Vampires taking over the shelves

doodlenoodle

Before the TV series, I used to hide my True Blood books, which were sneered at by posher readers, and wouldn't go public with my Undead series.

But now...vampires seem to be taking over the fantasy bookshelves and giving no place to traditional swords and quests, or other. I do enjoy vampires, but there is only so much I can take of moody no-life suffering oversexed bloodsucker :mad: (still loving Sookie though).

The shelves seem to get darker and darker, and red, literally due to the black and red covers of vampire novels. Can't they just get their own shelf?

mikhail

doodlenoodle wrote: »

Before the TV series, I used to hide my True Blood books, which were sneered at by posher readers, and wouldn't go public with my Undead series.

But now...vampires seem to be taking over the fantasy bookshelves and giving no place to traditional swords and quests, or other. I do enjoy vampires, but there is only so much I can take of moody no-life suffering oversexed bloodsucker :mad: (still loving Sookie though).

The shelves seem to get darker and darker, and red, literally due to the black and red covers of vampire novels. Can't they just get their own shelf?

This reminds me of this:
http://gammasquad.uproxx.com/2010/07/neil-gaiman-news-to-make-you-hate-twilight-even-more

fenris

You could probably rename the Sci-Fi & Fantasy section to Chick Lit in most bookshops

ixoy

The bigger book shops have separated out the content - probably more to allow the Edward luvvies to not have to go to the Sci-Fi & Fantasy section. That kindling doesn't touch the sections in Hodges Figgis or Chapters for example. They have their own "supernatural romance" section.

doodlenoodle

Mikhail...my sentiments exactly and as Gaiman says "They are everywhere, they’re like cockroaches.”

You could probably rename the Sci-Fi & Fantasy section to Chick Lit in most bookshops

I hate to agree with you, I never minded a bit of it but it's going crazy. There's also been a change in the book covers, directing the sales more towards women...don't know...not really chick lit, but close.

30 something, single, budding magic powers, tough time at court/in the village, looking for true love??? Give or take a few things.

ArPharazon

Goddamn vampires and heaving bosums.

bigsmokewriting

Directing the sales towards women? Most research will tell you that women buy more books than men anyway, regardless of the genre/field...

OP, if there are non-vampire/supernatural-romance fantasy novels you want your local bookshop to get in, tell them - bookshops stock what sells and certainly for the smaller ones, it's helpful to know what real-life customers actually want!

ixoy

bigsmokewriting wrote: »

Directing the sales towards women? Most research will tell you that women buy more books than men anyway, regardless of the genre/field...

I would be very surprised if that held true for science fiction. Not sure about fantasy either, once you (rightly) discount the likes of the Twilight series.

katarin

^^ That's interesting. Why would you discount Twilight from Fantasy? It is fantasy, in the strict sense of the word. I hate the vampire takeover of my bookshops like anyone else but at the very least I don't get slagged for reading ''fairy/dragon/magic stories'' anymore.

The biggest problem I have is the re-branding of books like Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice to look like Twilight books.

Manach

Sadly the toothed ones are also taking over Military SciFi: Weber's latest for instance "Out of the Dark".