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The Rise of Fairytale Retellings in Publishing

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Publishing Research Quarterly Aims and scope

Abstract

Fairytales have been told for as long as people have been telling stories. What started as folk tales passed on to each generation, became stories that are often associated with royalty, magic and far away lands. Popularized by the Grimm Brothers starting in 1812, and again by the Walt Disney Company and their animated films, fairytales are a staple in all media. With their simple narratives and stories that leave room for multiple interpretations, it is no wonder that authors use these fairytales as inspiration to tell a unique tale. From modern day settings, to taking the opportunity to create more stories for underrepresented groups such as the LGTBQ+ and BIPOC communities, fairytale retellings and their recent rise in the publishing world have endless opportunities.

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Notes

  1. Zipes [30].

  2. Warner [29].

  3. Warner [29].

  4. Warner [29].

  5. Heckel [13].

  6. Heckel [13].

  7. Zipes [30].

  8. Mollet [19].

  9. Mollet [19].

  10. Johnson [15].

  11. Ulatowski [26].

  12. Heather Walter, interviewed by Megan Leigh, Breaking the Glass Slipper, May 6, 2021 https://www.breakingtheglassslipper.com/2021/05/06/five-questions-with-heather-walter/.

  13. “Voicing the Villains: Spotlight on Serena Valentino [28],” Publishers Weekly, February 17, 2020, https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/82446-voicing-the-villains-spotlight-on-serena-valentino.html.

  14. Harlan [11].

  15. Everdeen [9].

  16. Grobar [10].

  17. https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2018/02/18/series-books/.

  18. Kemmerer [17].

  19. Kemmerer [16].

  20. Poston [24].

  21. Christo [6].

  22. Jensen [14].

  23. NPD Bookscan [20,21,22,23].

  24. Craig [7].

  25. Aderhold [1].

  26. NPD Bookscan [20,21,22,23].

  27. Seifert [25].

  28. Harrow [12].

  29. Harrow [12] .

  30. Cahill [4].

  31. Lee and Low Books [18].

  32. Data on books by and about Black, Indigenous and People of Color published for children and teens compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison. https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/ccbc-diversity-statistics/books-by-and-or-about-poc-2018/.

  33. Bayron [2].

  34. Bowen [3].

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  1. Pace University, New York, NY, USA

    Melanie Goldman

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Goldman, M. The Rise of Fairytale Retellings in Publishing. Pub Res Q 39, 219–233 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-023-09949-x

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