Week 7 Prompt Response - Impact of Oprah's Book Club Selections
I read the article on the Impact of Oprah's Book Club selection, in the conclusion of the article they talk about quantifying "the Oprah effect". As I read this article I was blown away by this Oprah effect. I know who Oprah is, I know she is quite the icon, but to think if she puts her name on a book - or recommends a book, you can know it is going to become a best seller (the actual title of the article is , "From Obscurity to Bestseller; Examining the Impact of Oprah's Book Club Selections.") Once Oprah designated a title for her book club, the book joined the top 150 - best selling titles in America at least for a few months and also enjoyed prolonged popularity after the initial surge (Butler, 2005).
I don't see this as negative or positive...it just is. This Oprah effect is a real thing (there is at least this study that proves it, and others about it). What I would like to say is wouldn't it be great if I could say, "My RA super power is, "I recommend books and people read them!" I think of book discussion groups I have facilitated and my hope is that the readers will choose to read books that help them to see the world differently than they did before we read the book. I hope they will grow through the discussion they have with other readers as we share input. I hope they will come to explore other worlds, meet new people. I want to know how to bottle this Oprah Effect as a Reader's Advisor.
Butler, R., Cowan, B., & Nilsson, S. (2005). From Obscurity to Bestseller: Examining the Impact of Oprah's Book Club Selections. Publishing Research Quarterly, 20 (4), 23-34. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
I love it. The Oprah effect works in reverse on me. I see her name on the book and know it's not for me. LOL I tried a couple of her reads a number of years ago and decided that her recommendations aren't really my style.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you: it just IS. I don't particularly see it as positive or negative, just as something that exists. As a book buyer, I would see that it's recommended and read the synopsis then decide on my own if I should add it to the collection or not. In my community, Oprah's recommendation alone wouldn't be a reason to buy.
I think we have a power in libraries to take over these suggestions from celebrities. I was having a discussion at PLA with a rep from Bibliocommons, the group that developed Bibliocore which is an awesome catalog service (like how we have Encore at EVPL) and it allows for social tagging and lists and so much more enriching content and interaction by the public with the catalog AND the library. I think when we take advantage of cool lists and features and ways to reach out (to not just turn ourselves outward -- thanks Harwood) and give the library to the community, we can cultivate lists and ideas and empower the community of readers to do the same.
ReplyDeleteHere's the example I meant to include in that comment: https://smpl.bibliocommons.com/user_profile/338418919
DeleteThat's awesome! Thank you for sharing!
DeleteI love your comment, "it just is" - you know you're right! I too I could bottle her effect. Great prompt response and full points!!
ReplyDelete