In the bookstore I spend the most time in, the shelves are arranged so I pass by the Romance section before I get to Science Fiction and Fantasy. Occasionally I stop and browse. I've even bought a couple lately that seem associational SF or fantasy.
It's the "associational" part that intrigues me. In this unscientific survey method, it seems to me there are an awful lot of Romance novels featuring vampires, ghosts, or the undead in general.
What's the game? Realism exhausted? Sales improving by bringing in fantastic elements? The "Buffy" influence?
Any thoughts?
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
I think they call them "paranormal" romances, and they are doing very well in the market.
Basically, they are crossovers between horror/fantasy and romance.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
Basically, there's a large audience of women out there who've given up on human males Posted by Elan (Member # 2442) on :
Ain't THAT the truth!
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
"Paranormal romance" is on the spine of an example I picked up. Also in the ad copy are: "New York Times Bestselling Author" and "[author] is a skilled writer." I'm a little bothered by how poorly written it is, but that's off-topic.
I remember when "horror" was a big section of the bookstore. Now it's reduced to about one set of shelves (Borders), or racked with "fiction" (Books-a-Million). And even when it has its own section, why are most of the books by Stephen King and Dean Koontz?
When did a once-proud category drop through the floor...and what's the point of masking it under another name?
Posted by Alethea Kontis (Member # 3748) on :
That question leads to a very long discussion with no good answer.
I can tell you the following:
1.) Yes, vampires are hot. Editors want vampires, and authors give them what they want. Erotica is on the rise. Paranormal Romance is a helthy genre to be in right now.
2.) Horror has always been the red-headed stepchild of the genres. No author wants to be pigeonholed as a horror writer, and horror fans hate that the spines have all been changed to say "fiction." The inherent problem is that "horror" is usually just an aspect of a larger story: a mystery, or a romance, or both.
You know, if bookstores shelved books by ambiance, maybe that would solve things. I for one would love to shop in a store with sections like, "Stories that will make you laugh" or "Memoirs that will make you cry" or "Really tough books that will take forever but you'll be glad you read" or "Cheesy romances with happy endings." It'd be fun, wouldn't it?
3.) Stephen King and Dean Koontz could be shelved under "Reference" and still hit the NYT Bestsller list. They're safe bets.
Posted by goatboy (Member # 2062) on :
I believe this is what Miss Snark meant when she mentioned that cross-genre is hot right now.
Posted by mikemunsil (Member # 2109) on :
Vampire/non-vampire romance? Cross-mortality cross-genre AND cross-gender.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
With all these "crosses," maybe the vampires will go away...
