Three ways to market fiction for adults

Displays: Fiction displays are my favorite. I find a theme, make a sign, and put out books that go with the theme.  Some themes

•     Twist at the end
•     Books that will make you cry
•     Hungry for a mystery? (food theme cozy mysteries)
•     Horror for Halloween
•     As seen on TV (celebrity book picks)

I would welcome suggestions for more and look forward to reading everyone's blog posts this week!

Book Clubs: This is a small audience, but I give my club three or four choices every month, presenting them with mini-book-talks. Participants often jot down titles that didn't get picked for their own TBR. We also put up a sign and send out emails to the participants and another dozen or so armchair participants (folks who like to read along but don't attend the club meeting--they will often give staff their two cents on the month's title).

Hot books flyer: The collection development department puts out a flyer every week that highlights new books being released that week, particularly those that are getting good buzz in the media. The flyer features 20 book covers but no description. If I had the opportunity, I would change this to include brief descriptions or reviewer quotes--something to indicate what makes the book noteworthy. This would require more work and more paper, as the flyer would need to become two flyers (one for fiction, one for nonfiction) or it would have to feature fewer titles to fit on a page.

One more way, video book talks: My library releases these occasionally via Facebook. I think there are other avenues that we don't use, but I'm not sure (other social media like YouTube, TikTok). I have made a couple and get the impression that they are not featured regularly but as staff find time to make a video. With unlimited resources, I'd ask every staff member to make one per year to add to a video library.

Week 14 prompt: Urban Fiction and LGBTQ books placement

Urban Fiction is its own genre and I would shelve those books separately. The branch where I used to work did so and also moved the section to a more visible location and circulation went up: I had a patron ask for Sister Soulja books and she was delighted to learn that there was a whole collection of books in the same vein. 

Three reasons to shelve Urban Fiction separately

1. It is a distinct genre. Urban Fiction doesn't lump all Black authors together, it is specifically for "street" themes.

2. Keeping Urban Fiction on its own shelves would allow a fan of one author or title to easily discover additional "read-alike" books.

3. I don't have a third reason to do it. 

LGBTQ fiction is a broader collection of titles that are by and/or feature LGBTQ characters. It's not a single genre and features several populations. I would not shelve these separately but integrate them into the adult fiction collection.

Three reasons to keep LGBTQ books integrated with the rest of general fiction

1. It is not a distinct genre. "LGBTQ fiction" would include multiple genres.

2. Separating every book featuring LGBTQ characters or themes would be "othering" this diverse group.

3. Shelving LGBTQ books with other fiction would allow a patron to pick up a book they may not have otherwise done, encouraging diverse reading.

Blog prompt week 13 YA/NA as a genre

Week 13 Prompt: Though this week's group of "genres" all seem very different, they all have in common the fact that many people don't feel that they are legitimate literary choices and libraries shouldn't be spending money on them or promoting them to adults. The common belief is that adults still don't or shouldn't read that stuff. How can we as librarians, work to ensure that we are able to serve adults who enjoy YA literature or graphic novels? Or should we? I can't wait to read your thoughts on this. Thanks!

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So this morning I tried to explain YA and NA to my mom and I confess, it boiled down to the ages of the protagonists and the sexual content. "Coming-of-age" seems a little generic of a description, but so does "protagonists 18-26 years old." I'm at a loss. And I confess: in the deepest recesses of my brain, I think I consider YA and NA books... kind of immature. Naive. And maybe that's what they are--there is no omniscient narrator to provide wisdom or context. Is that true or fair to say? I'm not really sure. Also, there are a gazillion books that treat coming-of-age without being shelved with the YA/NA books--what makes them more "adult?" My guess is, again, the wisdom of the narration. I would welcome comments that support or refute this judge-y claim!

Now I'm racking my brain for fiction that covers young adults but gets shelved in adult fiction--The Lincoln Highway, Huck Finn, Where the Crawdads Sing, The Goldfinch, To Kill a Mockingbird... What makes these literature? Or just adult fiction?

All my judgment aside, I still think the genre is worthy of existing, for the simple reason that readers are drawn to it so it's a convenient category. And I don't think that adults "shouldn't" be reading YA/NA books; everyone has their preferences and its none of my business beyond how I can help them find what they want.

I asked my friend in Collection Development about how they label teen books. If the publisher says it's a teen book, it gets labeled as such. If the publisher doesn't say, they check Amazon and Baker & Taylor for audience age ranges or grades. She made a good point--a book marked "teen" may be considered age-appropriate by teen readers or their parents.

My library doesn't separate out NA, but this gives me an idea for a book display: "As seen on TikTok!" As Colleen Hoover and Rebecca Yarros continue to hit bestseller status, perhaps its fair to say that NA readers already know how to find what they like.