The Bookseller.com

6th July 2009

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The rise of the 'cellphone novel'

29.01.08

The New York Times looks at the growing genre of the "cellphone novel" in Japan--previously an obscure genre that has become increasingly popular.

According to the newspaper, last month, the year-end bestseller tally showed that "cellphone novels", republished in book form, have not only infiltrated the mainstream but have come to dominate it in Japan, leading the country's famous literary journal, Bungaku-kai to ask: "Will the cellphone novels kill 'the author'?"

According to the newspaper, of last year’s 10 best-selling novels, five were originally cellphone novels, mostly love stories written in the short sentences characteristic of text messaging but containing little of the plotting or character development found in traditional novels. What is more, the top three spots were occupied by first-time cellphone novelists, touching off debates in the news media and blogosphere.

"Whatever their literary talents, cellphone novelists are racking up the kind of sales that most more experienced, traditional novelists can only dream of."

New York Times

Japan