The next Harry Potter (its publisher Scholastic hopes) will be The 39 Clues, due to hit shelves on September 9th. But no matter how well this first book (in a planned series of 10) sells, it won’t be the next Harry Potter because 1) it’s a series planned by a publisher and contracted out to a series of writers as opposed to being the obsessive idea of an aspiring author; and more importantly 2) it’s purposely geared to “non-readers.”
Who writes a book for non-readers? Personally, I write for people who want to read, not those who don’t.
Oh yeah, I forgot — it wasn’t created by a writer. The 39 Clues is a ”multidimensional thing,” according to Scholastic executive editorial director David Levithan. It includes games and prizes and movies and blogs and an extensive website. So it’s really not a novel so much as a multi-media project that Scholastic hopes will bring in some badly needed cash.
The truth is that publishing is not a big-money gig. There have always been more non-readers than readers, those who would rather (and rather do) watch TV than pick up a book. And now there’s gaming, which has replaced TV for a whole lot of people (my nephew, for example). I’m not judging, as Oprah would say (feel free to judge my sincerity on that). I’m just stating facts.
So why are publishers trying to lure non-readers? Because that’s where the money is. Publishing is a business and its stockholders expect a return, and there’s not much margin to be made on books.
So does that mean future authors need to be thinking in terms of multimedia empires, the same way pop stars are extending themselves to perfumes and handbags? (Maybe I could have my own line of lunch boxes – turn back the tide on insulated-eco-friendly soft-packs. Picture chiming tin with stiff plastic clips instead of zippers and glass-lined thermoses. Yum.)
Stay tuned for part deux.
(Just a thought – I would love to see an India-inspired clothing line by Jhumpa Lahiri.)