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Why Doesn't Sci-Fi Hit the Bestseller Lists?
Pomeranian writes "Sci fi readers often deplore book bestseller lists -- because review editors actively ignore many sci-fi sales, since they don't consider that stuff "popular", even though sci-fi titles often sell in far greater numbers than "serious" highbrow lit. But this all might change soon, with the launch of Bookscan: New technology that tracks actual sales at the cash register with greater precision than ever before. When similar technology launched in the music industry ten years ago, it proved the popularity of "new country" and hip-hop overnight. This story in the Washington Post wonders: Will Bookscan do the same thing to sci-fi? NOTE: this is a *shameless* self-aggrandizing plug, because I wrote the Washington Post story! But I figured it'd be of particular interest to Slashdot readers"
CD: While I'd love to see lists that are more reflective of reality, I don't think that a pure unadulterated list is in the interest of the reading public. When I worked at Waldenbooks many moons ago, we would commonly receive copies of one book, Dianetics, from the publisher, with our (And our competitors) sales stickers already on them. While this was an extreme case, it does serve as a cautionary tale about the lengths some will go to manipulate the numbers.
Shameless plugs on /., no way...when did this start?
=P
forget it.
My guess would be Harlan Ellison.
---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
If you get an accurate count of books sold, I'm guessing that the only thing you're going to see on the best-selling list is romance novels
At last, an empirical method to prove what the best books are! After all, everyone knows that Titanic is, scientifically, the best movie ever made. Finally, my Danielle Steele novels and R.L. Stine paperbacks will get the in-depth, intellectual criticism they've been *begging* for!
It's about time. I hated having to call my handler every time i bought a copy of The Catcher in the Rye.
That's ok, Jesus likes me anyway.
'hot' or science fiction for general audiences sounds like an excelent idea. We can have new successes in the field of science fiction just as the music industry has had such great artists as Nsync and Backstreet Boys
"The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention to impose our form of government on anyone else." - Bush 05
*Cough*HarryPotter*Cough*
Read jack phelps dot net
No, no... the assumption was that because you read slashdot, you don't read the Washington Post.
He looked at me and said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send your fingerprints off to Washington."
"For years I've been using the THE INTERNET TOP 100 SF/FANTASY LIST [geocities.com] as my reference as to what science fiction I should be reading"
My guess is you won't be using it again until at least june....
"Sanity is not statistical", George Orwell, "1984"