Library Journal's Graphic Novel Preview and General Thoughts On These "Preview" Feature Articles

I am currently working on my annual Horror Genre Preview for the July issue of Library Journal. This is my chance to look at the next 6-7 months of what is on the Horror horizon. I not only list titles of note that are coming soon so that you can get ahead on your ordering, but I also make general statements about the trends that I see forming at the moment. Well, not just me. I also interview Horror professionals to get their thoughts as well.

This article is both easier and harder to write than my quarterly review columns. Easier in that I don't have to read all of the books and crystalize why you should read them in 190 words, but harder in that it is actual journalism, a form of writing I only do once a year. I have to do research, solicit quotes, confirm my sources, double check it all, and then synthesize the massive amount of information into a coherent, readable, and useful article in 3,000 words or less.

You can click here to get access to the last four years of my genre previews. Scroll to the bottom of that page. They are still useful for collection development, displays, and suggestions.

But that is my Horror genre preview. Library Journal does many previews and because I understand how much work go into them, I also love passing them on to you to use as a resource for collection development, displays, and suggestions. And when there is a particular well done one, I like to highlight it.

Such is the case with the Graphic Novel Preview in the April issue. Take a look at it for yourself. Also shout out to author Thomas Batten for including an entire section on the increasing popularity of Horror comics. One, thank you for promoting Horror and noticing it is blossoming at the moment, and two, thank you for allowing me to not have to worry about tackling it in my preview article. That frees up more words for different authors. YAY.

Finally, here is the link to access all Genre Previews via Library Journal. They are an excellent resource for collection development, displays, and suggestions any time, not just when they come out and especially not just the current year's preview. The last 2-5 years hold a lot of useful information and titles you may have missed.