Once a year I do a major overhaul of my Demystifying Genres Program. This happens after I have done my assessment of the biggest trends and issues from the year before-- around February. (I also do a smaller update in the Fall.) This is no small task. I spend a good 16 hours on creating this updated version of the program each year.
Because the beginning of the year is also when I begin multi-month training programs with library systems, this means the first time I give the overhauled version of this program is usually in March. Today is that day!
Before we get to that, here is the program description:
Demystifying Genre: Nothing is scarier than trying to help a fan of a genre you yourself don’t enjoy. You want to help that, for example, Romance reader, find the perfect book, but you are having trouble knowing where to begin because...eek!... you don’t read Romance. You are afraid they will find out you are a fraud. How can YOU possibly help THEM?!? Don't fret. In this program, Readers’ Advisory expert, Becky Spratford, will teach you the basic appeals of the major genres, give you the inside track on what a fan of that genre is most drawn to, and provide you with talking points to get your genres readers to tell you what they want. This program focuses on providing you with a diverse and inclusive list of up-to-date authors; only living authors will be discussed. You will leave this session with the confidence and skill to help fans of every genre, regardless of whether or not you have ever read a book in that genre yourself. And that will leave a trail of happy patrons in your wake.
Click here or on the image of the title slide below to see the latest version of this program. WIth those slides, you will have access to a list of trends, appeal factors, and important titles for each genre for adults and teens. There are NO dead authors and the titles are all at least 1 year old. I also hold myself accountable and do a diversity audit of the slides AFTER I make them.
I pack a lot of info in to this presentation and am very clear that it cannot be presented in fewer than 75 mins. 90 minutes is best, especially when it is offered as part of my very popular 3 month training program (details here). When I offer this program as the final webinar in a three month training program, the learning which has been building month to month, comes full circle.
While I am always doing one-off programs for libraries (click here for my current schedule), my three month program for larger systems and entire states is my favorite ( again, details here). The most popular time to offer these programs is between January and May and again between September and December. If you want to book me for Fall 2025, now is the time. With my book coming out, I cannot take on more than 4, 3 month contracts. Click here to contact me.
Reminder that all of the latest version of my slides for every program are always available here.
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| Click here to access the slides |
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