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Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Guest Post: JG Faherty
Questions for Librarians
by J.G. Faherty
For today’s blog takeover, I thought I’d shift the focus from individual books or authors to something that involves all writers and readers – the importance of horror for getting people, especially the young adult crowd, to read. So many horror writers will tell you that growing up they got their first taste of the macabre at the local library. And since I oversee the Horror Writers Association’s Library & Literacy Committee, I decided to query a few librarians regarding how popular horror and dark fiction are with today’s readers and what age groups seem most interested in the genre. My participating librarians are:
Hilary Dodge, Branch Manager for the Meadows Branch of the Boulder Public Library
Jennifer Russell, Assistant Director, Town of Esopus Library, Esopus, NY
So, without further ado, let’s get into the questions.
JG How popular is the horror/dark fiction genre with the readers at your library?
HD: Fairly popular and becoming more so. I've noticed a fortunate upward trend for the horror/weird fiction genres. With the popularity of recent supernatural romance and horror television shows (ie. True Blood, Walking Dead, American Horror Story, etc), the horror genre in particular is receiving fresh consideration. Patrons are more willing to "give it a try" than they were in the past. In this way, new readers are coming to the genre in libraries.
JR: Horror fans have been a quiet, yet dedicated, group in our library. We did not know just how frequently the horror genre movies went out unto we weeded the section. We looked at each and every film, and discovered that the horror movies went out more than any other. This is something I’ve discovered in more than one public library. With that in mind, I then began to purchase more dark fiction.
JG Do you find horror more popular with young adult (YA) readers or adult readers?
HD: There was certainly a time when that was true but not anymore. We have a lot of adult readers who crave literary, Fantasy/Sci-Fi, or Graphic Novel horror. Of course, if someone where to draw a trendline comparing the popularity of YA horror with adult horror, the YA line would appear a bit steeper - but I think that has more to do with the continued rising popularity of the YA readership.
JR: I have had young readers who have been outspoken about their interest in reading horror, but it is the adults who are actually buying books and putting them on the best seller list.
JG What age groups seem to be most interested in reading horror?
HD: Children love scary stories. I personally, think we need more anthologies similar to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Schwartz) available for kids aged 7+. Teens are also a hot market but are becoming a little over-saturated. That means it has to be REALLY GOOD to stand out. At first libraries grabbed up all the YA horror they could get but now they are being more selective. I'm also seeing a lot of horror readers in their late twenties through early forties.
JR: I think that the interest in horror begins in the tweens (8-12 ish) and for those who are drawn to it, it never really ends. I think that some adults might turn more towards true crime or suspense thrillers as time goes by, but it is still that thrill of the macabre aspects of humanity that draws them.
JG Does your library do anything to promote horror reading during the Halloween season? If yes, what do you do? If no, why not?
HD: This year we're doing the following: book displays, reading lists and programming. I host an annual program called "Campfire Tales" where families can enjoy crafts and scary storytelling in the darkened afterhours library. Other libraries in the system are hosting Halloween parties and film screenings.
JR: This year we're doing the following: book displays, reading lists and programming. I host an annual program called "Campfire Tales" where families can enjoy crafts and scary storytelling in the darkened afterhours library. Other libraries in the system are hosting Halloween parties and film screenings.
JG Does your library promote horror during the rest of the year?
HD: I'm always promoting horror. Our library has a Staff Picks display where we put our favorite reads; and of course, mine include lots of horror.
JR: Once we realized that the horror movies are so very popular, we purchased a large selection of classic films (Poltergeist, The Omen, The Exorcist). We did a display to show off these new purchases.
JG Why do you think horror is so popular among YA readers?
HD: Because they are sick of reading contemporary or historical or realistic school-recommended reading. They want something that pushes the edge. After all, isn't that what being a teenager is all about?
JR: I think that young people (8-16) slowly begin to understand the world past their front door and their place in it. They are beginning to see and understand the bigger world and all the scary and insane things that are happening all around them. Things that are out of their control. The stories make sense, however. Even if there’s a cliffhanger at the end, there is a hero for the reader to journey with. Also, the emotional and physical thrill of horror can be addicting.
JG Have you seen an increase in interest in reading horror among the various age groups? Which ones?
HD: Adults. Yay! This is good news because most of us write for the adult market. As I mentioned before, I'm seeing more adults trying out the genre than in recent years. Obviously, it's safe to try new books or kinds of books in a library - you don't lose any money. But also, we're seeing a lot of literary horror or pseudo-horror (thrillers or mysteries with a horror "feel"). These attract the bestseller-reading crowd.
JR: An increase? I haven’t noticed an obvious increase.
JG How large is the horror section of your library? Do you stock primarily new titles or “classics,” or a mix of both? How often do you turn over the newer titles?
HD: I don't have a horror section and I won't ever create one. Here's why: although horror readers would love an easy place to spot their favorite genre, a separate section doesn't often pull in new readers. Most libraries, mine included, interfile horror with regular Literature or Fantasy/Sci-fi. In my library, you find horror in both places as well as Graphic Novels.
Libraries do have the "classics" but we're buying more of the new stuff as well. I still think libraries could do a better job beefing up their contemporary horror holdings but we are getting better.
When a new book is added to our collection, we typically keep it on the "NEW" shelf for 6 months. Then it is interfiled into Literature or Fantasy/Sci-Fi.
JR: We do not have a horror section. I have purchased books with specific patrons in mind who had expressed an interest in horror. I have tried to stock classic horror, and suggest these titles to YA and Adult patrons. (Because I think that they are awesome!) We have a “new” section to the library where book linger until they are moved into the regular fiction. Weed out unread books throughout the collection once a year.
JG For new horror, do you stock primarily what the big 5 publishers and book distributors are promoting or do you seek out midlist and small press novels as well?
HD: Our collection development mostly focuses on the Big 5. :( This is an area of improvement needed in libraries. Most libraries read reviews from Library Journal, School Library Journal, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly. We also receive lists from Ingram or Baker & Taylor. If your book isn't available via one or both of these distributors, it will most likely get overlooked.
JR: I look through Booklist, Library Journal and sometimes, Kirkus Reviews. If I have a specific request for a book or genre, I will look outside of those catalogs for other titles. It is important for patrons to express what they want!
JG Do you find that most readers are primarily interested most in novels, novellas, or short story collections?
HD: In libraries, we see an interest in novels and short stories. In my experience, novellas are more predominant in midlist/small presses, which as you can see from above, we don't purchase very often.
JR: Short Stories do NOT go out! It is very frustrating! I don’t understand it.
JG Is your library able to keep up with the demand of readers for horror?
HD: At my library, we tend to purchase proactively. When folks want something we don't have, they will often order it for themselves via our consortium. We are able to meet most requests for purchase.
JR: Yes.
JG Does your library have an ebook lending program? If yes, do you see more readers utilizing it rather than checking out hard copies of books?
HD: We provide Overdrive to our patrons. We see patrons reading both physical books and ebooks. It isn't often that I encounter a patron who only prefers ebooks.
JR: We have ebook lending through Overdrive. I don’t have the statistics to adequately answer this question, really.
JG Why do you think horror remains so popular with readers?
HD: Part of the appeal is escapist, but really, I think horror helps us understand human nature - particularly ourselves. People read horror to be scared but they also read the genre to be surprised and exposed to new ideas/thoughts/concepts.
JR: Perhaps horror sparks the unconscious, the deep parts of our psyche where our deepest fears and anxieties are just waiting to make an appearance. In reading horror, you have an opportunity to let the imagination fly and allow those fears to run rampant, in a safe way.
JG Do you think horror is a good genre to get more people to start reading?
HD: Absolutely! And also no. It would depend on the kind of horror. New or reluctant readers may be more interested in a thrilling high action slasher novel but wouldn't necessarily be interested in a deep, thoughtful ghost story.
JR: I firmly believe that reading is a personal choice. Suggesting titles or genres is a tricky business, but if the patron expresses and interest, then I will get them good horror to read.
JG As a librarian, do you enjoy reading horror? Do you recommend horror titles when people are looking for something new to read?
HD: Yes! Any time of year. I read all genres (pretty much) but I can't ever go long without a good scary story. I probably read 1-2 scary novels and 4-12 short stories a month.
Some books I'm recommending right now are: Adam Nevill's The Troop, The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey, Disintegration by Richard Thomas, and Lovecraft's Monsters edited by Ellen Datlow.
JR: As a READER, I enjoy reading horror. Long before I ever had a glimmer of a thought that I’d end up working in public libraries, I read horror. So, that said, I have a soft spot for horror, and as a Librarian, I try to make sure that great horror novels are accessible to the public, and I promote them when an opportunity arises.
JG Do you find that you have to disguise horror as something else (fantasy, urban fantasy, dark fiction, etc.) in order to get people to try a certain book?
HD: Sometimes. Some folks are turned off by pure horror. Pepper one's description with other literary terms and suddenly a book becomes more palatable.
JR: I have read books for adult book clubs that touch on horror, just to dip into that genre. We read, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote which most people would say it is more true crime than horror, and others would say it was more fiction than true crime, but it is an story about a the horrors of humanity that we read with fascination. If I want to promote a horror genre book, I tell the patron about why it’s popular, about the author, or some other cultural tid bit that may not have anything to do with what the general public thinks of as “horror”.
Thank you both for being a part of this!
Blog Participants:
Hillary Dodge is the Branch Manager for the Meadows Branch of the Boulder Public Library, where she organizes visits from genre authors. She is also a member of the Horror Writers Association and the HWA’s Mile High Chapter, and serves on the HWA’s Library Committee. In addition, she runs the horror-focused blog, The Horror Librarian, where she regularly reviews books and interviews authors. She has published non-fiction articles and specialty chapters in the field of Library Science, and an educational guidebook on the Civil War. You can follower her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/hillary_raquedodge) and at her blog (http://thehorrorlibrarian.blogspot.com/).
Jennifer Russell is the Assistant Director at the Town of Esopus Library, in Esopus, NY. She is a Certified Librarian with an MSIS in Library Science, Archives, & Records Management from the University of Albany and a BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. Prior to her current role, she served as a Youth & Adult Services Librarian at the Rose Memorial Library in Stony Point, NY, where she designed several vital reading programs for teens and adults.
About JG Faherty
About JG Faherty
A life-long resident of New York's haunted Hudson Valley, JG Faherty has been a finalist for both the Bram Stoker Award® and ITW Thriller Award, and he is the author of six novels, eight novellas, and more than 50 short stories. He writes adult and YA dark fiction/sci-fi/fantasy, and his works range from quiet suspense to over-the-top comic gruesomeness. He enjoys urban exploring, photography, classic B-movies, good wine, and pumpkin beer. As a child, his favorite playground was a 17th-century cemetery, which many people feel explains a lot. You can follow him at http://jgfaherty-blog.
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