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Violanthe
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 Bestsellers or cult classics?
Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 12:00 pm |
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Where do we find the better SF&F? Are the stories with the best sales record truly the best stories? After all, there must be a reason they sell so much, right? Or do we find the highest quality among cult classics and other small productions? Are the books and movies that come out without noisy fanfare the ones that possess true artistic vision?
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Violet "Violanthe" Kane
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ecgordon
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Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:55 pm |
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| There are always exceptions of course, but I think most all popular entertainments that have a broad appeal tend to be geared down to a low (not necessarily the lowest) common denominator. It actually makes me start to worry when something I like a lot proves to be popular with a wide audience, but that doesn't happen very often. |
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Violanthe
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Shadow_Ferret
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 3:47 pm |
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How many SF&F authors actually make the NYT best seller list?
I read what I read and don't pay much attention to sales figures. If it's not printed on the cover of the book I wouldn't know where to look for that information anyway. |
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Violanthe
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Queen Of The Abyss
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 4:00 am |
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In horror, the best stories are usually found in the small press. Most major book shops mainly carry the mass paperbacks. The Kings and Rices, with some Koontzes thrown in. Although, there are exceptions. For example, once, several months after I special ordered Tim Lebbon's White and Other Tales of Ruin (which is still back home, unread ) from my favourite book store, I did see another copy had found its way to their shelves. I do have to admit, though, that Leisure has mass- released some good horror books.
I also don't worry too much about a book's Bestseller status. In fact, I try to avoid those. Often, a Bestseller is only such because the publishers (or Oprah) push them so hard the public thinks that's what it wants. Buzz does not a great story make.
As a side note, if the cover blurb reads "It's a triumph!" I quickly re-shelve said tome. |
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Violanthe
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Mervi
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Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 8:18 am |
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I don't think that we can look for one particular place for great stories. The great stories are the ones that endure for decades and are appealing to a lot of people. So recommendations from people with similar tastes are the way to go. On the other hand, books need to be marketed so that people can hear about them and that the writer can afford to write more.
I don't usually look for bestsellers list. That said, there are a few good sf/f books that have made it to bestsellers, such as Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys or Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, so bestsellers aren't a compleat waste of time. However, I'd recommend looking reprints like Fantasy Masterwork series. |
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Shadow_Ferret
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Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:11 pm |
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| Violanthe wrote: | | But don't some small presses necessarily release books of lower quality? Simply because they don't have the cache or the power to pay advances? |
I would tend to agree with this. If the story was GREAT and the writer or his agent contacted one of the larger publishers, I would hope that publisher or editor would be able to recognize the greatness of that story and buy it. If they can't recognize it and pass then maybe they should seek other employment.
Maybe once in a while something might slip through the cracks. But I doubt if it's a common occurance or the small press publishers would become big press publishers because the readers would be demanding their works.
Right? Did that make sense? I feel like I was rambling. |
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Golophin
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Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 1:55 pm |
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| I think both you cant rule out any source of potential good fiction. |
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Peter
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Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 8:59 am |
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What's great depends on the individual, doesn't it? (Rhetorical statement, I'm not actually asking).
Publishers buy what they think will make them money, not what they think is a work of astounding genius. Sometimes the two do coincide, most often they don't.
Peter |
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Violanthe
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Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:08 pm |
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There are exceptions, and many of them, to every rule, of course. And for those with niche interests, the small presses fill a market that looks too risky for major publishers. And it certainly depends on the small press, and on which major press you're talking about.
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Queen Of The Abyss
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Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 4:07 am |
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| Shadow_Ferret wrote: | | Violanthe wrote: | | But don't some small presses necessarily release books of lower quality? Simply because they don't have the cache or the power to pay advances? |
I would tend to agree with this. If the story was GREAT and the writer or his agent contacted one of the larger publishers, I would hope that publisher or editor would be able to recognize the greatness of that story and buy it. If they can't recognize it and pass then maybe they should seek other employment.
Maybe once in a while something might slip through the cracks. But I doubt if it's a common occurance or the small press publishers would become big press publishers because the readers would be demanding their works.
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I don't agree. Sure, SOME small presses publish low-quality works. Large presses also publish a lot of crap. But, really, they all publish some great stuff, a lot of mediocre stuff, and some poor stuff. |
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DougGogerty
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 5:03 pm |
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I don't think you can necessarily judge a publisher on its size. There is good, bad, and mediocre available at all levels. There are pluses and minuses for each type for the author. High interference vs no interference. High exposure vs no exposure. Depending upon the author, they may go where the fit is best.
Also, occassional the worlds taste will sometimes overlap with your own. For some of us, it does not happen very often, so it is a shock when it does. This is where the cult classics come from. The work just strikes a chord. It is a sign of the times, etc. We'll never know what is a classic until it survives the test of time. Many "future classics" aren't. (See Titanic).
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Violanthe
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 11:50 am |
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You bring up a good point, Queen. And I think that it's appropriate at this time to point out that your genre of expertise, Horror, has a very lively small press culture which produces a good number of quality titles for subgenres that big publishers are afraid to touch.
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Violet "Violanthe" Kane
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Queen Of The Abyss
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 8:22 am |
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That's right. Most of the horror on my shelves in Canada are books I've had to special order from small publishers. I wouldn't have been able to get them through large presses. The downside to small presses is that they generally cost more than mass paperbacks. Especially with that pesky exchange rate. I haven't ordered much since I've been in OZ (mainly because I'm more afraid of the price tag than the matter between the covers).
On the other hand, small presses can give genre writing the special, personalized attention the larger publishers wouldn't bother with.
I also look at it this way. Yes, small presses may not have the financial backing to pay large advances and such. But that means that they also cannot afford to absorb the losses of multiple titles that don't sell. Therefore, they will not publish just any rubbish solely for the sake of having something to sell.
And as for Shadow Ferret's comment that small publishers would become large ones because readers would demand their works, I'm afraid that wouldn't necessarily happen. This is still a world of discrimination. People tend to stay with what they know they like. The readers I've met both here and on the Bestsellers boards are, perhaps, the most adventurous readers I've come across in that they will give most genres a chance. But even other fans of SF I know (who are usually fantasy fans) stick to the authors and story lines they are familiar with. You might write the Greatest Story Ever Told but as soon as it's labelled Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi, or whatever, a good chunk of the potential readers will shy away. |
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Violanthe
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