Fix-Up

A fix-up is when several short works of fiction are combined together into a “novel.” Sometimes the rewriting is seamless, and the work attracts a new audience, other times the bitty nature of the original stories shows through. It is often done for commercial rather than artistic reasons.

A. E. van Vogt coined the term and used it in his autobiography Reflections of A. E. van Vogt: The Autobiography of a Science Fiction Giant, with a Complete Bibliography (1975); he likely compiled more fixups than any other sf writer of stature.

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Fanspeak

1975—

This is a fanspeak page. Please extend it by adding information about when and by whom it was coined, whether it’s still in use, etc.