ACE report on literary fiction 'a wake-up call'

Arts Council England’s report into the crisis in literary fiction should serve as a “wake up call” to the industry which needs to “radically rethink” how it presents the genre, the chief executive of Curtis Brown has warned.

Literary agent Jonny Geller has said all those involved in championing UK culture both here and abroad should sit up and take notice of the research – which revealed the outlook for literary fiction in the UK was “negative” following a plummet in sales, prices and advances for the genre, and with the ability of authors to make a living “substantially eroded”.

“I hope it will serve as a wake-up call to all those involved in championing UK culture, both here and abroad,” said Geller. “We punch above our weight in terms of the creative industries - worth £92bn this year - and London Book Fair attracts as many scouts, filmmakers and international publishers, partly through our reputation for launching so many international writers.

“If we don’t invest in them via publishing, agenting and public subsidies, we will degrade this position.”

He added that the industry needed to completely overhaul how it approached the genre, which can no longer rely on literary prizes for exposure and sales.

“I think we need a radical rethink on how we present literary fiction,” he said. “Why can Netflix produce dark, challenging narratives, spending millions on production, development and marketing while a cheap product like a book barely gets an advance or a marketing budget? Clearly, literary fiction is not valued or confidence is too low.”

Publishers, bookshops and the government all need to play their parts, he believes.

“In a country where libraries are closing and prizes are not engines of sales, the race for the middle has taken over... The state needs to return to investment model to develop new writers and diverse ones,” he said. “Publishers need to pour money into development and stop looking for short term cures. Booksellers need to innovate and stop pushing the rare “event” book and connect with their customers in a more dynamic way.”

He argued that while risk-taking was at the heart of publishing, the model for relying on prizes for to gain success was “clearly faltering”.

“The recent Man Booker winner - in fact the last three - have all shown a diminished interest in the shortlists and winners,” Geller said. “Whatever the reason, it means we in the literary community need to reinforce the messaging that these books will change your life. That is why we read literary novels.”

Corporate publishers were blamed for part of the problem in ACE’s document, accused of being risk-averse, too concerned with their “bottom lines” and failing to support midlist authors over the course of their careers. Meanwhile independent publishers were praised for “stepping up, acting in many cases as talent development agencies for authors at the more literary and experimental end of the scale.”

Ailah Ahmed, senior commissioning editor at corporate publisher Little, Brown agreed editors had a “responsibility” to be proactive in acquiring literary fiction.

“I think it’s about being proactive and curious as editors and just because you’re in a major publishing house doesn’t mean you can’t be,” she said. “I think there’s a responsibility to do that, and I think lots of people are.”

However, she said the route to market had become a more " complex picture” these days. “In addition to the traditional publishing model mentioned in the report, where you find yourself a well-known literary agent and you get a big publishing deal, there are different routes now,” she said.

As part of its measures to tackle the erosion of literary fiction, ACE intends to give more support to smaller publishers and lobby the government to give them tax breaks.

Juliet Mabey, publisher at twice- Man Booker Prize winning independent house Oneworld, said such support would be “very welcome” but wider measures were needed, including reducing business rates for bookshops in recognition of both the vital cultural role they play in our society.

She added it was “impossible” to divorce the issue of poor sales of literary fiction from the struggles publishers faced with discoverability.

“The literary ecosystem in the UK has changed dramatically over the last decade, as more sales go online, and review space in the print media has been cut. Established authors tend to sell well online, and also receive a respectable amount of review coverage,” she explained.  “The impact of these changes is therefore more keenly felt by authors of literary fiction, especially debut authors and authors in translation. So to my mind, it is impossible to divorce the issue of poor sales of literary fiction from the challenges facing publishers over discoverability. With less review space, coupled with more browsing online, the brick and mortar bookshops have become absolutely essential if we are to ensure the survival of our much-cherished literary diversity.”

Others have agreed changes in the retail market have impacted on the decline in literary fiction, including the abolition of the Net Book Agreement in the 1990s, which had fixed the prices of books.

Lucy Luck, literary agent at C+W, said: “When I first started in the industry in 1997, there was a big difference in the sales of literary fiction especially as there was a massive library market,” Luck said. “You could guarantee sales of 3,000-4000 copies. But print runs dropped significantly with the decline of the library market. The NBA has also made a massive difference to sales and royalties…Looking at any literary enterprise now i.e. literary novel, short story collection, poems – there’s no guaranteed pound sign attached to it and advances are capped at a realistic level as it’s very difficult for publishers to justify buying them, as even if they’re brilliant and have potential.”

But Sarah Crown, director of literature of Arts Council England, told The Bookseller she believed literary works were “something that we need to defend”. 

“Research shows that reading literary fiction has neurological benefits, it transports you across the world and promotes your ability to empathise,” she said. “Also considering our place on the international stage, it is so important. We are seen across the world as the home of great literature.”