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Labels are a funny thing. I write YA and I always kind of hate it when "getting the boy" is the focus of a YA, so when I write, I usually try to make any relationship like that part of the sub-plot. Ironically, when my first YA came out, the people at Romantic Times loved it and gave me a great review, plus did a feature on me and my book, asking me to write a piece about romance, no less! I found it very funny, but also quite flattering. While I would've categorized my book as an adventure, and my publisher put the dystopian label on it, I'm happy to have romance attached to it too.

I've long thought this about her disdain of the romance genre. It's an insult not only to other romance authors, but to her READERS, many of whom do think of her as a romance author. If she's trying to be highbrow and say she's too good to write romance, she's setting herself up to be knocked down a notch. There are so many terrific stand-out romance novelists out there. Danielle Steel came along at a time when there was a need for what she was writing...she fulfilled that need and found her niche and I won't belittle her that. But she needs to embrace the reputation she's gained and admit that it is what bought her that billion dollar mansion she's living in.

i'm with stephanie. what about her readers? by dismissing the romance genre, she is dismissing the genre's fans. and that's one mighty loyal fan base.

I don't care what anyone says. I know most people love romance. I don't know why they're scared to say it, but it's true. Look at all the movies in any given year and figure how many of the most successful ones included a romance or romantic elements. It'd be easier to count how many didn't have it. The market is huge for the genre. I'm amazed so many people still degrade it.

I'll never forget in the seventies there was a male romance writer who wrote under a female's name. When he was outted, he confessed he planned to write a "real book" after he earned some money. I refused to buy any more of his books. Not because he was male, but because of what he said. Funny, not too long after that he disappeared. Fans don't like to be treated as if they were insignificant. Who does?

I wonder if he ever wrote that real book?

I think Rick Riordan's story illustrates the power in knowing your audience. One of the reasons the Percy Jackson series is so popular is because the hero is someone kids with ADHD and Dyslexia can identify with. And Rick created that hero because of his familiarity with his sons own discouragement and struggle.
If you can narrow your aim, you'll hit your goal, and you'll have the most impact. To rip a quote from The Patriot, "Aim small, miss small."

I took a class Rick was giving when he talked about reading the galley for this book. Previously, I'd attended one of his workshops on writing detective fiction. It couldn't have happened to a nicer person. Thanks for sharing his story, and the possibilities that emerge from making these kinds of shifts.

The book is great but the movie did not seem to live up to it that's why it did not do well. However, I will always be a fan of the Percy Jackson series. Rick Riordan is just great.

I have to say, I appreciate finding the gem. I think there's something about recommending it to others that makes me think, "Hey, I'm helping out this not-so-well-known-author become just a little more well known." Being and unpublished writer myself, I certainly hope someone will do this for me someday.

As for Walmart. It kills me that whenever I go in to look for YA for my nieces or myself, the only thing they have is fantasy. (At least at our Walmart.) I love a good vampire novel as much as the next, but I'm worn out with vampires, werewolves, witches and whatnot. I wish they'd realize that just because there's a kick for vampire books right now, doesn't mean that those are the only good books for YA to read. A few options would be nice.

I have a different name for it, I call it the Oprah-effect. Ever since she started her book club and the books she names to it go on to become bestsellers, a good portion of the books published are the same type of books. My problem is that I don't have the same tastes as Oprah.

Opinions vary so widely, I prefer scanning covers in the bookstore or getting recommendations from either my sister or cousin, both huge readers with similar tastes and near perfect records. That said, I really liked GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, even though it's not generally what I'd read!

I won't buy books, or anything else, at Walmart but that's another story. I do buy books based on recommendations--if they're by people I know who have similar taste. I just bought "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" based on such a recommendation and I can't wait to read it!

I won't buy a book until they sell it at Farm and Fleet. Then you REALLY know it's good.

I feel that if a book is good enough it will shine no matter what....Even if walmart doesn't pick it up.

I don't buy many books. I'm a library junkie. But when it comes to what I get at the library, I pretty much go with my gut. I LOVE finding gems. I will get books that are recommended to me, but it's usually only when I've run out of books that I've picked out. However, I like it when people tell me, "Oh, if you liked Book A then you'll LOVE Book B." I definitely check those out.

I find there's nothing more satisfying then spending the day at the local bookstore jacket flap reading. Sure, we all gravitate to the 'New York Times Bestsellers', but how would one get on such a prestigious list without advertising, marketing and flashy reviews? One can only hope others who read books for the simple fact that they were recommended by a friend or colleague or that they enjoyed the jacket blurb will stand as good a chance as any of the others.

As was said in an earlier comment, many unpublished writers are biting at the chance to even get published, never mind find themselves a best seller on a Walmart shelf! Here's to those of us who can only dream to achieve such a destiny! lol

Word of mouth is powerful and I definitely enjoy getting a recommendation from someone. I have to admit it becomes a bit of a turn-off when I see a book in Wal-mart. But I can't say I haven't read books that ended up on their shelves. I tend to also go to Amazon and see what people are buying, similar to a book I have read and liked. Finally, I use a small Boston bookstore's wesbite to check their recommendations and bestsellers. They reliably post good books.

Marissa

The last book I bought at Walmart was Breaking Dawn. It was the day of its release and I picked it up because I hadn't read any of the Twilight series and figured I'd might as well have a first edition hardback. I was able to find the other three there as well.

These books came highly recommended to me by my peers (late 20's college educated females who also loved Harry Potter).

I've never been so disappointed by a book that came so highly recommended.

Moral of the story: just because it's at Walmart and your friends recommend it, doesn't mean it's your cup of tea.

Honestly, I like books that are also movies. I love to read, but I love movies too. So I will tend to read a book if the movie version is coming out because I like to compare the two. For example, The Lovely Bones (book was better) and The Jane Austen Book Club (movie was better).

And as for Twilight? I still think the whole thing is over the top and can't stand Edward or Bella, but I enjoy the movies far better than the books (and not just for Taylor Lautner's abs, though it helps!) ;)

I'm a total hidden gem girl -- I've sponsored reading challenges and love it when people send links to my publicity blog that aren't publisher-sponsored. And I love passing on word of those hidden gems I've unearthed; a number of my readers will pick up anything I suggest now. It's very flattering.

I'll read a book personally recommended to me by a friend much faster than I'll read something that's "hot." There's also something satisfying about helping out a lesser-known author or someone who didn't have the benefit of their publisher's marketing department. :)

Because I hope to be one someday, I prefer to support new authors--and I can't do that by browsing the book isle in Wal-mart. I also prefer to support my local bookstore, so when I know a writer is releasing a debut novel, I'll call a bookstore to see if they have it in stock. If not, I'll ask them to order it for me. It gives them business, and plants a seed in their minds that maybe they should order a few additional copies of that book.

That said, it may take me a while, but I love browsing and finding my own gems. I will buy a book that someone suggested to me (if our tastes align), but I'm always looking for something new as well.

I'm my sister-in-law's Walmart, apparently. She prefers not to read a book until I read it first. That way I can tell her if she'll like it or not. Some people are followers and some like to lead the way.

Personally, I think the reason she buys them at Walmart is because they're much cheaper than B&N.

Like Melody, I tend to pay a lot of attention to personal recommendations of the "if you like A then you'll definitely like B" variety--though I remain skeptical of computer generated Amazon.com versions of the same formula--the things I like about a book are often not directly traceable to other "similar" books, but a matter of style rather than of subject matter or author.

I've also found a lot of my recent pleasure reading at the featured sections at the library. Seattle Public Library has a phenomenal "Great Books You Might Have Missed" section out of which I found one of my new favorites (Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty) and several completely new to me books that I'm excited to get to. I like this section because it has been selected by people who are in the know about books, the books are (I think) already recognized as 'great'--either critically or publicly well received, and are not the big blockbusters of the moment, so I get a sort of guaranteed sleeper effect.

Similarly, the university library's featured table serves to fill my reading lists quite frequently, though somewhat less reliably, I've noticed.

Well written reviews will often steer me toward a book, as well as mentions of a book in multiple places that I respect (e.g: this blog, I see it on my friends' bookshelf or goodreads, I run across a book announcement). I also have one or two friends whose recommendations I always take promptly because I know we share a taste in books.

I sometimes consider reading 'walmart books' out of curiosity over "what the big deal is" but rarely carry through, perhaps because I don't want to feel like I'm just following a trend, or because I know enough about the book from reputation that I don't expect to be surprised by it (this latter happened with the Twilight series)

I tend to shy away from blockbusters in both movies and books. I didn't start Harry Potter until all the books were out. This works in my favor when I find something I like, because I don't have to wait a year or two for the next book!

I enjoy taking book recommendations from others, but I don't want anyone to tell me much about the plot. I don't want any expectations to burden me.

It makes sense what she said (though I hate to admit it). But I used to have a rule that I wouldn't read bestsellers until I had absolutely nothing else to read. Now I read so much that it doesn't matter. There is usually a reason they are a bestseller, sometimes not, but usually. So I pick those up, but I also love finding the needle in the haystack.

Wow, that's just painful. Does she only buy the bestselling brand of cereal too? Isn't she curious about Choco-Marshmallow Cubes? Wouldn't she like to be the one person who tried something unexpected and shared it with all her friends? Oh, it hurts it hurts it hurts.

Some things I pick by word of mouth like The Help. Most books I choose to read by accident, like just picking up a random book that sounds good in the book store and if I like it I'll research similar authors. I think a lot of people do walmart book shopping though, but I guess that's the point of a bestseller, even people who don't usually read or buy books read bestsellers.

Ha, the only YA books our Walmart carries are Twilight and other vampire novels. I was appalled when I checked out their book section not to long ago...it is bare-bones at best.

My favorite thing to do is spend time in the book store searching for a debut author's book to read. And I recommend books, and take recommendations from strangers, as I go. It's fun.

Oh, this is probably worse than WalMart. NYT bestseller lists are my first source. Sorry, world. I like seeing who comes on as new each week... and, eventually, yes, I buy the book that is on the list for 99 weeks or something.

I love discovering new (to me) writers who finally hit the NYT with their 4th or 14th book and then... ooooh... I get to read the backlist!

Oh, boy. I'd have been hard put not to scream out loud at that moment! :) I get almost all my recommendations these days off blogs and from reader friends. A lot of the books I pick up, honestly, are by writers I "know" online, since I'm hearing about them & would love to love their writing. Sometimes I do...sometimes, not so much. But I also read reviews and go for books I'm hearing a lot about. I don't know that social-networking buzz is any more a valid predictor of what's good than the Walmart shelves, though...

All I know, Jim, is that it makes me want to cliff myself.

/melodramatic writer is melodramatic

Unexpected gems are more satisfying. If I see Oprah or Richard and Judy have recommended something, I feel like I'm cheating.

I think it's a mixture of the two. If I hear great things about a book and the story intrigues me, I'll probably pick it up. But I also browse Amazon and bookstores looking for unexpected books I haven't heard of, but which just sound really good to me.

I agree with you about the 'Walmart' effect, Jim: it's a shame so many books get overlooked because they're not already bestsellers!

I much prefer browsing around to find treasure (and staff recommendations at book stores seem to work well for me many times too) I might just be weird--and there is much evidence to support this--but generally the more popular a book is, the less likely I am to want to read it or enjoy it if I do.

Invariably I'm never really satisfied reading what the pack recommends so buying books at big-boxes doesn't work out well for me unless in the rare case of a non-fiction title that goes big (I think I got The Last Lecture at Target- though I preferred the actual lecture to the book, that's another story) but more often than not I wished I could have the time I spent reading the latest 'it' book back so now whatever the 'rage' is, the less likely I am to pick it up.

I have to echo what J.Andersen and also others have said about YA: please, something that is not supernatural for once? I'd extend that to Women's Fiction too. I like humans. I'd like to read more books about them. Fangs, fur, it's all you see. I'm weary of it, honestly.

Thing is that the same way the big stores limit, say, the flavors of powdered drink mix they'll carry based upon available shelf space they limit what they offer in reading material too. That is troublesome to me. Besides, there are books that some of the larger stores have refused to carry in the past- what if I wanted to read one of those? If I solely relied upon the big boxes for my reading material I'd never know they existed.

Taste truly is subjective. I happen to like grape drink better than orange even though orange seems to be fine with the rest of the world most of the time. So I shop where I can find it.

I love finding gems, but I have to say it hasn't happened very often at all. I'd browse and read some books that seemed to have such great promise, only to be disappointed. I have slightly better odds with reading books that have been pre-screened: winning prizes and such. I've also been sorely disappointed by books with great buzz, so I don't know if I have found a foolproof way for me to find something I know I'd like.

I got an ARC of The Passage and am enjoying it so far. Dragon Tattoo, on the other hand, I put down after some pages. Now that you say you love it, maybe I'll go further and see if I change my mind.

I was recently at the Strand in NY and I was all 'I want to read a book by someone nobody knows.' and the sales guy was all 'lady, if it's a book and it's published then people know about it.' I always want something out of the ordinary.

I find I hate Bestsellers as often as I love them. Living in Japan means I don't have access to much else. Like Walmart, English books here have been prescreened.

But when I get the chance, I buy based on back cover copy.

Oh, those creatures will never die. Things tend to cycle, so just when it seems vampires are on the way out, a book like The Historian comes along. I don't write vampires, but I'll always read a good vampire book (like Richelle's).

I agree with Kristi; Vamp's will never die (pardon the pun), but things are cyclical. It may lesson in popularity soon with some other genre filling the void.
Something like paranormal thrillers such as in the style of Premonitions or Sixth Sense.

I think editors and agents will get sick of vampires, and we'll see fewer properties for a while. But the public will always be ready for more vampire stories, as soon as the gatekeepers are ready to look at them again.

I certainly hope they won't, er, die any time soon. I think the genre (or sub genres) are spreading out more. Instead of everything being dumped into "paranormal romance" they're spread to urban fantasy, even some regency-type stories now.

I think good writing will sell any concept, regardless of so called trends. Vampires, werewolves, aliens, opera singers... whatever you're writing about, write it well and someday it will be available in bookstores. You may sell other projects in the meantime, but a good book always sells itself.

I'm hoping it doesn't die (or perhaps I should say "meet a second death") anytime soon, I'm very nearly ready to query my vampire novel! (No sparkling here, btw, just some tasty pulse pounding vampiric fun.)

Rebecca
http://rebeccatlittle.blogspot.com/

I'm so glad you mentioned Anne Rice. People seem to think the trend began with Meyer. But Anne Rice re-started the genre with her Lestat books. Most of the vampire books/films of the last two decades follow mythology invented by Rice (the sad/good vamp who doesn't feed on humans vs. the human-feasters.) She should get more credit.

But I think the Rice-derived books have pretty much worn themselves out. I'd love to see something that isn't derivative--as fresh as Rice's "Interview with the Vampire" was when it came out.

I'm not sure that can be done with blood-sucking fiends (with a nod to Chris Moore, whose vamps pre-date Meyer and have some original quirks as well as being hilarious)

How about something brand new? Sexy garden gnomes, perhaps?

Like everyone else said, vamps are immortal. What I'm predicting is that when people get sick of the sparkly love interests, half the new vampire books will try to humanize them even more and the other half will make them scary again.

I hope vampires are not going out of style, my best friend is working on a novel she described as the female version of I am Legend.

Vampires will never go out of style. I predict that the current YA vampire trend with touchy/feely mushy hearted vampires is about to die a quick death due to the market having become vastly over saturated.

That should create a demand for more traditional blood sucking vampires like the vampires in Berserk, The Passage and The Strain.

There are so many potential iterations of the theme that the genre will never die but rise again and again. Let's face it, the thirst for vamps can never be satisfied.

*sigh* BEA sounds wonderful. I'll try to live vicariously. ;)

I SO wish I were at BEA. Alas, I am stuck at work. I want a Matched ARC so bad I can taste it.

I think I walked out of BEA today with more books than I can possibly read. Alas, the 'To Read' list grows even bigger... I am very excited about Emma Donaghue's "Room".

I came out of there with 24 books, 14 of which were signed...absolute glee! My favorites, the ones I'm ready to devour are Diana Peterfreund's "Ascendant" and Richelle Mead's "Spirit Bound" (technically this one is already out, but it's a signed hardcover copy!)

Definitely a good idea. Being number one on the bestseller list if none of the books have actually sold is meaningless. The book may be great, but it may also just be the test book people download on their new Kindle or Kindle app.

That's what I did when I downloaded the Kindle application for my netbook. I grabbed a free one just to see how it all worked. I tried to pick one I *thought* I might like, to see if I could read for extended periods on the netbook. Unfortunely, I didn't care for the book and couldn't get past the first few chapters.

These are valuable points. It makes much more sense to separate these entities. It's similar to the concept of public and private school evaluations. People need to be able to judge things they pay for with a certain level of trust and expectation. Something that is free should be evaluated against other things that also don't need to be paid for. "Free" will entice more people by default, which skews the true picture of what you may actually be getting.

Definitely a good idea! Some people (myself included) will grab any free e-book we see because it's free and there's a chance it might be worth reading. Books that are bought require some thought, at least a "huh, this might be interesting" thought for the reader. They're two different sets. It is, as you said, comparing apples to oranges, and throwing the free books onto the list just dilutes it and makes it difficult to tell what's actually selling.

Comparisons aside, keeping the two lists together also kept customers from seeing the hot paid books all together. Since the top ten list is a form of advertising, (jump on the bandwagon with what everyone else is reading) it doesn't make good business sense for Amazon to deny the books that actually make money the space on the list.

I think the lists can stay together. I'm tired of paying high prices for best selling authors who aren't giving me a good read. I'd rather take my chances with a free book rather than a $12 one! Also, I don't just jump and get the best sellers...I'm always looking for something interesting for me - and the best seller might not be something I read:)

I think it is defineately a good idea to separate the lists. If a book is free, I would give it no thought about down loading it and giving it a read. I can always delete it if it stinks. But if I'm going to pay money for something, I want to know that it is going to be worth my while before I buy it. So it has to be good.

Please forgive the snarky-ness, but I can't believe it took them this long to figure it out. Of course free “sells” better.

What scares me is that some of them are not that far off the mark!

Darn. No quitting my job just yet...

Unless you have a significant other with a good hob who can support you while you devote your time to writing!

And don't forget medical insurance!

I take it this goes double for those of us just getting ready to query ...

I quit smoking this year and I drink my coffee with milk and sugar. I also own no tweed! None. And I haven't had a drink since New Year's Eve! Some days I have to remind myself I'm still a writer.

Also, I like my day job.

The benefits don't hurt either, but yeah, eating is always nice.

unfortunately for my day job, i work at home, so a lot of those perks go right out the window with my dress slacks.

Let us not forget health insurance! (I can save my own retirement money, I can grow my own food, but health insurance... that's a kicker.)

Colette and The Daring N. have already said it. We're all working to support the medical-industrial complex. Everything else is a hobby.