Who Reads What? Some Interesting Stats

Being that author person, the one who always wants to know what's on the other side of my mirror or window or door (choose whichever metaphor you like), I seek out articles on readership, who's looking at what. Does anybody actually read anymore? This question posed by someone who obviously doesn't. *sigh* Yes, it is sad. I feel badly for those who think that way, for all they are missing...but let's move on. The Article. I stumbled upon one published a couple years ago, (see link below) that focused on Nielsen ratings regarding mystery/crime readers. That is my niche, so if you aren't into reading mystery, don't write mystery, you may want to move along. :-) 

Nielsen colleagues dove into the task to gather stats, asking questions... How do you acquire your reading material? What type of mysteries do you prefer? Where do you discover new authors? Interesting results given in a beautifully illustrative graph (again, see link below) show a couple of important facts--at least for me as an author of mystery. One, over 60 percent of readers are ages 45 and up with 28 percent being 65 and older. Makes me think about my story details like how old should my characters be? Does it make a difference if I use modern slang or references to modern culture that the older crowd may not understand? I'm thinking not. After all, I'm of a certain age, and those things don't bother me. Another fact finding detail: 70 percent of those readers polled were female. 

Here's the real gut-puncher, though: many frequent readers aren't buying books. They get them free. Probably waiting for those deals on Amazon or participating in book swaps where you trade in your book and get another in return. Oh, and of course, let's not forget libraries. I'll admit, I get the budget urge to find bargains, freebies, and such. Confession: I don't use the library as much as I used to because I can't seem to finish a book in time before I have to return it, or I'm on a long, infinitely long waiting list. Also, it didn't surprise me to find that 69 percent of heavy buyers are expert readers. Reading does that to a person. Frequent reading = expert reader. 

The concern stated by the author of the article is that if the mystery audience is the older crowd, what happens when they, well, are gone? As he puts it, the genre will need some new victims. Yes, I can see that. However, what's to say that the younger crowd, when older, won't turn to mystery? I've certainly gone through my stages. For ten years or more, it was horror/suspense with King, Koontz, and Saul at the top of my list. When I was in my early twenties, it was romantic suspense with such classic greats as Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt. Yeah, I was certainly a romantic. Then, for the past twenty years I've pretty much stuck to mysteries of all sorts -- gritty crime, psychological thrillers, legal thrillers and of course, cozies for my "be amused and laugh and get all warm and fuzzy" moods. Authors like Patterson, Cornwell, Johansen, and Brown on the more serious side. Evanovich and Joanne Fluke, to name a couple, on the lighter side. 

So, what's an author to do if he/she wants to grow a younger audience? One suggestion is Wattpad. Yes, I said Wattpad. Authors like the one mentioned in this article ( Elizabeth Spann Craig) tried it out and gained lots of readers. Caution: readers, not necessarily buyers. It's an interesting social media forum where you can upload chapters of your work and readers will flock and send you all kinds of nice comments, questions, etc. With luck, the trolls will stay far away. Below, I've placed another link to tips on using Wattpad, for those who'd care to check it out. 

As for me, I'll trudge along, cranking out story ideas, writing those mysteries, hoping people will notice, enjoy, and read more. As you might know, often, it's not how great your book is. It's getting noticed. If you're not, then who will ever discover how fantastic a writer you are? (Says any author who doesn't find their work rise in the Amazon rankings!) 

Cheers all. Happy reading and writing!


Who is Reading Mysteries?

Learning about Wattpad

Fiction and Fact ... Let's Weigh In

Okay ... let's define fiction. One source states that fiction is an imaginative creation or a pretense that does not represent actuality but has been invented. Invented, imaginative creation ... how should that work? Well, maybe we could categorize it by genre. After all, fantasy and science fiction stories create worlds and the things in it far beyond our scope of reality. But what about genres like mystery or suspense? Should authors stick to reality-based scenarios and details ... or does it really matter?

I have to say that when I read, my mind opens up to accept just about any possibility. Mystery is indeed my favorite genre, so I'm going to focus on that. So, you have some characters, a setting, events belonging to the plot -- beginning, middle, and end. You're reading along and you come to an event where you think, "Nah uh! No way could that happen!" But it just did, and then more details are layered in to validate this event. But you're still thinking, "That just doesn't happen in real life." Real life? I thought we were talking fiction here. Fiction is imaginary. It doesn't have to happen in real life, unless it's true crime fiction we're talking about. And boy, if you listen to some of those stories given on the six o'clock news ... talk about unreal!

I guess what I'm trying to justify, and maybe it's only a personal preference, fiction doesn't have to be totally realistic. Sure, it should make sense. What happens to the characters should fit with the details of the story. What might seem improbable is quite possible in the world of fiction. It's part of why I escape into those worlds I find when reading and can say how much I enjoy the experience. Certainly, there are different rules for different genres, but it all boils down to one fact. It's fiction, folks. Only fiction where anything could happen.

Of course, this is my take on it. What do you think? Should certain genres stick to reality-based facts, where if it isn't plausible in real life, then leave it out? Weigh in.

Whips, Cuffs, and Little Brown Boxes

A Date to Die For

Reading Trends Part II: Adult Fiction

So, now moving on to the latest trends in adult fiction ... What is the number one publisher which has seen the most growth and sales?  Harlequin. Gotta love that romance. Yet, as most of you know, Harlequin combines romance with a lot of other genres -- mystery/suspense, paranormal, historical. So, as long as you want the romance involved, there is something for everybody.
Genres that seem to have a growing audience are -- thrillers, Americana, literary, paranormal with an erotic touch, Christian fiction, and horror stories which are still making a ripple. Of course, anything offered in e-book format has a great chance of being read, especially romance novels. Such is the craze of the eReaders. What's most consistently popular, as readers have found in the past, will probably be such in the future. And that is anything by those authors at the top of the food chain -- James Patterson, Dan Brown, Nora Roberts, and the list goes on. What has changed is the path ones like James Patterson have taken. Several times he has linked up with a coauthor, and probably because of the growing interest in young adult books, he has ventured into that genre with novels like Maximum Ride. One more group to mention comes from the famous people who decide to write, maybe their memoirs or sometimes fictional works, and their books seem to sell, so publishers will keep on publishing them.

In my opinion, as a writer you may follow the trends, hoping to catch a ride on that rollercoaster while it's still flying high, but you need to be passionate about what you write. No matter what. Who knows? Maybe if you think of something entirely unrelated to the trends of vampires and werewolves or those other popular themes, maybe you'll be the one to start the next trend. Now, wouldn't that be something!

Reading Trends - Part I: Young Adult

As both a reader and a writer, I find learning about the latest trends in reading to be both interesting and useful. So, I'm going to cover this in at least a couple postings and start with Young Adult readers. This year continues the hot topic of fantasy/paranormal, mainly vampires and werewolves. However, the fantasy realm includes mythological themes such as the Goddess Girls. Multimedia series are also grabbing young readers where they connect online and in video. Two that fall into that category are 39 Clues and Skeleton Creek. Diary and Journal formats are popular as in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which by the way leads to the books where the main characters have special needs, such as Mockingbird and Rules. Graphic novels and Manga continue to hold their place in the top favorites, probably because of the timeless captivation of such stars as Superman and X-Men. And it should be mentioned that though these are Young Adult books, adults are reading them, too. In fact, this trend is on the rise, which I imagine pleases both author and publisher alike.

One more category I'd like to mention is books for reluctant readers. Teaching in this area has given me firsthand experience in the challenges of getting kids to read. I agree with those who say that reluctant readers are ones who just haven't found the type of book that interests them yet. Anyway, here is a list of the top ten picks:

Amason, Jessica and Richard Blakeley. This is Why You’re Fat: Where Dreams
     Become Heart Attacks.

Brereton, Catherine, Philip Steele, and Hannah Wilson. Warriors Versus Warriors:
     Ten Fighters, Five Battles, ONE WINNER.

Elkeles, Simone. Rules of Attraction: A Perfect Chemistry Novel.

Hasler, Nikol. Sex: A Book for Teens: An Uncensored Guide to Your Body, Sex and
      Safety.

Keplinger, Kody. The D.U.F.F.(Designated Ugly Fat Friend).

Neri, G. and Randy DuBurke. Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty.

Rainfield, Cheryl. Scars.

Summers, Courtney. Some Girls Are.

Volponi, Paul. Rikers High.

Von D, Kat with Sandra Bark. The Tattoo Chronicles.

I will end this post with a little anecdote. It addresses the reason why it's important to a hopeful writer wanting to sell his/her work. When I spoke with someone who owns a business and after complaining how difficult it is to find a publisher to accept my work, she asked me, "Well, have you asked them what they are looking for?" Such a simple question, but with not so simple an answer. It's very hard to find the right place at the right time, but knowing what the reader wants to read is what publishers want to publish is ultimately what the author should write ... at least is he/she wants to sell :-)

For more information about Young Adult Readers, check out YALSA .

Ghosts, Goblins, and Edgar Allen Poe

Happy Halloween ... in advance! Since it's that time of the year, I wanted to post a tribute to one of the ghoulish authors who is a master of the genre. And, as part of this tribute, it would only be fitting to ask everyone to offer up his/her favorite Poe work.

I will start us off with my favorite -- a story rather than poem -- "The Black Cat". It's impressive how kitty manages to cause such a stir. ;-).

Okay, your turn. Let's see what you might add to the list.

Name That Poet #10

Try your hand at naming the American Poet who penned this poem.




Hunters, where does Hope nest?
Not in the half-oped breast,
Nor the young rose,
Nor April sunrise—those
With a quick wing she brushes,
The wide world through,
Greets with the throat of thrushes,
Fades from as fast as dew.
But, would you spy her sleeping,
Cradled warm,
Look in the breast of weeping,
The tree stript by storm;
But, would you bind her fast,
Yours at last,
Bed-mate and lover,
Gain the last headland bare
That the cold tides cover,
There may you capture her, there,
Where the sea gives to the ground
Only the drift of the drowned.
Yet, if she slips you, once found,
Push to her uttermost lair
In the low house of despair.
There will she watch by your head,
Sing to you till you be dead,
Then, with your child in her breast,
In another heart build a new nest.

Happy hunting for the name :-)

I guess I will have to let this one out. The poet is Edith Wharton. Thanks to those of you who may have read and thought about it :-)

Name That Novel #24

Here are some words from a character's inner thoughts taken from what classic novel? Title and author, if you please :-)


"Looking at these stars suddenly dwarfed my own troubles and all the gravities of terrestrial life. I thought of their unfathomable distance, and the slow inevitable drift of their movements out of the unknown past into the unknown future."

Luck to all!

And letting this one out as well (no pun intended....honestly!): It is H. G. Well's The Time Machine.

Name That Poet #7

Let's try for this one, a poem by another great contemporary American author. So, name and title, if you can guess.



They were women then
My mama's generation
Husky of voice--stout of
Step
With fists as well as
Hands
How they battered down
Doors
And ironed
Starched white
Shirts
How they led
Armies
Headragged generals
Across mined
Fields
Booby-trapped
Ditches
To discover books
Desks
A place for us
How they knew what we
Must know
Without knowing a page
Of it
Themselves.


Good luck to all! The time has passed..... And the answer is: Alice Walker

Name That Novel ... #16

Haven't done this in a long while, but since I just finished reading a great novel, I thought I'd share. See if you can guess this very contemporary, fairly new (2003) creation of suspense, and it's author who is well-known for a couple other well-written works.

"Since that trip as a boy, Teddy had never enjoyed being out on the water, took no pleasure from such a lack of land, of visions of land, things you could reach out and touch without your hands dissolving into them. You told yourself it was okay--because that's what you had to do to cross a body of water--but it wasn't. Even in the war, it wasn't the storming of the beaches he feared so much as those last few yards from the boats to the shore, legs slogging through the depths, strange creatures slithering over your boots."

And another passage, just in case you might need a bit more prompting:

"...He felt a sudden pity for all those people on the other side of the wall who recognized that thin wire for what it was, realized just how badly the world wanted to keep them in..."

Okay, good luck to all!

No takers, I guess...so.... Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane.

Name That Novel #15

Let's go across the Atlantic and back in time, about 100 years ago. This well-known author led an active social life, mixing with the aristocracy. The following excerpt was from the first volume of six. He was known for his style of creating extremely long sentences. This work was one of his efforts proving to be both creative and enlightening. See if you recognize him.

"... But when from a long-distant past nothing subsists, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered, taste and smell alone, more fragile but more enduring, more immaterial, more persistent, more faithful, remain poised a long time, like souls, remembering, waiting, hoping, amid the ruins of all the rest; and bear unflinchingly, in the tiny and almost impalpable drop of their essence, the vast structure of recollection.

And as soon as I had recognised the taste of the piece of madeleine soaked in her decoction of lime-blossom which my aunt used to give me (although I did not yet know and must long postpone the discovery of why this memory made me so happy) immediately the old grey house upon the street, where her room was, rose up like a stage set to attach itself to the little pavilion ... the streets along which I used to run errands, the country roads we took when it was fine ... the whole of Combray and its surroundings, taking shape and solidity, sprang into being, town and gardens alike, from my cup of tea."

(translation from French to English -- Moncrieff and Kilmartin, revised by Enright)

Good luck to all!

Hats off to Tina! She guessed correctly with Proust and his work, Remembrance of Things Past.

Name That Novel #14

Here's an internationally well-known classic. See if you can guess the TITLE and AUTHOR:


So saying, he gave the spur to his steed Rocinante, heedless of the cries his squire Sancho sent after him, warning him that most certainly they were windmills and not giants he was going to attack. He, however, was so positive they were giants that he neither heard the cries of Sancho, nor perceived, near as he was, what they were, but made at them shouting, "Fly not, cowards and vile beings, for a single knight attacks you."

Good luck to all!

Congratulations to Sarah: Don Quixote by Cervantes is the answer.

Name That Poet....#4

It's been awhile, and I apologize. Here is another poem from a classic poet. See if you know the name of both the title and the creator.

"Hope" is the thing with feathers--
That perches in the soul--
And sings the tune without the words--
And never stops--at all--

And sweetest--in the Gale--is heard--
And sore must be the storm--
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm--

I've heard it in the chillest land--
And on the strangest Sea--
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb--of Me.

Okay, good luck to all. :-)

Name That Novel #13

Contemporary, bestseller, an American saga and a very poignant take on human nature -- our flaws, our strengths, all of it set in the vast wilderness of Wisconsin. That said (a generous serving of clues, I must say) see if you can guess the title and author:

**I am giving some other hints, which I hope will bring in a winner. This story is about a mute boy who communicates well with dogs, and he goes on a long journey into the wilderness. The book came out in 2008, I believe.

"This will be his earliest memory.

Red light, morning light. High ceiling canted overhead. Lazy click of toenails on wood. Between the honey-colored slats of the crib a whiskery muzzle slides forward until its cheeks pull back and a row dainty front teeth bare themselves in a ridiculous grin.

The nose quivers. The velvet snout dimples.

All the house is quiet. Be still. Stay still.

Fine, dark muzzle fur. Black nose, leather of lacework creases, comma of nostrils flexing with each breath. A breeze shushes up the field and pillows the curtains inward. The apple tree near the kitchen window caresses the house with a tick-tickety-tick-tick. As slowly as he can, he exhales, feigning sleep, but despite himself his breath hitches. At once, the muzzle knows he is awake. It snorts. Angles right and left. Withdraws...."

There you are. Now, let's see what you can do with it. :-)

Okay, I don't think anyone is going to guess this one. So, drum roll please! .........

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Name That Novel #11

Let's say adventure. This novel is very, very, very popular. The kind you want to read more than once....and probably have. So, here goes... Title and author, please.

"He walked briskly back to his hole, and stood for a moment listening with a smile to the din in the pavilion and to the sound of merrymaking in other parts of the field. Then he went in. He took off his party clothes, folded up and wrapped in tissue-paper his embroidered silk waistcoat, and put it away. Then he put on quickly some old untidy garments, and fastened round his waist a worn leather belt. On it he hung a short sword in a battered black-leather scabbard. From a locked drawer, smelling of moth-balls, he took out an old cloak and hood. They had been locked up as if they were very precious, but they were so patched and weatherstained that their original colour could hardly be guessed: it might have been dark green. They were rather too large for him. He then went into his study, and from a large strong-box took out a bundle wrapped in old clothes, and a leather-bound manuscript; and also a large bulky envelope...."

Good luck to all!

Congrats to so many of you! Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien. Give yourselves a Novel Winner Button :-) -- See posting on 9/19 for directions....

Name That Novel #10

From the past to the present, some stories are worth repeating. That is my hint for the following excerpt. Title and author, please.

I will give another hint... it is based on a very well-known children's novel and movie.

"Look, you can see the snow, white as the grace of the Unnamed God," said the novice, remembering her pastoral requirements. "Think on that, and rest, and sleep. Here's a pillow. Here's a stool for your feet. Upstairs we'll be singing and praising the Unnamed God. I'll pray for you."
"Don't--" said the green ghostly guest, then slumped her head against the pillow.
"It's my pleasure to," said the novice, a bit aggressively, and fled, just in time to catch the processional hymn.
For a while the winter salon was still. It was like a fishbowl into which a new acquisition has been dropped. The snow moved as if done by a machine, gently and mesmerizingly, with a soft churr. The blossoms of the marginium plants closed a bit in the strengthening cold of the room. Oil lamps issued their funereal crepe ribbons into the air. On the other side of the garden--hardly visible through the snow and the two windows--a decrepit maunt, with a more precise grasp of the calendar than her sisters, began to hum a saucy old pagan hymn to Lurline.

Once again, good luck to all. And don't forget....the winner can choose to place a novel winner button on his/her blogsite! (See right sidebar for link to button post)

Congrats to Vanessa! You answered correctly with Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Don't forget to grab a winner button to place on your site if you like :-)

Name That Novel #9

Let's try this one on for size....it's current, it's hot, it's popular in more ways than one. (That's as much of a hint as I can give.) Title and author, please

"The library is cool and smells like carpet cleaner, although all I can see is marble. I sign the Visitors' Log: Clare Abshire, 11:15 10-26-91 Special Collections. I have never been in the Newberry Library before, and now that I've gotten past the dark, foreboding entrance I am excited....
I am speechless. Here is Henry, calm, clothed, younger than I have ever seen him. Henry is working at the Newberry Library, standing in front of me, in the present. Here and now. I am jubilant. Henry is looking at me patiently, uncertain but polite."

I think I'd have to say the clues are in the content of the quote. Not the style.

Okay, have at it and good luck :-)

We have a winner :-) Liz called it --- Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Name That Novel #8 -- Back to the Classics

Returning to the past and another great, widely read classic: Title and Author, please.

"We didn't touch an oar, and we didn't speak nor whisper, nor hardly even breathe. We went gliding swift along, dead silent, past the tip of the paddle-box, and past the stern; then in a second or two more we was a hundred yards below the wreck, and the darkness soaked her up, every last sign of her, and we was safe, and knowed it."

Good luck to all!

Congrats to Cara for the correct answer: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

Flash Forward to the Present and Name That Novel #7

Okay, so this one is contemporary. In fact it's on the bestseller list. And it's a mystery. So... title and author, please:


Sherlock fell to her knees beside him. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay."

"What's this?"

Savich knelt beside the girl, turned her over, and jerked off the ski mask. He looked at her young face, deathly white, mouth bloodied from biting against the pain, dark hair matted to her head. "This is one of them, Sherlock. She's only a kid." The girl moaned, her eyelashes fluttering. When her eyes opened, he stared down into her pain-glazed dark eyes. He leaned close. "What's your name?"

She spit at him.

"What's your name?" he repeated.

The kid snarled, "I'm going to kill you, shoot you in the head, watch it explode."

"Charming," Sherlock said.

"I kicked her pretty hard in the stomach. She needs an ambulance."

She was whimpering now, tears clogging in her throat, choking her, and she was saying over and over, "Mama, Mama. I want my mama."


There you have it. And good luck :-)

Congratulations to Michael (Innocent Owner of Mad Cats) for getting it right! Catherine Coulter and Knock Out. The clue would be in the character names -- Savich and Sherlock.

A Hunting We Will Go .... Take another guess: Name That Literature! #6

Okay, so I've fine-tuned the particulars, replacing the word name with literature since I would like to occasionally stick some poetry here, or essays, or whatever ;-) In any case, this excerpt truly is from a novel. Soooooooo, here we go!

"When the breakfast was cleared away, the merry old gentleman and the two boys played at a very curious and uncommon game, which was performed in this way. The merry old gentleman, placing a snuff-box in one pocket of his trousers, a note-case in the other, and a watch in his waistcoat pocket, with a guard-chain round his neck, and sticking a mock diamond pin in his shirt: buttoned his coat tight round him, and putting his spectacle-case and handkerchief in his pockets, trotted up and down the room with a stick, in imitation of the manner in which old gentlemen walk about the streets any hour of the day. Sometimes he stopped at the fireplace, and sometimes at the door, making believe that he was staring with all his might into shop-windows. At such times, he would look constantly round him, for fear of thieves, and would keep slapping all his pockets in turn, to see that he hadn't lost anything ...."

All right then, title and author, what do we have here? It is a popular classic, and I don't think too difficult to guess. Then again, I'm on the other side and with unfair advantage!

Yeah! Cara got it! Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Congrats.

Another Week and Another Quote...Name That Novel #5

Another quote from the classics, and it's close to home. See if you can guess the title and author:



"Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.


Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road."

Gook luck to all!

Congrats to Cara! (and to Adam for the Author) It is Walden's Pond by Whitman. And I do apologize as it shouldn't be referred to as a novel :-( I guess from now on I will just have to broaden the title post, like "Name That Literature" or something like that. And by "close to home" I was only thinking of U.S.A. versus Europe or elsewhere.

In any case, great job, Cara. And so soon! I guess I'll have another one up before the day's out....