But check this out. Anyone notice anything interesting?
WSJ Hardcover Fiction, week ending June 5, 2011
The Kane Chronicles, Book 2: The Throne of Fire
Rick Riordan/Hyperion Books
The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
Jeff Kinney/Abrams
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Dr. Seuss/Random House Children's Books
Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins/Scholastic
Dreams of Joy
Lisa See/Random House
10th Anniversary
James Patterson, Maxine Paetro/Little, Brown
Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins/Scholastic
Dead Reckoning
Charlaine Harris/Ace Books
Buried Prey
John Sandford/G.P. Putnam's Sons
The Warlock
Michael Scott/Delacorte Books for Young Readers
* * *
Well, there are dark themes, certainly.
But even better: half of this week's fiction bestsellers are for children.
Yup. Tell that to your writer friends at your next cocktail party. Or to the next person who says, "Oh, kids' books--uhhh--that's nice, I edit/write serious adult nonfiction. About war."
Incidentally, I went to the party that had Snarky rather angry (and considering hulk smashes) last year--yes, because we were snarked at for not waiting for the one pair of tongs per table. (See Breaking News: Cheese Plate at Brooklyn Mingle Excellent, OR: How to Throw a Successful Publishing Party.) And the cheese was, once again, excellent. And there were more tongs.
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| This was Snarky last year. Okay, not really. He did not attack cabs. But this is what he would have looked like, had the server come back again to complain about his lack of tong usage. |
So, look for some Snarky this summer.
Hope you're well and writing--and, in your spare time, having picnics. I keep looking longingly at the park. Sigh.
8 comments:
I think the article in WSJ caught too much reactionary heat. I read it and don't recall it word-for-word or anything, but the woman stated truth. And rather than whining about it, those on the acquisitions end of the book biz would do well to check out what kind of talent is languishing outside the dystopian box.
Two cents.
My goodness, yes--we should certainly think outside the dystopian bubble!--and I do think people are.
And you're right--there are a lot of people out there who feel this way, and we can't just produce what we want and assume people will buy it (or that we'll necessarily drive what people want).
I think it was mostly the "those young kids and their riduclously dark books!" or "those young editors, and those ridiculously dark books" tone that had people so angry.
See, it's cocktail-party-worthy tidbits like that that make me think I ought to host more cocktail parties and invite writerly types...
I didn't appreciate the tone of the WSJ article, either...though I also have wondered about the appeal of dark books and whether that means we're excluding lighter subjects for not being "meaty" enough. Light can be meaty, too! Or maybe it's just my local B&N that seems to only buy books with black-as-night covers and deep, scary subjects for the teen section. Because I see plenty of great, non-dark stuff floating around the interwebs for YA! Hmmm, did the WSJ writer in question visit my B&N and then write her article?
The article stated opinion and fallacy.
It's opinion that things are too dark and it's fallacy that there was "nothing" in an entire Barnes & Noble that wasn't about cutting, vampires, or other things deemed unsavory. The "fact" presented in the article is that the mother in question left without buying her kid a single book, and that is a tragedy.
And considering the first three books on the best-seller list cited here, from the same publication, aren't "dark" or vampiric/dystopian/self-mutilating in nature, it's a case of selective reasoning.
There are books out there for all sorts of readers with all sorts of tastes. Not every author writes to trends.
I think the WSJ and NPR interviews sparked some good conversation. And, I'd love to see more contemporary YA on the shelves of all kinds (don't get me wrong, MATCHED and WITHER were amazing). The point is, choice is good. The real problem with the WSJ piece was that it was supposed to be a news story and it simply wasn't. It was an opinion piece. If it would have been presented as an editorial, I don't think we would've seen the heat.
For those who are interested, here are two of my favorite commentaries on the WSJ piece: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/06/09/why-the-best-kids-books-are-written-in-blood/#
And:
http://carolrhoda.blogspot.com/
The Carolrhoda blog also has a great video of teens discussing books. Enjoy!
I loved the debate that the WSJ caused. It was nice to see all those who really care about books add their two cents.
That being said here is mine...
I like books. Lots of books. Children's books. Non-fiction (that aren't about war). Dark books. Light books. I like books.
Oh and I second everything else that everybody else said (allows me to not have to form too many opinions in a day).
Hmmmm...seems to me that the darker the world the lighter the light, no? "...and the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness shall not overcome it." There's an awful lot of light in these dystopian tales, but I guess it just depends upon what the reader focuses upon.
True, GK. Tone goes a long way in fostering response, both negative and positive. Very good point.
Exellent commentary by others.
I love Rowenna's 'light can be meaty!' And Don's response is all aces, too.
In the final analysis, I'm with Jen on the contention that good debate is highly desirable. Shakes people out of intellectual numbness-- which is always a fine thing.
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