. According to new research commissioned by Arts Council England, the problem affects literary fiction in particular. Genre fiction is doing better, dominating digital sales (the popularisation of the e-reader followed swiftly on the heels of the financial crisis; Amazon energetically promoted its Kindle for Christmas in 2010). The arrival of the... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2017-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
Severn House, an indie publisher established in 1974, continues to expand its wide-ranging library of genre fiction. Whether it's romance, cozy mystery, or fantasy, Severn House is committed to publishing unique stories from established and emerging authors. Joanne Grant, publisher of Severn... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Report commissioned by HarperCollins shows that uptake in YA fiction in older readers is due to behavioural changes described as ‘emerging adulthood’ or delaying ‘adult’ lifeYoung adult fiction such as The Hunger Games, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and the Heartstopper graphic novels might be... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-30 11:59:14 UTC ]
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Novelist Cindy Fazzi says authors interested in addressing the great issues of the day should avoid preaching and focus on telling a good story. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Genre fiction by such authors as Colleen Hoover, N.K. Jemisin, and Rebecca Roanhorse remains extremely popular with readers. As publishers increase their output to meet demand, booksellers are making more and more room on their shelves for the titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In the early 2010s I lived near a bookstore called KAYO Books, in an area of San Francisco sometimes called Tenderloin Heights. They stocked an incredible array of pulp and genre fiction: two dizzying floors of detective fiction, mysteries, westerns, schlocky movie and TV tie-ins, and erotica.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-11-24 09:55:50 UTC ]
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Research commissioned by Penguin Random House has revealed only 0.7% of English Literature GCSE students in England study a book by a writer of colour while only 7% study a book by a woman. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-28 22:57:04 UTC ]
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Independent publishers Dead Ink and Influx are launching an imprint, called New Ruins, focused on books that "defy the conventions" of literary and genre fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-05 22:40:32 UTC ]
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Emily St. John Mandel chronicles a global pandemic and financial crisis in her novels, 'Station Eleven' and 'The Glass Hotel.' Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-23 22:16:10 UTC ]
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The French economist, whose first “Capital” book in 2014 became a surprise bestseller with its deep analysis of income inequality over the centuries, is back—and this time offering solutions to the complex problem in his new book, “Capital and Ideology.” The recovery from the financial crisis... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-03-14 13:48:59 UTC ]
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UK sales of translated fiction grew by 5.5% last year, largely thanks to sales by top authors like Jo Nesbo, research commissioned by the Man Booker International Prize shows. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie bookstores aren't known for stocking a wide assortment of genre fiction titles, but booksellers are finding that it's time for that to change. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The president of the Turkish Publishers Association has called for international publishers to temporarily abandon the advance payment system when negotiating new rights deals in order to "show solidarity with Turkish publishers" during the country's financial crisis. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The writer of genre fiction further mines his clinical psychologist training in an illuminating turn to non-fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orion's Jon Wood responds to comments in Liz Thomson's obituary for Livia Gollancz and "snobbery" towards genre fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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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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New research commissioned by school programme provider Renaissance UK claims that secondary school children fail to develop their reading levels as they should. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The owner of the oldest bookshop chain in Greece has told of her devastation at closing her last store after the financial crisis in the country hit the business “like an avalanche”. The 118-year-old Athens bookstore of Eleftheroudakis, run by Sofika Eleftheroudaki, will close on 30th September... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Genre fiction, non-fiction and books which "are causing a stir, a story in the book world" will all be candidates for the new "Meet the Author" interview series, now conducted by veteran broadcaster James Naughtie who has replaced Nick Higham. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Around 27% of people fear reading could become a “forgotten pleasure” according to new research commissioned to mark the 10th anniversary of Galaxy Quick Reads. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In his just-published memoir, Ben Bernanke repeats his claim that he failed to rescue the Lehman Brothers investment bank in September 2008, while he was chairman of the Federal Reserve, because he believed that he lacked the legal authority to do so. This claim is a convenient excuse for the... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2015-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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