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October 16, 2008 (Park City, UT)(I-Newsire). The craze that swept through Japan and had millions reading entire novels on their cell phone screens is beginning to take root in the USA thanks to Stan Soper, founder of Textnovel.com.
The same craze that swept through Japan has arrived in the States and although the Textnovel.com website is young, the response has been great – people are reading and writing with their cell phones.
Cell phone novels took off in Japan with Yoshi’s \"Deep Love.\" People read on buses and trains, snatching tidbits of stories throughout their day. In Asia the phenomenon was so powerful it created a backwards form of publishing — cell phone and electronic first, then — maybe — books.
Stan Soper was fascinated, \"Seeing what was happening in Japan made me realize that cell phones are an underappreciated writing tool.\" Soper, a sometimes writer himself, invested in developing a unique American website called Textnovel.com. And he hired Americans to create it, keeping at least one technology heavy contract domestic.
From professional freelance writers like Saoirse Redgrave and Heather Schimel to people in the medical and electronics industries like Dr. Lyndon Acosta of the Philipines and reverse logistics principal Chris Tejeda of Massachusetts — it seems Textnovel.com has something for everyone.
“I was skeptical at first,” admits Redgrave, a writer from the Upper Catskills working on Of Storms, Seas and Pirates. “Anytime I see a contest that offers publishing, I rip through the contract. At first, I was a nay-sayer to Textnovel.com, but Textnovel founder Stan Soper was quick to see to my concerns. He made a believer out of me.”
Many people discovered Textnovel through word of mouth. And some folks, like Jenny Ashford of Daytona Beach, Florida, found it while looking online for places to submit her fiction. Ashford says, “I loved how Textnovel made it easy to get fiction out there, and helped make a name and a larger web presence for struggling writers.” Although she works as a graphic designer by day, Ashford has had some short stories published in various webzines. Her horror novel, The Omitted 13th, is still in progress, as are many novels on the website.
Writers, like Mark Leach of Coppell, Texas break their novels into what Leach aptly says are “easy to read pieces that can be explored in a few minutes.” Like other Textnovelists, he says he recognizes that “time-challenged agents, publishers and readers may have little interest in committing to a 17 million-word work” like his novel, “Marienbad My Love.” For Leach, Textnovel.com isn’t just a place to post his writing, earn votes, public support and perhaps win a $1,000 and a publishing contract — “Textnovel is the perfect tool for using the cell phone to promote a new literary work to today’s time-pressed reader.”
Writers and readers can join and use Textnovel for free. They start an account, can create a pseudonym, and choose whether or not to participate in the first Textnovel.com contest. Novels are given movie-like ratings by their authors and categorized by genre. Then the fun really begins! Authors post sections of their work at their convenience from either their computer or their cell phone.
Originally from New York but now living in Sahuarita, Arizonan, professional freelancer Heather Schimel is working on her Textnovel, “A Testament to Living.” Although she’s been published in a good number of literary magazines and greatly loves poetry, Schimel is working hard to complete her novel. “I post a chapter per week, usually.”
Other writers, registered readers and the curious can vote on novels, giving the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.” Novels are also reviewed by the public who can post comments.
So what does the future hold for innovative website Textnovel.com? Stan Soper is excited by the prospects. \"English teachers have expressed an interest in Textnovel. Many think that Textnovel might inspire otherwise recalcitrant students to try their hand at writing and have a positive experience.\"
“This could really be big,” Redgrave says. “Getting in on the ground floor is great. I can’t wait to see where Textnovel is in another year or two.”
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