Fourth Wing x the Author Function
There are no book spoilers in this episode!
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Entangled Publishing) was an undeniable hit in the world of romantasy fiction. But in a saturated market, how did Fourth Wing rise to such fame?
To get to the bottom of this book's popularity, resident publishing expert, Hannah explains how Entangled's market-driven approach to publishing and reader engagement set Yarros up for a certain kind of success. They then dig into the complexities of authorship and copyright in a rapidly evolving literary landscape — particularly in genres like romance and fantasy (i.e. genres that consistently play with and rely on tropes). To add some much-needed theory to the mix, Hannah draws on Foucault to consider "authorship" and the "the author function."
At the end of the episode, Hannah offers a thesis about authorship, originality and modern publishing that is not to be missed!
If you liked this conversation, be sure to check out these related episodes:
Bridgerton x Reading the Romance
The Night Circus x Reading Ecosystems
To learn more about Material Girls, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca. We'll be back in two weeks with a Material Concerns episode, but until then, go check out all the other content we have on our Patreon at Patreon.com/ohwitchplease! Patreon is how we produce the show and pay our team! Thanks again to all of you who have already made the leap to join us there!
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Music Credits:
“Shopping Mall”: by Jay Arner and Jessica Delisle ©2020
Used by permission. All rights reserved. As recorded by Auto Syndicate on the album “Bongo Dance”.
