Guest blogger and First Book supporter Mindy Klasky is the author of six fantasy novels, including the award-winning, best-selling The Glasswrights’ Apprentice and numerous short stories. Her latest trilogy, The Jane Madison Series, chronicles a love-struck D.C. librarian who discovers she’s a witch. Visit www.mindyklasky.com to learn more about Mindy’s work and her support of First Book.
Most publishers convey a lot of information to readers on the spines of their books. They display the publisher’s name and logo, the author’s name and the book’s name. They often list the price. They sometimes list the ISBN, the International Standard Book Number. And many publishers state the book’s genre.
Mystery. Fantasy. Science Fiction. Romance. Horror. Suspense.
Genre tags are intended to help readers find the types of books that they like. If I know that I’ve enjoyed Author X published by Roc, I’m much more likely to try Author Y at Roc, especially when I’m reassured by that label “fantasy.” If I’m browsing for some comfort reading during these challenging economic times, I can steer away from “horror,” head toward the more reassuring “romance.”
But labels can be frustrating as well. Some books don’t settle neatly into one category. My Jane Madison series, about a librarian who finds out that she’s a witch, straddles the line between romance and fantasy. Nancy Kress’s Dogs, a book that depicts the effect of a virus on the canine population of a small town, is equal parts science fiction and suspense. Jeri Smith-Ready’s vampire DJs in Wicked Game cross over from horror to romance.
In traditional, bricks-and-mortar stores, readers can be frustrated when they try to locate their favorite authors, or when they try to discover new authors. Genre labels present a convenience — here you are, gentle reader! Enjoy these books like the ones you’ve already enjoyed!
But genre labels also obscure book offerings, hiding similar-but-not-identical titles. The problem is most intense in the Young Adult sections of stores, where it is common to have several “grades” of fiction (chapter books, intermediate readers, young adult books), as well as several classifications (fantasy, series, award-winners). Sometimes, it’s a minor miracle that younger readers find any specific book on the shelves.
Online bookstores (and online catalogs in bricks-and-mortar stores) help solve the problem. Readers can search on specific titles and readily find more books like ones they know, regardless of any physical location of those books. Educating readers helps as well — reminding readers to search in different genres for titles that they desire. But no solution is perfect. Some books go unfound by the eager readers who search for them.
Have you ever had trouble tracking down a book, because of the place where it was shelved? What solutions do you think bookstores should implement?
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