Links of Interest: October 25, 2023

Traditional Publishing

• What is literary fiction? Professor Dan Sinykin goes long on how “literary fiction” came into existence as a marketing category in the 1980s. He ultimately argues it’s an anachronistic term today, but we’re not so sure. Read at The Nation.
• Do small presses even exist? This is an early, critical review of Dan Sinykin’s Big Fiction, which looks at how conglomerate publishing shaped fiction today. Read Hilary Plum at the Los Angeles Review of Books.
• Who is YA for? Recent studies show that people from ages 12 to 44 now read YA. Editors comment on what this means to them. Read Joanne O’Sullivan at Publishers Weekly.
• A study of romance novel covers: They’re now more “approachable” and don’t automatically feature a scantily clad couple in a heterosexual clinch. Illustration is more popular. Interact with the data set analyzed by Alice Liang at The Pudding.

Bookselling

• Barnes & Noble’s new interior design reflects its location, not corporate mandates. Just as the stores are free to choose what to stock, they can also consider the right aesthetic for the city and building they’re situated in. Read Maureen O’Connor at the New York Times (gift link).
• Tattered Cover files for bankruptcy. The Denver-based chain owes more than $1 million to publishers as well as $375,000 to the state of Colorado for abandoned gift cards. Read Sam Tabachnik at the Denver Post. The store never seemed to recover after its neutrality statement in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, which ultimately led to a sale to new ownership by the end of that year (learn more).

Creator Economy

• Patreon has acquired a platform for ticketed, live events. Livestreaming, which can serve as another form of income, is one of the top requested features from Patreon’s creators in addition to memberships and merchandise. Learn more.
• How to start a private community for your Substack newsletter or podcast (or whatever). Here’s some starting advice on how to start and moderate a community for your readers, fans, or supporters. Read Claire Zulkey at Inbox Collective.

AI

• The NO FAKES Act would protect against unauthorized AI replicas. A newly proposed bill, the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2023 (the NO FAKES Act), standardizes rules around using a person’s face, name, and voice. The bill has bipartisan support and prevents the “production of a digital replica without consent of the applicable individual or rights holder” unless part of a documentary, a biographical work, or a news, public affairs, or sports broadcast. The rights would apply throughout a person’s lifetime and for 70 years after their death. Read Emilia David at The Verge.

Culture and Politics

• 92NY halts its high-profile literary reading series due to resignations and protests over its cancellation of an author event. Last week, the 92NY, a leading Jewish organization in New York City, pulled an event after the featured author signed an open letter critical of Israel. Now, 92NY staffers and other authors are resigning or withdrawing from the organization. Read Jennifer Schuessler at the New York Times (gift link).
• Scholastic gets into hot water with its opt-in diverse books shelf. In an effort to navigate new and ongoing legislation surrounding what books can be made available to kids through school libraries, Scholastic Book Fair created a separate collection that can be added on or declined by schools. Read Kara Yorio at School Library Journal. However, this week, Scholastic apologized, saying, “We will find an alternate way to get a greater range of books into the hands of children.” Read Nathalie op de Beeck at Publishers Weekly.

Libraries

• The UK updates its Public Lending Right Scheme. In the UK and some other countries (but not the US), authors are paid for library loans. The UK has improved its data to improve fairness of PLR payments. Learn more.