I read the article: “From Obscurity to Bestseller: Examining the Impact of Oprah’s Book Club Selections” for my prompt response. Obviously I have heard of Oprah's Book Club, and have even seen recommendations in local bookstores and my library about books being an "Oprah Choice", but I have never followed her list personally.
From September 1996 to April 2002, Oprah Winfrey included book recommendations as part of her TV talk show. During that time, she showcased 48 books. After being listed as one of book list choices, each book joined the top 150 best-selling titles in America for at least a few months. In order to measure the data to determine Oprah's influence, the authors of the article used the USA Today bestseller list containing the top 150 best selling book titles each week. They also gathered information from Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon, and independent booksellers. What they found was quite fascinating.
Only five of the books were on the top 150 list before being recommended by Oprah. Only eleven of them had ever been on the top 150, with only one of them ranked at 25. Immediately following Oprah's recommendations, all of the books climbed to a ranking of four or higher. She truly did raise these books from obscurity to bestseller status. I hope the authors realize how lucky they are!
It never ceases to amaze me at how influential celebrity status can be. While I have some mixed emotions about that and fear that we are all a flock of sheep playing follow the leader, I'm pleased when it comes to reading and book clubs. I don't think people take the time to read anymore and expand their minds. Reading is something that has always been very enjoyable to me, and I fear that our younger generation is missing out on the fascinating world of books because everything is electronic. And that statement really makes me sound old!
Butler, R., Cowan, B., & Nilsson, S. (2005). From Obscurity to Bestseller: Examining the Impact of Oprah’s Book Club Selections. S. Pub Res Q (2005) 20: 23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-005-0045-2
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Dear Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that some individuals act like sheep when following celebrities and their book clubs. Sometimes, I feel that individuals have nothing better to do with their lives besides obsessing over celebrities. I believe that individuals could better benefit their lives by visiting libraries on their own and reading out of curiosity, instead of following the quick suggestions of a celebrity to read a book.
However, I believe that individuals actually do take the time to read and expand their minds, but I often think that the books that these individuals glance through are typically books of entertainment and are not books that have a long-lasting cultural, social, or political importance. I don’t think that bestselling novels are actually the best kind of novel to read. In fact, I typically avoid reading bestsellers unless it’s a Harry Potter novel.
I also haven’t followed Oprah’s book club at all, although I had to read Wild by Cheryl Strayed in a creative nonfiction writing class (HARPO PRODUCTIONS, INC., 2017, n.p.). Sometimes, advertising or publicity at the right time can lead to a lot of generated sales of a product, which in this case is a novel. It is fairly apparent that Oprah’s book club creates a highly positive and popular report for Oprah’s selected titles. So, I would agree with you and argue that there is a positive effect for the authors of books that have been selected by Oprah, since the selected novels have generally sold well.
References
HARPO PRODUCTIONS, INC.. (2017). Oprah's Book Club: The Complete
List. Retrieved from
http://www.oprah.com/book/Wild-by-Cheryl-Strayed?
editors_pick_id=26790
I agree! Her authors did extremely well! If I ever had a book, I would want her to promote me! Full points
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