Fairy Tale Publishing

Posted on March 16, 2014 in Uncategorized

by Hannah Lyons @HGLyons

‘Fairy tale’ has no universally agreed definition, but usually indicates a short story with limited description, which has to feature magic (but not necessarily fairies). There are many traditional fairy tales that have persisted for centuries or more with their plots recognisable despite endless retellings to suit the author or current culture, such as Snow White and The Frog Prince. The fairy tale is, by definition of its endurance, a popular literary form. The plots of our traditional fairy tales are perhaps even more popular than the short story form in which they are traditionally presented. You can see them everywhere – from films like Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to Snow White & the Huntsman (2012), from Sky broadband adverts to TV shows like Once Upon a Time, and from pantomimes to the broad range of fairy tale based publishing.

Fairy tale plots’ prevalence in popular culture sustains an interest in them that is very useful for publishers. It stimulates interest in reading early forms of the stories, such as those written or recorded by Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm (which are out of copyright and available in competing editions from various publishers), classic retellings like those in Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber (1979) and modern retellings. Many customers eagerly buy modern retellings, which are often novel length, and publishers and authors choose titles and covers that clearly indicate the fairy tale material in order to boost sales. However, there is also a challenge for a publisher to distinguish their version among many of the same story; to convince the customer that their version is the best to buy, or worth reading in addition to the others.

Fairy tale retellings appear in almost every genre of fiction publishing – and they’re by no means just for children. They seem particularly popular among young adult, romance and erotica readers. Successful retellings tend to have a key selling point to distinguish them from the many others in the market, such as a notable author, or an unusual setting or plot twist. Ella Enchanted, a 1998 Newbery Honor winner, explained Cinderella’s subservience to her stepfamily by giving her the ‘gift’ of obedience. In Bride Ball, an erotic version of the story, Cinderella leaves behind her bodice rather than her slipper. In Ash, a young adult version by Malinda Lo, she ends up with the King’s Huntress rather than the Prince, and in Cinder by Marissa Meyer, another young adult version, Cinder is downtrodden because she’s a cyborg.

Cinder, published in 2012, is an interesting example because it and its sequel, Scarlet, have both been on the New York Times bestseller lists, but have had comparatively limited success in the UK (Nielsen BookScan records that the UK edition of Cinder, published in January 2012, sold only 2242 copies up to September 2013). This could be associated with Puffin, the UK publisher, aiming the book at a children’s age range (9 and up), while Feiwel and Friends (a Macmillan imprint) in the US aimed it at a young adult age range (12 and up). The cover used by both, in black, white and red, with a dominant-looking high-heeled shoe, imitates the Twilight cover, indicating a young adult market and possibly confusing the UK consumer.

Assuming fairy tale plots are solely for children is certainly a mistake – they appear in a wide range of genres, and need to be considered individually in order to reach their full potential market.