Love in the Time of Self-Publishing: How Romance Writers Changed the Rules of Writing and Success
Christine M. Larson
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
Lessons in creative labor, solidarity, and inclusion under precarious economic conditions
As writers, musicians, online content creators, and other independent workers fight for better labor terms, romance authors offer a powerful example--and a cautionary tale--about self-organization and mutual aid in the digital economy. In Love in the Time of Self-Publishing, Christine Larson traces the forty-year history of Romancelandia, a sprawling network of romance authors, readers, editors, and others, who formed a unique community based on openness and collective support. Empowered by solidarity, American romance writers--once disparaged literary outcasts--became digital publishing's most innovative and successful authors. Meanwhile, a new surge of social media activism called attention to Romancelandia's historic exclusion of romance authors of color and LGBTQ+ writers, forcing a long-overdue cultural reckoning. Drawing on the largest-known survey of any literary genre as well as interviews and archival research, Larson shows how romance writers became the only authors in America to make money from the rise of ebooks--increasing their median income by 73 percent while other authors' plunged by 40 percent. The success of romance writers, Larson argues, demonstrates the power of alternative forms of organizing influenced by gendered working patterns. It also shows how networks of relationships can amplify--or mute--certain voices. Romancelandia's experience, Larson says, offers crucial lessons about solidarity for creators and other isolated workers in an increasingly risky employment world. Romancelandia's rise and near-meltdown shows that gaining fair treatment from platforms depends on creator solidarity--but creator solidarity, in turn, depends on fair treatment of all members.Product Details
Price
$35.94
Publisher
Princeton University Press
Publish Date
June 04, 2024
Pages
288
Dimensions
6.2 X 9.3 X 1.3 inches | 1.3 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9780691217406
BISAC Categories:
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Become an affiliateAbout the Author
Christine Larson is assistant professor of journalism at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her writing has appeared frequently in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other national outlets, as well as in such scholarly journals as Information Communication and Society and Media, Culture & Society. She is the coauthor of Influence: How Women's Economic Power Will Change Our World for the Better.
Reviews
"An insightful work of literary criticism, Love in the Time of Self-Publishing shows how an informal labor network of romance writers impacted the greater literary and publishing world."-- "Foreword Reviews"
"Eye-opening. . . . A rewarding deep dive into an influential corner of the publishing industry."-- "Publishers Weekly"
"An intriguing study of how the staggering success of romance e-books has turned the publishing industry on its head. . . . An important story of how new trails can be blazed with persistence and imagination."-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"Eye-opening. . . . A rewarding deep dive into an influential corner of the publishing industry."-- "Publishers Weekly"
"An intriguing study of how the staggering success of romance e-books has turned the publishing industry on its head. . . . An important story of how new trails can be blazed with persistence and imagination."-- "Kirkus Reviews"