Writing by numbers
Oh dear. After our puzzled query about possible trends in global publishing (see Zoe’s remarkable international adaptability in Kind of Perfect) comes this report from the Guardian. A taste …
Last year, Tom Becker won the Waterstone’s prize for children’s fiction with his first novel, Darkside; last week he won another award, the Calderdale children’s book prize. The talk among agents and publishers has been about his suspenseful prose, his great potential. But few people have been talking about a more salient fact: that the book’s concept and story was generated not by Becker, but by focus groups.
Focus groups?
Emma John poses the question: Focus groups are muscling their way into the arts. Are they a useful tool - or a death blow to creativity?
Implications? Thoughts? Comments? And is this happening here in Australia? We’d love some discussion.
