When I was a kid, there were 4 prime-time networks that showed new programming.
You basically had 4 choices for what to watch, tops. For half my childhood we had one TV. When I went to school, the topic was rarely television, because we were all forced to watch what our parents watched.
In 1952, I LOVE LUCY pulled a 67 share.
In 1961, GUNSMOKE pulled a 64 share.
In 1971, All IN THE FAMILY pulled a 34 share.
In 1983, DALLAS pulled a 25 share.
In 1995, SEINFELD pulled a 20 share.
In 2006, AMERICAN IDOL pulled a 17 share.
In 2013, NCIS pulled a 12 share.
Of course, there are always exceptions… The Super Bowl.
BIG BANG THEORY pulled a 19 this year.
Generally though, the share is going down.
The explosion of new, diverse and fresh offerings on cable.
Now, the individual can literally find something that appeals specifically to them.
As opposed to, 3 choices and you choose the best available.
So Nielson shares are spread farther and wider, thus lower.
HOPE FOR THE WRITER
I read a fascinating article by author Kristine Kathryn Rusch, where she spelled this all out,
citing her sources. She explained that publishing is headed down the same path.
Mega best-selling authors today will not pull the same blockbuster “shares” they used to,
because we as readers have a much broader range to choose from, with much easier access.
Rusch talked about how the choices have gone from Top 40 Bestseller List that you grab
at the grocery store, airport or local bookstore. . . to Kindle in hand, Amazon at the ready,
we can now read exactly what we want, anytime we want!
And with new media in hand, we have access to the little guy as well as the bestseller.
I was a purist. Loved the feel of a book in my hand. But since I got my Paperwhite,
the amount and variety of my reading material has tripled. I read more than ever.
And I find what I want to find, when I want to find it, and I can support up-and-coming authors.
People are predicting that it’s only a matter of time before we have a best seller from an
independantly published author (not unlike 50 Shades).
Prepare for Change
Everything I’ve read seems to indicate that publishers are slow to realize this, and even slower to prepare for this change. Like an anchor dragging on the bottom of the bay, they will slow the ship down. But they won’t stop the change, or the forward movement.
According to author Malinda Lo’s exhaustive research, sadly only 9 to 15 mainstream, traditionally-published books for gay youth were published per year in the last decade. 9 to 15 out of thousands. This will not change overnight. But the above trend points to eventual change and hope.
If dedicated Indie Writer’s just have to hang on, and not give up, and keep writing … the publishing world just might catch up with us.
Literary Tides
To me personally, this means hope for the genre I am interested in writing in (Young Adult). Eventually gay young adult readers will not have to feel invisible anymore. They’ll see themselves as main characters, not just religated to the sidekick or secondary character. They will be able to find positive, healthy, non-sexualized role models and adventures in the pages of quality books. And just like the major television networks who were nearly drowned in new programming competition that exploded via cable, book publishers will eventually have to embrace the changing tides of a diverse readership.
~Shephard
(click *here* to read Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s fascinating article about the changing landscape of publishing)
(click *here* to read author Malindo Lo’s informative article on the changing tides in young adult literary fiction for gay youth)
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