'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.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Genre Worlds : Australian Popular Fiction in the 21st Century [Interviews]
Kim Wilkins
(interviewer),
Beth Driscoll
(interviewer),
Lisa Fletcher
(interviewer),
St Lucia
:
AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource
,
2023
26215462
2023
selected work
interview
A series of thirty-two interviews conducted with authors and publishing professionals as part of the ARC-funded research project Genre Worlds. The interviews are further analysed in the associated monograph, Genre Worlds: Popular Fiction and Twenty-first-century Book Culture, by Kim Wilkins, Beth Driscoll, and Lisa Fletcher (University of Massachusetts Press, 2022).
'To get the stories behind the stories of genre fiction, few would be better situated than the Australian author trio of Genre Worlds: Popular Fiction and Twenty-First-Century Book Culture. Kim Wilkins, professor at the University of Queensland, is a literary studies specialist; Beth Driscoll, associate professor at the University of Melbourne, specializes in publishing studies and book history research; and Lisa Fletcher, professor at the University of Melbourne, teaches creative writing and writes fantasy novels herself. In this book, the three explore the myriad ways in which industry knowledge and practice, social connection both in-person and online, and authorial taste and expertise all affect the creation of the books that actually get read.' (Introduction)
'While the written conventions of works that fall into the category of genre fiction may be well-known—elves and swords in high fantasy, whiskey drinking private eyes with shady pasts in detective fiction, and so on—the larger, interactive communities these texts fit into benefit from the deep worldbuilding presented in Genre Worlds: Popular Fiction and Twenty-First-Century Book Culture. Kim Wilkins, Beth Driscoll, and Lisa Fletcher meld a meticulous research model together with a fan's appreciation to analyze genre worlds, which they define as “textual, social, and industrial complex[es] in which people work together to create and circulate specific types of books” (17). Their focus on the cooperative and connected elements behind the publishing, writing, and circulation of genre fiction gives a bird's-eye view of the industry while diving into the different players that operate in the worlds of three genres: crime, romance, and fantasy. Their focus is on the anglophone market of Australian fiction, which opens room for robust exploration of national and transnational trends in genre fiction conventions and publishing practices.' (Introduction)
'Romance fiction has one of the most recognisable brands in book culture. It is known for a handful of attributes: its happy-ever-after endings, the pocket Mills & Boon and Harlequin editions, the covers featuring Fabio (in the 1990s) or naked male torsos (the hot trend in the 21st century). It is known for being overwhelmingly written and read by women, and for being mass-produced.' (Introduction)
'While the written conventions of works that fall into the category of genre fiction may be well-known—elves and swords in high fantasy, whiskey drinking private eyes with shady pasts in detective fiction, and so on—the larger, interactive communities these texts fit into benefit from the deep worldbuilding presented in Genre Worlds: Popular Fiction and Twenty-First-Century Book Culture. Kim Wilkins, Beth Driscoll, and Lisa Fletcher meld a meticulous research model together with a fan's appreciation to analyze genre worlds, which they define as “textual, social, and industrial complex[es] in which people work together to create and circulate specific types of books” (17). Their focus on the cooperative and connected elements behind the publishing, writing, and circulation of genre fiction gives a bird's-eye view of the industry while diving into the different players that operate in the worlds of three genres: crime, romance, and fantasy. Their focus is on the anglophone market of Australian fiction, which opens room for robust exploration of national and transnational trends in genre fiction conventions and publishing practices.' (Introduction)
'To get the stories behind the stories of genre fiction, few would be better situated than the Australian author trio of Genre Worlds: Popular Fiction and Twenty-First-Century Book Culture. Kim Wilkins, professor at the University of Queensland, is a literary studies specialist; Beth Driscoll, associate professor at the University of Melbourne, specializes in publishing studies and book history research; and Lisa Fletcher, professor at the University of Melbourne, teaches creative writing and writes fantasy novels herself. In this book, the three explore the myriad ways in which industry knowledge and practice, social connection both in-person and online, and authorial taste and expertise all affect the creation of the books that actually get read.' (Introduction)
'Romance fiction has one of the most recognisable brands in book culture. It is known for a handful of attributes: its happy-ever-after endings, the pocket Mills & Boon and Harlequin editions, the covers featuring Fabio (in the 1990s) or naked male torsos (the hot trend in the 21st century). It is known for being overwhelmingly written and read by women, and for being mass-produced.' (Introduction)
