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Cell Phone Novels

Some of the most popular novels in Japan have been written on cell phones.

Maybe it's my age or my chubby fingers but I can't imagine typing a 300 page novel on a cell phone. The young woman who wrote one of these novels finished it in 19 days and says she can type faster on a cell phone than a keyboard.

Cell phone novels came about after Japanese cell phone companies began offering unlimited packet data and became popular with young women who grew up using cell phones more than personal computers.

The New York Times covered this story today at Thumbs Race as Japan’s Best Sellers Go Cellular - New York Times, the New Yorker covered it in the December 22nd edition Letter from Japan: I ♥ Novels: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker.and Wired covered it in January 2007 Big Books Hit Japan's Tiny Phones