Fake memoirs, Author mills and Celebrity inspired book clubs
can all make for entertaining and enjoyable reading
The article, “A
Million Little Lies: Exposing James Frey’s fiction addiction” took me back to
when I read, “A million little pieces” by James Frey and devoured it. I
read a lot of Oprah’s book club picks and this one was no exception. I was captivated
by Frey’s desperate struggle with drugs and the toll it took on Frey, his
family and society in general. I recalled the controversy when it was divulged that
there were exaggerated facts and additions to his story. This did not seem to
hinder the popularity of the book as the controversy sparked new interest and
sales.
According to the article, “From Obscurity to Bestseller:
Examining the Impact of Oprah's Book Club Selections” the power of Oprah’s
book club has been tremendous. The research shows that her reach definitely impacted
the publishing industry as there are “estimates that each Oprah pick generated
about $80 million in new sales for retail bookstores, a large part of which, we
can safely assume, went towards the purchase of the very books she recommended.”
Oprah recommended 48 books on her show from September 1996 through April 2002
and according to studies, “After being selected, each book joined the top 150
best-selling titles in U.S. for at least a few months.”
As a member of the ALA, our library received multiple copies
of Oprah’s selected titles free from publishers, and it was a good thing as
they were in high demand. Winfrey has been awarded an Honorary Membership for
life award from the American Library Association and has been recognized and applauded as a proponent
and supporter of libraries, literacy and the value in reading. Her book club
has helped connect her audience to books that they may not have found
otherwise.
References
Butler, R. J., Cowan, B. W., & Nilsson, S. (2005). From
Obscurity to Bestseller: Examining the Impact of Oprah's Book Club Selections. Publishing
Research Quarterly, 20(4), 23-34.
Kniffel, L. (2011). Reading for Life: Oprah Winfrey. American
Libraries, 42(5/6), 38-41.
While books may have been obscure before Oprah showed them to the world, after she showed them, there were more probably more readers. I meet people often at the library, who have never owned a library card and they are in their "middle ages." I wonder how many Oprah viewers were readers before and how many became readers after they were exposed to her book club. While I dislike some of the things that Hollywood and the like do, I am glad that they encourage reading either through the movies or talk show hosts that bring to light books that have been around for years and "obscure."
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