The return of the social author: negotiating authority and influence on Wattpad

The rise in self-publishing, digital folk culture and social media participation, have revolutionized reading and writing practices. Readers can directly contact their favourite authors, and publishers, through social media and become authors, and publishers, themselves. One of the outcomes of digital reading and writing is that writing is now becoming more democratic: traditional publishers are no longer the sole gatekeepers of culture. The popularity of social writing platform Wattpad is a recent example of how a new generation of influential and innovative writers is entering the publishing arena. This also demonstrates that there is a demand for authorship without the intervention from publishers. Despite this, traditional notions of authorship, ownership and control are prevalent in contemporary publishing hindering the true potential of creativity. The disharmony between the rise of the amateur author and the control of the traditional publisher is confronted in the digital public sphere. Consequently, issues such as authority and influence are mediated during the activities and interactions that take place on social media and other online platforms. Established authority figures, such as famous authors or well-known publishers, that exert authority and influence in the traditional sphere, can shift this authority and influence to the digital world; however, this sphere is also occupied by emerging networks of influencers, such as emerging authors or micro-celebrities, who gain popularity as a result of specific trends, in specific domains, at specific times. This article will examine how new and established authors are using social platforms, and social media, to publish their writing, build communities and extend their dialogue with readers and other writers. A netnographic study of Wattpad will identify which authors are the influencers and innovators in social publishing. Consequently, this article will underscore the increasing importance of social networks and social relationships in 21st century publishing

The Eight Percent Problem: Authors of Colour in the British Young Adult Market (2006–2016)

The conversations surrounding ‘diversity’ in the Anglo-American book publishing industry have increased in recent years, and often centre around the lack of representation of publishing professionals, authors, and characters of colour. This paper contextualises these discussions within British YA, a market that has grown in popularity since 2006. Through an analysis of the corpus of all Young Adult fiction titles published, in the UK, during the 2006–2016 period, this paper will investigate what percentage of the titles were created by authors of colour; to determine whether this number has risen over the years, and to pinpoint any patterns and anomalies that emerge over the time period

Is "Everyone welcome"?: Intersectionality, inclusion, and the extension of cultural hierarchies on Emma Watson's Feminist book club, "Our shared shelf"

Emma Watson started Our Shared Shelf (OSS), a feminist book club, on Goodreads in 2016. Through her work on gender-equality, Watson has accumulated enough cultural capital to be viewed as a legitimate tastemaker in selecting books for a feminist audience, and fits into what Rehberg Sedo describes as the trusted other (Rehberg Sedo, 2004). However, this article argues that Watson creates cultural hierarchies, and extends her feminist brand, through her book choices and the way that she interacts with the OSS community. Despite attempts to diversify the bi-monthly book choices, there has been a preference towards English-language books written by cisgendered, middle-class, able-bodied, heterosexual, white women. Therefore, the list did not represent the international and intersectional nature of OSS: something several readers voice concern about. Additionally, this article examines how the readers’ relationship to their celebrity tastemaker reinforces hierarchies. Engaging in social media can be a performative act: users can construct an identity whilst engaging with social issues. However, there is a danger that a dominant narrative can influence identities and interpretations. Consequently, OSS replicates and upholds patterns of dominance and exclusion and is not an egalitarian space, despite framing itself as one

Crossing the Channel: Publishing Translated German Fiction in the UK

In a review of Hans Fallada’s novel Alone in Berlin—finally translated into English after 62 years—Sam Jordison stated, ‘‘[I]t’s an important book that no English writer could have written—and so another resounding argument for the importance of taking in translations. It makes me wonder what else we’ve been missing.’’ Translated fiction plays a minimal role in the UK. Scholars are increasingly directing their attention towards this deficit. This paper will consider the culture of translation in the UK and Ireland, with a particular focus on translated German fiction

Why Diverse Zines Matter: A Case Study of the POC Zines Project

Historically, zines have been an alternative outlet for niche topics, or writers and writing, that are ignored by mainstream media. Zines are significant because they offer the opportunity for connection, community, and networking between those interested in these diverse topics. The developments in digital technology have enabled zines to extend into the online sphere: this increased access has resulted in increased participation (by readers and writers). This paper will focus on (digital) zines that are created by people of colour (POC). In recent years, there has been much discussion and media coverage about the lack of diversity in cultural output, and various campaigns, to promote diverse writing have followed. Through a case study of the POC Zines Project—a community-building project that promotes zines by POC—this paper will look at how creators of zines are experimenting with digital formats and social platforms, and will consider what mainstream publishers can learn from this. As Radway (in: Anouk (ed) From codex to hypertext. University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, 2012) outlines “zine-ing is a social phenomenon, a form of social action driven by desires for new forms of sociability and new ways of being in the world” (p. 140): this paper will highlight the important of social collaboration and production on opening up the creative process and offering a response to the under-represented in traditional publishing

Marginalia in the digital age: Are digital reading devices meeting the needs of today’s readers?

For centuries, readers have added marginal commentary to books for a variety of personal and public purposes. Historians have mined the marginalia of important historical figures to observe their sometimes raw, immediate responses to texts. Now, reading and annotation practices are changing with the migration of content to electronic books. A survey of reader attitudes and behavior related to marginalia for print and electronic books reveals that the majority of readers write in their books and want e-readers to support this feature. However, many readers report that annotating electronic books is too difficult, time-consuming, or awkward with current technology. In addition, the way readers annotate books depends on whether they are reading for pleasure or for work or education. These findings can guide the development of future devices to better satisfy reader needs

Leveraging analytics to produce compelling and profitable film content

Producing compelling film content profitably is a top priority to the long-term prosperity of the film industry. Advances in digital technologies, increasing availabilities of granular big data, rapid diffusion of analytic techniques, and intensified competition from user generated content and original content produced by Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) platforms have created unparalleled needs and opportunities for film producers to leverage analytics in content production. Built upon the theories of value creation and film production, this article proposes a conceptual framework of key analytic techniques that film producers may engage throughout the production process, such as script analytics, talent analytics, and audience analytics. The article further synthesizes the state-of-the-art research on and applications of these analytics, discuss the prospect of leveraging analytics in film production, and suggest fruitful avenues for future research with important managerial implications

Representation of people of colour among children’s book authors and illustrators

The British children’s book sector is thriving; more children’s books are sold in the UK than ever before. However, the cohort of people that creates these books does not reflect the makeup of the UK, where an array of lives, cultures, identities and stories have overlapped for many years. Inclusive children’s literature is vital. Children’s books can act as mirrors, to reflect the readers’ own lives, but also as windows so readers can learn about, understand and appreciate the lives of others. They can shape how young readers from minority backgrounds see themselves as well as how readers from the more dominant culture see and understand diversity.1 The absence of an inclusive range of characters, or creative role models, in children’s literature has the potential to deter children from minority backgrounds from reading and experiencing the associated benefits.2 In turn, this lack of engagement with reading could deter children from pursuing careers in writing and/or drawing and further embed the imbalance. This report, commissioned by BookTrust, seeks to establish a clear picture of who writes and illustrates the books our children read. These authors, illustrators and author-illustrators are referred to throughout the report as ‘creators’. Findings are presented from an analysis of all children’s books published in the UK between 2007 and 2017 and interviews with 15 British creators of colour.3 This research will inform BookTrust’s work with industry partners to improve inclusivity in children’s books and the children’s book sector