Using Most Anticipated Lists as a Resource for Being Prepared as As a Backlist Resource

Click here to see the list

Earlier this week, The Millions released their Great Spring 2024 Preview here. It covers April through June and is part of their excellent and regular "most anticipated" coverage.

This lists obviously helps you to prepare for the coming months. Those of you who do collection development will want to use this list to get your orders in while those who work at the services desk need this information to get ready with their "while you wait" readalike suggestions for many of of the high demand titles and to get ready to promote some promising new voices.

But this post is not only about upcoming books, it is also here to remind you that these "anticipated" lists make an even better recourse after the fact. Let me explain.

Use this link to see all of The Millions' "most anticipated" coverage. And there are a lot because The Millions is always doing lists of upcoming titles to be excited about. Vetted by their editors and contributors, these lists feature fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, books in translation, literally everything of note that adult services library worker who are helping leisure readers should be aware of. These lists are diverse and inclusive as well. But, most importantly, they are also annotated! This means for every title you have a talking point about it to share with a patron. You don't need to know anything other than how to access these lists; then you read the annotation written by an expert, and viola, you have a booktalk for that title, as well as a way to start a conversation about upcoming books.

[Remember you can and should use the words of others to book talk a book.]

Not only are the titles all annotated, you can pull up every "most anticipated" list in reverse chronological order with this link.

Why use the backlist? I mean if you read this blog you should know, but some of you are new here and others need the reminder.

Any title that has appeared on any of their "most anticipated" lists, especially those from 2-5 years ago, make great suggestions. Why?

First, the titles were vetted by experts meaning they are worth your attention at any time, not only when they are new or upcoming. 

Second, there is a good chance if they were on lists like this that you ordered them for your collections so you own them and probably have not weeded them yet. 2-5 years means they are probably still relevant as well. 

Third, the book talk for you to handsell the title-- verbally or on a list [web or in the library]-- is right there for you on that list. No work beyond knowing where to click to pull up these lists.

Fourth, and this is the most important point, when you suggest titles to your patrons that they could not have found on their own, that's when you shine. Reminding people of the treasures that are in the stacks is fun and useful. We need to show them that we are here to help with their leisure reading needs so that they continue to value and seek out our services. When we recommend great titles they may have missed, our users understand the breadth of our collections  and the care with which we have built them, which is something we are not great at communicating to the public.

So yes, go look at the bright and shiny list for Spring 2024 from The Millions, but also make sure you are also using the backlist of  "most anticipated" content to help readers all the time.