According to box office and publishing reports pulp fiction is back as mainstream entertainment. America’s fascination was evidenced with Hollywood’s top-grossing films for the first decade of the 21st century, of which 8 of the top 10 were either stories written during fiction’s golden age in the 1930s, 40s and 50s like Lord of the Rings or based on heroes from that time as in Batman: The Dark Knight, Spider Man 1 and 2 and Star Wars Episode 3, garnering well over $3,200,000,000 in the US alone.

In publishing, L. Ron Hubbard’s multi-genre pulp fiction series, “Stories from the Golden Age,” Walter Gibson’s “The Shadow” and Lester Dent’s “Doc Savage” all saw marked increases in distribution and sales in traditional and non-traditional outlets.

Pulp classics date back to the 1930s and 40s – the time known as the Golden Age of Pulp Fiction and the last period that America faced both an economic collapse and multiple wars.

Hollywood-based Galaxy Press alone reported a 500% sales increase spurred by a strong domestic demand from the library, education and transportation markets since the launch of its line of 80 pulp fiction print and audio books by pulp master L. Ron Hubbard.

“It’s clear that these audiences are looking for high-action entertainment with a broad appeal to readers of all ages – including readers who need to see the story take off right away,” said John Goodwin, president of Galaxy Press, publishers of the Stories from the Golden Age (www.goldenagestories.com) book series.

“During the 1930s and 40s, America was going through the Great Depression, war had just finished, and another was looming,” Goodwin said. “Americans needed an escape and the pulp writers – at least the very good ones like Hubbard, Gibson, Dent and Burroughs – provided that desperately needed outlet.”

Pulp fiction characters, like the stories, were bigger than life and that is what appealed to the 30,000,000-plus readers caught in harsh economic times. America needed and wanted heroes and the pulps provided them. Adventure House publisher, John Gunnison, a Maryland-based republisher and distributor of pulp fiction (www.adventurehouse.com), understands why Hollywood is so enamored with pulp fiction, stating, “There’s no better heroes than the pulp heroes.”

“For a few decades,” Goodwin added, “Americans didn’t need their heroes with America’s global expansion, housing, technology and Internet booms – who needs a hero to save you if you’re not in danger?”

Based on film success and publishing numbers, America’s love for heroes and desire to see them win has definitely returned.

Source: Author Services, Inc.

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