Too often we library workers who help leisure readers get too caught up in the weeds of the book world, only reading and checking the most bookish of resources as we try to stay up to date on the newest books and trends.
But here's the thing we need to remember, our readers are not looking at book specific sites for book info, rather, most of them are identifying titles from the places where they already are visiting and/or reading that also happen to have book coverage.
So listening to NPR, reading their local papers, watching morning news shows, and places like People Magazine-- which just had this list of their Best Books of June 2024.
Actually, People Magazine is the best example of today's reminder post. They have solid book coverage on their site and in their print magazine-- both of which are very popular with a wide swath of American readers.
I liken it as similar to how I used to rely on Entertainment Weekly. From a post I did in 2019 about that:
The best thing you can do to be better at your job of helping people with their leisure reads and watches is to page through Entertainment Weekly every week or at least check the website once a day.
In our jobs the most important thing we can do to help our patrons as they come to the library for their leisure needs is to know what is popular and why. This is the entire mission of EW. Who knows better than a company that sells a product to connect with the public through their entrainment choices, what people want to know about?
Yes you need to know what is popular, but EW also delves into the why. They pay writers to write about the things that are popular in our country from TV to movies to books. And they cover it all really well. Since there is money involved, we can be confident that the topics they are covering are large scale enough that we should know about them.
None of us will be fans of everything that is popular, nor should we have to be. But, we do need to know what is popular and why at all times if we want to help people with their leisure needs, and following EW online and in print gives you a sense of that. It keeps you in the know without having to put in a lot of extra effort.
Entertainment Weekly still has a a decent online Books section as well, however it has definitely lost its standing as a go-to general entertainment place for Books.
And maybe you have a better general entrainment resource that your patrons look to for ideas on their leisure reading and watching, but the point here is we cannot bury our heads in the bookish world sand and expect to understand what our patrons are looking for.
This important point is why I am always reminding people to consult the USA Today's Bestseller list as it is the only bestseller list that lists books in order by sales data without separating them out based on genre or intended audience or hardcover vs paperback or traditionally published vs self published.... You get the point. This is the literal list of what books are being bought int he highest number....period!
Go look at it because it differs GREATLY from other bestsellers lists, most of which carry more prestige. And yet, it is the most accurate. Please always remember this. You want to see what books people are spending their money on, The USA Today Bestseller list is your top resource. And you can peruse the back list easily by toggling the date at the top.
And what books people are spending their money on not only translate into what you should spend your money on, but it also let's us see an unfiltered snapshot of the entire book industry, from the READER perspective.
Look, I am going to keep posting the bookish world resources for you because they do still matter, and they always will. But as more readers come through our doors in the summer, it is important to realize what books they are hearing about more than others. We won't have the most popular titles, but if we are looking at the book resources that our readers are encountering, we will be better prepared to meet demand with targeted displays and lists that offer readalikes while also being able to anticipate trends.
Just remember to stay grounded and "Think Like a Reader."
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