I can't even imagine reading an entire novel on a cell phone screen, let alone write one. And yet, that's exactly what's happening in Japan, according to today's Wall Street Journal story, "In Japan, Novelists Find a New Medium." (subscription required)
It seems that the fiction market is enjoying a comeback of sorts, thanks to the ease with which novels can now be delivered right to the palm of your hand. Novelists are banging out their stories one key at a time, mostly using their thumbs. One featured novelist has already written eight books and has a loyal following that apparently appreciates her willingness to suffer through sore pinkies and broken blood vessels on their behalf.
Not surprisingly, readers are primarily teenage girls whose love for this entertainment-on-the-go is also influencing what books go to print ("Love Sky" sold more than 1.3 million hard copies!) and even to movie format. In fact, one of the reasons the books are so popular is because they tap into the way young people often think - in movie scenes. That makes both writing them and reading them even easier for all involved.
And talk about getting instant feedback! Since the stories are usually written in chunks and delivered in almost-real-time, writers can get feedback that offers encouragement, or even suggest changes to the storyline. In other words, the novels themselves become more relevant even as they are being written. Novelists can choose to weave in a national event happening on the very day they're writing, for example. I love the idea of the interactivity, but can't say I much cotton to the notion of reading more than 100 characters or so on a tiny cell screen.
It'll be interesting to see if this genre takes off in America. As one who still likes to pick up a paper off the driveway and actually turn the pages while I read, I can't imagine ever reading anything longer than a quick text message from one of my daughers on my cell phone. Besides, these Boomer eyes would need a screen the size of checkbook to be able to hang in there long enough to finish a novel.
I feel sorry for people who read this way. They're not getting to enjoy the smell of the paper, the great sound a cracked spine makes or the joy of finding a long-lost, much-needed receipt stuck between the pages as a bookmark.
Hi Marilynn,
Thank you for a great post. I'm finding it now as news of Amazon's Kindle launch buzzes around the Web. Have you tried it out and have any thoughts?
As someone who lives in the city and runs between class and work every day, I have adapted to reading print media through my mobile devices. I will get the second gen. of the iPhone primarily for the screen size, hoping for a better reading experience. I definitely miss sitting down with a paper or magazine and still try to find as much time as possible to do so; but for now, I have to consume media in a manner our busy work world has taken to QSR-- grab and digest on the run:)
Posted by: Amanda Mooney | November 18, 2007 at 08:13 PM