Franco Moretti’s “Conjectures on World Literature” (2000) connects changes in literary form—especially the proliferation of shorter works—to transformations in the political economy of publishing. Key points:

• Market pressures shape form: Large-scale publishing increasingly organizes literature as a commodity for mass circulation. Publishers favor works that optimize production, distribution, marketing, and predictable sales—often shorter, easily packaged texts that travel across markets.

• Economies of scale and risk management: Long, experimentally risky novels require greater investment (editing, printing, promotion) with uncertain returns. Shorter books reduce unit costs, shorten time-to-market, and make it easier for publishers to manage inventory and cash flow.

• Globalization and translation dynamics: In a world literature network, “exportable” books tend to be those that fit international marketing categories—concise, plot-driven, genre-friendly—so they cross linguistic and cultural boundaries more readily than lengthy, locally embedded epics.

• Concentration and canon formation: Publishing consolidation and bestseller-driven attention narrow what gets promoted. Moretti suggests that formal tendencies (shorter novels, series, genre forms) are not merely aesthetic choices but responses to industrial constraints that shape literary production and the world literary map.

Reference: Franco Moretti, “Conjectures on World Literature,” New Left Review 1/1 (2000).

Publishers favor lower-risk, faster-selling formats—shorter novels, novellas, and serialized or genre-hybrid books—because they cost less to produce, move inventory faster, and can more easily build franchises. Retailers and platforms compound this: online algorithms, cover displays, blurbs, and sample pages privilege texts that hook readers immediately. Concise, fast-paced works perform better in attention-limited environments and are easier to market, while longer, slower-burn novels face higher upfront investment and poorer discoverability, making them rarer in today’s market.

Sources: Bourdieu on cultural markets (outline of taste and market pressures); industry reporting on publishing economics and discoverability (e.g., Publishers Weekly, The Atlantic).

Self-publishing lowers barriers to entry, so many authors release shorter works—pamphlets, essays, and novellas—that are quicker and cheaper to produce. These formats suit digital platforms and serial releases, and they appeal to readers with limited time. By contrast, long novels demand sustained investment: more time from the author, more intensive editing, professional design, and higher marketing costs. Traditional publishers are cautious about supporting long, risky projects, and independent authors often choose shorter forms to reduce financial risk and reach readers faster. The result is a proliferation of short works while truly long novels remain rarer.

Nicholas G. Carr’s The Shallows argues that pervasive internet use changes how we think by reshaping neural pathways for attention, memory, and deep reading. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and historical examples of media effects, Carr claims that constant skimming, hyperlinking, and multitasking encouraged by online environments promote superficial cognitive habits: quick scanning, reduced capacity for sustained concentration, and weaker long-term memory for complex ideas. He links these changes to cultural effects—diminished appetite for long, demanding literary works and a preference for shorter, fragmentary texts. The book is cautionary rather than deterministic: Carr urges awareness and deliberate practices (e.g., focused reading, limiting distractions) to preserve deep thinking.

Key sources referenced: neuroscience studies on neuroplasticity and attention; historical parallels such as print’s impact on cognition (e.g., Marshall McLuhan, Walter Ong).

Long books haven’t vanished — they persist in specific literary niches where market and creative conditions support them. Literary fiction often values scope and depth, so authors in that field write longer works. Certain popular genres, especially epic fantasy and historical fiction, naturally demand more pages to build worlds, plot arcs, and historical detail. Finally, established authors with reliable audiences (e.g., George R. R. Martin, Hilary Mantel) can absorb the higher production costs and slower sales velocity because publishers trust that devoted readers will buy large, expensive volumes. In short: length survives where artistic need, genre expectations, and commercial security align.

References: industry overviews on publishing economics (Thompson, The Bookseller), examples of enduring long-form authors (George R. R. Martin; Hilary Mantel).

Although many new mainstream releases tend toward shorter lengths, longer works haven’t disappeared. Libraries, used-book markets, and specialty presses remain reliable places to find them. Libraries often keep classic and comprehensive editions that publishers may no longer mass-produce; used-book sellers gather older or out-of-print long novels that readers have donated or sold; and specialty (independent or academic) presses publish or reissue ambitious, longer works—including literary novels, translations, and scholarly editions—that larger commercial houses avoid for economic reasons. Together these venues preserve access to lengthier texts that mainstream commercial publishing omits.

Sources: observations from library collection development practices, used-book trade patterns, and the role of independent/small presses in publishing long-form fiction (see ALA on collection development; studies of small press publishing).

Long-form storytelling increasingly appears in formats other than single-volume novels. Television series, podcasts, and serialized online fiction (web serials, Wattpad, Substack installments) give creators space to unfold complex plots and character arcs across many hours or episodes. These formats offer immediate audience feedback, flexible pacing, and episodic hooks that retain attention in a media environment dominated by shorter attention spans and multitasking. As a result, some stories that once would have been published as long, standalone novels are now developed and consumed as serialized or audiovisual narratives, making lengthy single-volume novels less common.

References: For scholarship on this shift see Jason Mittell, Complex TV (2015), and analyses of digital serial fiction in Anne Jamison, Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World (2013).

Contemporary literary fashions increasingly value precision, minimalism, and fragmented forms. Writers and editors often favor compact narratives that concentrate on a few scenes, moments, or images rather than sprawling plots. This emphasis yields shorter works—flash fiction, novellas, and tightly edited novels—that aim for emotional intensity, stylistic clarity, and formal experimentation. Market and attention factors (readers’ limited time, digital reading habits) and aesthetic tastes (a premium on spare prose and ambiguity) reinforce these preferences, making longer, traditional epics less common in current publishing.

For further reading: Mark McGurl, The Program Era (on institutional pressures); Lydia Davis and Amy Hempel (examples of contemporary short forms).

Ophir, Nass, and Wagner (PNAS, 2009) examined how habitual media multitasking (using multiple media streams simultaneously) relates to cognitive control. They compared heavy media multitaskers (HMMs) and light media multitaskers (LMMs) on tasks measuring attention and task-switching.

Key findings

• HMMs showed reduced ability to filter out irrelevant information: they were more distracted by distracting stimuli when performing a task.
• HMMs exhibited poorer task-switching control: they had larger costs when switching between tasks and greater susceptibility to interference from previous task sets.
• No advantage was found for HMMs on multitasking tasks; instead, frequent multitaskers appeared to have less efficient selective attention and cognitive control.

Implications

• Frequent simultaneous media use seems associated with broader attentional scope and increased sensitivity to irrelevant inputs, which can impair focused, sustained attention and task performance.
• This pattern helps explain why prolonged, deep concentration (as required for long novels or sustained reading) may feel harder for people accustomed to heavy media multitasking.

Reference Ophir, E., Nass, C., & Wagner, A. D. (2009). Cognitive control in media multitaskers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(37), 15583–15587. DOI:10.1073/pnas.0903620106

Longer novels require more author time, editing, and design work, and they cost more to print, store, and ship. Publishers facing tight budgets and competitive retail spaces often favor shorter books because they’re quicker to produce, cheaper to manufacture, and easier to stock. Shorter titles can also turn profits faster and yield higher returns per word, so market pressures push publishers and retailers toward compact works that reduce financial risk and accelerate sales.

References: See John B. Thompson, Making Books: The Publishing Industry in the Twenty-First Century (2012); and industry reports from the Publishers Association on production and distribution costs.

People today have less uninterrupted leisure time and shorter attention spans because smartphones, social media, and constant multitasking fragment focus. This creates an attention economy in which entertainment and information compete for brief, repeatable engagement. Publishers and authors respond by favoring shorter works—novellas, short novels, and tightly edited prose—that fit modern reading patterns (easy to finish in short sittings, portable on devices, and more likely to be recommended or sampled).

The result: longer, slower-paced novels become harder to find, not only because readers may choose shorter options, but because market forces reward content that fits fragmented attention. For further reading, see Nicholas Carr, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains (2010).