Quote:
Originally Posted by sabredog
So true.
I went into a large bricks and Mortar store looking for Jim C Hines books for our daughters' Christmas presents last year. The staff had NEVER heard of the author nor were his books on their order/stock database.
Konrath was certainly right in saying that most B&M stores do not carry all genres, indeed have never carried them. So how can customers ever discover new and exciting genres when many simply are not present in store to tempt them? Specialist stores exist, complete with bearded geek behind the counter, but often you feel you are wearing a plastic raincoat all the while clutching a purchase in a plain brown paper bag when you exit the store.
I agree that in the main SF is dead in retail (with Baen and Black Library the only ones seemingly available and then only in limited numbers), Pulp Fantasy seems to have bulked out that section of a bookstore. However online, I am buying and reading more SF books than I did when I read paperbacks. There is a rich indie selection available on both Smashwords and Amazon to select from.
Around two years ago I had never heard of;
Randoph Lalonde
Evan Currie
Dan Worth
David Guyton
Thomas DePrima
Valmore Daniels
And many, many others.
It is becoming evident now that the big 6 will be forced to evolve, kicking and screaming all the way.
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I really like the books that Abaddon puts out but finding them in american bookstores is like finding a needle in a haystack. (its odd that my favorite publishers are all british:abaddon, angry robot, solaris).
my favorite fantasy author is David Dalglish. there is no reason why he isn't on bookstore shelves instead of slogging it out in the indie scene. i think his Shadowdance series gives Brent Week's Night Angel a run for its money.
D.P. Prior is writing great, literary, 'thinking man's' fantasy/sword&sorcery. no excuse for him to not be on bookstore shelves.
Evan Currie is great and he finally seems to be getting his due thanks to amazon's new publishing imprint.
BV Larson is another great indie sci-fi/fantasy author who is finally getting his due thanks to amazon publishing.
there's so many good, hard working authors that are just utterly ignored by mainstream publishers because they're writing in non-trendy genres. if my reading selections were left solely to whats on bookstore shelves i'd be hurting for new books/authors.
and when i was buying my books at bookstores i never gave space opera/military sci-fi or sword&sorcery a second look.