• by Sara Guaglione , March 8, 2016

CBS Interactive has launched a new short fiction series, “Technically Literate,” on a surprising platform: CNET, its consumer technology news and reviews brand.

“Technically Literate” features original, illustrated works of short fiction, each with a unique perspective on technology.

Connie Guglielmo, editor-in-chief of CNET News, told Publishers Daily that there are no ads yet. CNET will look to monetize the series now that it's kicked off.

“For the launch, our focus was on content and on the design,” she said, adding, “We anticipate opportunities down the road.”

While fiction and technology may not seem to go hand-in-hand, Guglielmo said a big part of CNET’s brand is to experiment.

“That means looking at new story types and new ways of storytelling,” she explained. “So while fiction is a new story type for us, we think it's consistent with our goal of delivering unique, useful and relevant content to our readers every day.”

She noted that each short story has a technology twist, ensuring that the content doesn’t stray from CNET’s focus of being a tech Web site.

The stories will appear every month on CNET.com. Readers also will have the option to send the stories to their Kindle, iOS or Android devices.

“Technology is central to intellectual lives in the 21st century,” stated Lindsey Turrentine, editor-in-chief of CNET.com. He said authors would address the "wonders and challenges inherent in technology’s tremendous change rate.”

The launch of the series includes stories by National Book Critics Circle Award finalist Anthony Marra, National Book Award finalist Cristina Garcia, New York Times bestseller Michelle Richmond and Commonwealth Book Regional Prize winner Nayomi Munaweera.