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Would a "Historical fiction" section be a good thing?

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Kveto from Prague
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Would a "Historical fiction" section be a good thing?

Post by Kveto from Prague » Mon January 18th, 2010, 11:15 pm

In the stone a mortar type bookshops (remember those) Would a "Historical fiction" section be a good thing?

I visited one of the big chains awhile back and I realized how difficult it is to find our types of books because they dont have their own section. they are usually "mixed in" with general fiction. (or possibly another section like romance or fantasy depending on the book of course) It would save time if hist fic had its own section (heck if "inspirational" can be a section...)

but would that be a good thing all around? being mixed in with "general" fiction might get hist fic more respect than say fantasy or sci-fi which get kind of pigeon-holed. and hist fic is not as easily defined as some of these other catergories. by being in the general fiction theres a better chance that your non-hist fic person will pick up the book.

for me, that hist fic section would be great if i dont have a specific book in mind and would like to browse. but i can see reason against it.

anybody else have thoughts?

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Divia
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Post by Divia » Mon January 18th, 2010, 11:39 pm

Well they have fantasy, erotic, YA and graphic novels sections at the one book store I go to B&N.

I never understood why some get their own section and while others dont. Although from a librarian perspective there are many books that are crossover titles, for example Twilight of Avalon is a perfect example. It can be fantasy and it could be historical fiction. So where do you put it?

Its easier to stick everything in the fiction section and I think thats why they do it.

I'd love a HF section, but I doubt that would ever happen.
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Ash
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Post by Ash » Mon January 18th, 2010, 11:41 pm

Problem is, there is sci fi that would look a lot like HF, as well as Romance. How are you going to separate those out? (I have a problem anyway with genre bookshelves; whats wrong with just putting all books in as fiction by author name?)

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Tue January 19th, 2010, 12:51 am

I would love it, but I can see the reasons why they don't. People misclassify books so easily anyway. I was browsing the romance section of a used book store last week and found an old MM Kaye there - and it was one of her mysteries at that. I'm guessing it was the cheesy cover that tipped the scale to assume romance.

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michellemoran
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Post by michellemoran » Tue January 19th, 2010, 1:05 am

As a reader, I would love it. As an author, I think it would be detrimental to writers wishing to branch out to a wider audience (as well as sales). Most online stores have their own HF categories. That's how I find most of my HF.
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Anna Elliott
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Post by Anna Elliott » Tue January 19th, 2010, 1:42 am

[quote=""Divia""]

I never understood why some get their own section and while others dont. Although from a librarian perspective there are many books that are crossover titles, for example Twilight of Avalon is a perfect example. It can be fantasy and it could be historical fiction. So where do you put it?

[/quote]

It's kind of an interesting question--I wrote it really thinking of it as historical fantasy, but the publishers decision to market it skews more towards historical fiction. (I think Jules Watson has talked about this with her books, too?)

I would love to see a HF section in bookstores. If I'm just browsing, I tend to go to the genre sections because I know roughly the kind of books I'm going to find there. Fiction is too broad for me to just browse around--so many kinds of books it's overwhelming.

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N. Gemini Sasson
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Post by N. Gemini Sasson » Tue January 19th, 2010, 1:48 am

I believe overall it would be an advantage, because avid HF fans would be more likely to discover other HF authors that way. I find it frustrating to have to wade through shelves and shelves of general fiction, checking spines only for a font, title or picture that might indicate a historical.

At our local library, they actually place a bright pink 'Historical' sticker on the spine, which I appreciate. I have stumbled upon new authors this way.

I can see where cross genre books might pose a dilemma though.

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Divia
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Post by Divia » Tue January 19th, 2010, 1:56 am

[quote=""michellemoran""]As a reader, I would love it. As an author, I think it would be detrimental to writers wishing to branch out to a wider audience (as well as sales). Most online stores have their own HF categories. That's how I find most of my HF.[/quote]

I see your point. Some people may pull a book from the shelf based on the cover and decide to give it a go cause the summary sounds interesting.

[quote=""N. Gemini Sasson""]At our local library, they actually place a bright pink 'Historical' sticker on the spine, which I appreciate. I have stumbled upon new authors this way.

I can see where cross genre books might pose a dilemma though.[/quote]

We do this at my library. The students look for their genre stickers. It does make things easier and I would not be opposed to this in other libraries. I find it very helpful.
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michellemoran
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Post by michellemoran » Tue January 19th, 2010, 2:15 am

I love the idea of genre stickers in libraries, especially for students!
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Ash
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Post by Ash » Tue January 19th, 2010, 2:51 am

[quote=""N. Gemini Sasson""]I believe overall it would be an advantage, because avid HF fans would be more likely to discover other HF authors that way. I find it frustrating to have to wade through shelves and shelves of general fiction, checking spines only for a font, title or picture that might indicate a historical. .[/quote]


Well, now that you found us, there is another option - ask for suggestions, or check out some of the threads for some ideas!

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