Genre Worlds: Popular Fiction and Twenty-First-Century Book Culture

Description

Works of genre fiction are a source of enjoyment, read during cherished leisure time and in incidental moments of relaxation. This original book takes readers inside popular genres of fiction, including crime, fantasy, and romance, to reveal how personal tastes, social connections, and industry knowledge shape genre worlds. Attuned to both the pleasure and the profession of producing genre fiction, the authors investigate contemporary developments in the field—the rise of Amazon, self-publishing platforms, transmedia storytelling, and growing global publishing conglomerates—and show how these interact with older practices, from fan conventions to writers’ groups. Sitting at the intersection of literary studies, genre studies, fan studies, and studies of the book and publishing cultures, Genre Worlds considers how contemporary genre fiction is produced and circulated on a global scale. Its authors propose an innovative theoretical framework that unfolds genre fiction’s most compelling characteristics: its connected social, industrial, and textual practices. As they demonstrate, genre fiction books are not merely texts; they are also nodes of social and industrial activity involving the production, dissemination, and reception of the texts. Dedication Contents Prologue: Getting Hooked and Reading On 1. A Theory of Genre Worlds 2. Genre Worlds and the Publishing Industry 3. Transnational and Transmedia Genre Worlds 4. Community and Creativity 5. Genre Sociality Online and in Person 6. Genre Worlds on the Page 7. Genre Worlds and Change Acknowledgments Appendix: Case Studies Notes Index About the Authors