Bye Harry Potter, Welcome The Night Circus?


Every imagined what would it feel like to be the center of another Harry Potter-like revolution with your first novel? I know its tempting to slip in to that dream world with a dreamy smile but think again. Erin Morgenstern, a debutant author (The Night Circus) is living it and she might not be that thrilled. Well, at least not about some parts of it. Especially not when her book is publicized as the next big thing after Harry Potter and Twilight by none other than Summit Entertainment (production company behind Twilight) even before it is published. Even before anyone has read as much as word of it. Scary, stressful? Hmm.

Erin is not alone. There is a high-stake competition out there both in publishing industry and Hollywood to en cash on the starry-eyed readers who have been reading fantasy fiction like never before. Harry Potter might be the trigger, but the fantasy stories are not limit to wizards alone. Vampires are getting an over-kill but they are still thriving. So, are faeries, dragons and other unspeakable yet enchanting creatures occupying our bookshelves and TV screens alike. Such is the frenzy (or panic in the doomed book industry), booksellers are resorting to innovative ways to attract readers. From publishing parties to publicized book signings, the money is on getting the word out there. Same with Hollywood who are scrambling to perform a repeat performance of HP franchise success to get people in to the theatres. Production houses like Summit Entertainment are pitching in to generate book sales by advertising it to their fans, in this case Twilight fans. All in the hope of the sweet clang of serious money!

It is no secret that great fantasy fiction like HP, and others have got the cash registers ringing. For instance, though never meeting the sales of HP of 450 million copies (combined!), Twilight sold 115 million copies, and a combined sales of some of the biggest fantasy novels like that of Percy Jackson, The hunter games have come upto 40 million copies. Therefore, a decent fantasy fiction, paranormal romance included are in great demand both in the digital and plain-old world of paper. The way bookstores are sinking, these books are straws that they have decided to cling to (fingers crossed!).

The only good thing out of it is the tempting hope that the author would finally get to pay his electricity bills from his royalty. If the news is anything to go by, debutante novelists with great fantasy fiction are getting signed a six-figure and right now, are the blue-eyed boys (and girls) of both the worlds of publishing - book and digital (yeah that's me at the background doing a small jig!)

But think about it - Its unnerving, right? What about the expectations? The pressure to produce more glittering books? Are we killing off creativity? What do you think?

Comments

  1. Missie, The Unread ReaderAugust 22, 2011 at 11:58 AM

    I still haven't heard a lot of The Night Circus, and I definitely didn't know it was the next big thing. That's great for the author. I know Vampires of getting over kill, but I still love them.

    And I don't necessarily think we are killing creativity, because with so much being produced it is getting harder to stand out.

    Very insightful post. Thanks Shilpa.

    ReplyDelete
  2. John JethiAugust 22, 2011 at 12:19 PM

    Given your fetish for fantasy novels, I am sure you can well work on a thesis over fantasy novels, that might even turn into "The Reference" book for all fantasy novels and of course a best seller... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Shilpa MudigantiAugust 22, 2011 at 1:26 PM

    Missie - Glad you found it useful! I can see your point about tougher competition for better stories. But I am still worried about the author in the spotlight. What goes through him/her to write a sequel (or create one because there is demand!) :)

    John - LOL...I adore your confidence in me :D I hope that happens..but if wishes were horses....:D

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mimi ValentineAugust 22, 2011 at 4:14 PM

    I'm a huge fantasy lover and, despite some similarities in today's novels, I don't think that we're killing off creativity. It's just that -- with the popularity in some really big topics (like vampires and dystopian worlds) -- writers are thinking along the same lines to please what readers are craving! :)

    It's an awesome discussion topic, though!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Shilpa MudigantiAugust 22, 2011 at 6:36 PM

    Hello Mimi, yeah...as long as we get our daily dose of fantasy, I think we are good! :D Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Spiritual SherpaAugust 23, 2011 at 9:12 AM

    Yea nothing sells like fantasy yaa :) looks like people luv to run away from it all once a while :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Shilpa MudigantiAugust 23, 2011 at 10:15 AM

    hello there, yeah. A break to banta hai! :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. EestiDecember 29, 2011 at 1:54 AM

    The events are fast-paced and structured so as not to overwhelm the reader with the awesome that is in this book. The reader won't be confused by the sub-plots or the much larger plot that has many hidden secrets tucked away. The author writes very concisely, leaving just enough details to keep the reader on his/her toes. The ending is both perfect and surprising.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Shilpa MudigantiDecember 29, 2011 at 8:32 AM

    Hey Eesti, thanks for stopping by! Are you talking about The Night Circus or Harry Potter? I have heard some good things about The Night Circus and look forward to read it myself. :)

    ReplyDelete

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