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

by Kim Wilkins, Beth Driscoll, Lisa Fletcher

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781625346612
Publisher:	University of Massachusetts Press
Publication date:	04/29/2022
Series:	Page and Screen
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

KIM WILKINS is professor of writing, publishing, and twenty-first-century book culture at the University of Queensland.

BETH DRISCOLL is associate professor of publishing, communications, and arts management at the University of Melbourne.

LISA FLETCHER is head of the School of Humanities and professor of English at the University of Tasmania.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Getting Hooked and Reading On ix

Chapter 1 A Theory of Genre Worlds 1

Chapter 2 Genre Worlds and the Publishing Industry 28

Chapter 3 Transnational and Transmedia Genre Worlds 58

Chapter 4 Community and Creativity 95

Chapter 5 Genre Sociality Online and in Person 132

Chapter 6 Genre Worlds on the Page 162

Chapter 7 Genre Worlds and Change 186

Acknowledgments 199

Appendix Case Studies 201

Notes 203

Index 223

Editorial Reviews

A 2023 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title!

​“It isn’t often that an academic text is as readable as a thrilling, sumptuously sexy, or absorbingly imaginative novel, yet Genre Worlds can be described using every review-trawling author’s dream description: unputdownable.”—Marina Deller, Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature

“Fiction writers looking for an in-depth discussion of the genre worlds they work in, creative writing teachers who want to give their classes an understanding of the world of writing beyond the pen and paper, and scholars of genre fiction itself who are interested in what goes on behind the scenes will benefit from the compelling exploration found within Genre Worlds.”—Journal of Popular Culture

“Genre Worlds is of potential interest to scholars and students in a wide variety of academic disciplines, including but not limited to: English Literature, Media and Cultural Studies, Communication, Book History, Australian Studies, Sociology, and Anthropology. The book should also appeal to genre fiction fans who wish to learn about the people behind the books they love. Highly recommended.”—Publishing Research Quarterly

“Genre Worlds is a fast-paced, engaging, and insightful examination of genre fiction and its wide-ranging influences.”—C. A. Nadon, CHOICE

“Genre Worlds brings together traditional literary readings with audience studies and book publishing research in a really crucial way. Readers and fans of various genres will find the book interesting and useful.”—Kristina Busse, author of Framing Fan Fiction: Literary and Social Practices in Fan Fiction Communities

“Genre Worlds’s literary, sociological, and ethnographic approaches leverage insider views based on interviews with writers, editors, agents, and other participants in the production of genre fiction. It offers an illuminating picture of how genre worlds work and the numerous participants in them.”—Jeremy Rosen, author of Minor Characters Have Their Day: Genre and the Contemporary Literary Marketplace

“Genre Worlds will hook you and enlighten you, offering a compelling investigation of popular fiction in the twenty-first century.”—Rachel Noorda, SHARP NEWS

From the Publisher