As American publishing companies grapple with the recession, some encouraging reading statistics have emerged in Japan. According to a recent report, ten of Japan's print bestsellers in 2007 were based on cell phone novels--successfully selling about 400,000 copies apiece.

The cell phone novel was born in 2002, when the author Yoshi wrote Deep Love: Ayu's Story for the cell phone. The book exploded in popularity, spawning print books, cartoons, and a film. The genre evolved, as authors published short novels in 70-word installments for the cell phone.

Here's more from Japan Today: "[One company] has released 40 titles that have sold 10 million copies ... cell phone novels proved that there was a market for females between the ages of 10 and 20, a demographic thought to be apathetic toward reading. According to a recent Mainichi Shinbum newspaper survey, 86% of high school, 75% of middle school and 23% of grade school girls read cell phone novels." (Via TeleRead.)