Comments on: Is the novel dead? http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/ A mutual support group for SF/F Novelists Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:39:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Jenna Black http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-24 Jenna Black Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:50:54 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-24 I guess I must have been living in some kind of bubble, because I never heard the rumor that the novel was dying out. Good thing I'm no longer a "young turk," because I feel pretty sure at my age the novel will outlive me handily. (And you guys are making me feel old!) I guess I must have been living in some kind of bubble, because I never heard the rumor that the novel was dying out. Good thing I’m no longer a “young turk,” because I feel pretty sure at my age the novel will outlive me handily. (And you guys are making me feel old!)

]]> By: Tobias Buckell http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-23 Tobias Buckell Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:54:52 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-23 Nice link, Robert. Simon, I love that article. I also spotted a guardian UK article called 'publishing had no golden age.' http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/08/publishing_never_had_a_golden.html Nice link, Robert.

Simon, I love that article. I also spotted a guardian UK article called ‘publishing had no golden age.’

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/08/publishing_never_had_a_golden.html

]]> By: Robert Daeley http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-22 Robert Daeley Tue, 07 Aug 2007 05:52:52 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-22 The novel has been done to death with slanderous tongues many times before. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_the_novel The novel has been done to death with slanderous tongues many times before.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_the_novel

]]> By: Josh http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-21 Josh Tue, 07 Aug 2007 01:22:09 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-21 I agree that the novel, or some form of word-stringing storytelling will survive whatever technological incarnation may come about...whether it's the Rise of the eBook with some ultimate electronic reader, or some other device that streams the words straight into the reader's head. If people lose their love of stories and the thrill of wondering at the unknown, that will be the day the world isn't worth living in. I agree that the novel, or some form of word-stringing storytelling will survive whatever technological incarnation may come about…whether it’s the Rise of the eBook with some ultimate electronic reader, or some other device that streams the words straight into the reader’s head. If people lose their love of stories and the thrill of wondering at the unknown, that will be the day the world isn’t worth living in.

]]> By: Simon Haynes http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-20 Simon Haynes Tue, 07 Aug 2007 01:04:47 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-20 I recently read an article (excerpted on SF Signal, I believe) which gave a load of valid reasons why SF was no longer a genre worth writing in: real life technological advances had made writing about gee-whizz futuristic science irrelevant, etc. I was nodding along with it, since it pretty much repeated some of the arguments I've used from time to time. Then I discovered the source article was written in the 1940's. I recently read an article (excerpted on SF Signal, I believe) which gave a load of valid reasons why SF was no longer a genre worth writing in: real life technological advances had made writing about gee-whizz futuristic science irrelevant, etc. I was nodding along with it, since it pretty much repeated some of the arguments I’ve used from time to time.

Then I discovered the source article was written in the 1940′s.

]]> By: David Kirkpatrick http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-19 David Kirkpatrick Tue, 07 Aug 2007 00:18:23 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-19 A disturbing trend that I see is the propensity of publishers to fill shelves with vast swaths of tried and true names and titles that were new 20+ years ago. "Not that there's anything wrong with that." to quote Jerry Seinfeld, but perhaps it isn't the death of the novel that we should be concerned about but the limited number of new entries into the market. I know, I know-- that's just business, but a concern from the writer's perspective. A disturbing trend that I see is the propensity of publishers to fill shelves with vast swaths of tried and true names and titles that were new 20+ years ago. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” to quote Jerry Seinfeld, but perhaps it isn’t the death of the novel that we should be concerned about but the limited number of new entries into the market. I know, I know– that’s just business, but a concern from the writer’s perspective.

]]> By: Marie Brennan http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-18 Marie Brennan Mon, 06 Aug 2007 21:29:15 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-18 David nailed the comment I was planning to make. I'm just a bit younger than you, and I know I only made my first sale so early because I decided so early that I was going to be a professional writer. (I made the decision at the age of ten, and started working seriously toward it when I was eighteen.) It takes time to develop the skill, and then time to find commercial success once you have the skill -- Paolini and his ilk being radical exceptions, of course -- and I doubt it's ever been common for there to be lots of twentysomething novelists hanging around. To be frank, I find the "the novel is dead!" and "science fiction is dead!" doomsayers to be a little irritating. People seem so very eager to declare that the End Of The World Is Nigh, and then those declarations get reported everywhere because they're much more interesting than someone saying, "thanks, but we're actually doing just fine." David nailed the comment I was planning to make. I’m just a bit younger than you, and I know I only made my first sale so early because I decided so early that I was going to be a professional writer. (I made the decision at the age of ten, and started working seriously toward it when I was eighteen.) It takes time to develop the skill, and then time to find commercial success once you have the skill — Paolini and his ilk being radical exceptions, of course — and I doubt it’s ever been common for there to be lots of twentysomething novelists hanging around.

To be frank, I find the “the novel is dead!” and “science fiction is dead!” doomsayers to be a little irritating. People seem so very eager to declare that the End Of The World Is Nigh, and then those declarations get reported everywhere because they’re much more interesting than someone saying, “thanks, but we’re actually doing just fine.”

]]> By: David Louis Edelman http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-17 David Louis Edelman Mon, 06 Aug 2007 21:02:48 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-17 Well, also keep in mind that you might be the youngest novelist in any group because it's pretty rare for someone in their 20s to be able to get a publishing contract. That hasn't changed much in the past 50 years. I don't know what the average age for a first novelist is, but I'd bet it's somewhere around 32 or 33. Well, also keep in mind that you might be the youngest novelist in any group because it’s pretty rare for someone in their 20s to be able to get a publishing contract. That hasn’t changed much in the past 50 years. I don’t know what the average age for a first novelist is, but I’d bet it’s somewhere around 32 or 33.

]]> By: Kate Elliott http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-16 Kate Elliott Mon, 06 Aug 2007 20:23:51 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/08/06/is-the-novel-dead/#comment-16 The flip side of that question is: 'why aren't you diversifying more?' which can be addressed to a novelist of any age. In some ways it's a different question (diversification is usually a good idea ecologically anyway), but it presupposes that the novel is dying or as good as dead, while in fact more people are reading novels than ever before because of increased literacy rates. Which doesn't mean that new forms aren't evolving, just that I don't think culturally we throw away so quickly a narrative form that works so well. The flip side of that question is: ‘why aren’t you diversifying more?’ which can be addressed to a novelist of any age. In some ways it’s a different question (diversification is usually a good idea ecologically anyway), but it presupposes that the novel is dying or as good as dead, while in fact more people are reading novels than ever before because of increased literacy rates. Which doesn’t mean that new forms aren’t evolving, just that I don’t think culturally we throw away so quickly a narrative form that works so well.

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