The Next Literary Sensation Has Arrived

Huh?

Since 'the next Harry Potter' is pretty much equivalent to 'the next Lord of the Rings', most people -- especially writers -- don't pay a heck of a lot of attention to that kind of hype. There are probably a hundred books (at least) out there that have had PR hype saying 'the next Harry Potter'. Here's the first google page for a search on the phrase.

callalily61 said:

People.

Erin Morgenstern is AW's eveningstar. She wrote, revised, queried, racked up the Rs, got feedback, and spent an entire year revising TNC.

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Publishers had a bidding war; Morgenstern got a six-figure advance; Twilight's production company bought the film rights. A perfume company is making a Night Circus capsule collection. Morgenstern is working on a Night Circus Tarot card deck. There's "talk of a video game and stage production."

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What an amazingly wonderful thing to have happen for one of our own!

Grats eveningstar!

I hope Erin Morganstern's books are monumental successes, but this kind of hype is unfair to the writer, and to the books. And it's been used so often, for so many books, that I think it can actually hurt sales.

There never is a next anything that matters. There's only the first and only. There's only one Harry Potter, only one Lord of the Rings, etc. If The Night Circus is a monumental success, it won't be because it's the next Harry Potter, it will be because it's the first, and only, Night Circus.

callalily61 said:

People.

(especially since HP is YA and TNC isn't) but I've read and reviewed TNC. It's a pretty amazing book.

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Well, the first couple of Harry Potter books were MG. They evolved into YA as Harry aged.

I'm fascinated by this bit of the article.

Morgenstern is working on a Night Circus Tarot card deck.

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Is there any tarot in the book?

Potter, schmotter; I want to read this because it sounds GREAT. Well done, Erin!

Also, how gorgeous is that cover?

Yay!

Thank you

Lillie said:

I'm fascinated by this bit of the article.



Is there any tarot in the book?

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She's actually been finished with the deck for a long time, it just needs a publisher. It's called the Phantomwise Tarot, there are some pics of the majors here, minors here.

Oh!

I knew about it already then.
Lovely deck.

Congrats to Erin!

The WSJ ran a similar article, with multiple "contenders"

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903392904576512662132313674.html?mod=wsj_share_tweet

I'm proud of Erin. I knew about her struggles here on AW, and I'm glad that she's getting a shot. The book looks like it could be wonderful.

However, the fastest way for a publisher to loose me is to trumpet their new discovery 'the next' anything. I may not like the book they're comparing it to -- case in point, any book hyped as the 'next Twilight' or the 'next Hunger Games'. Meh. THE NIGHT CIRCUS looks nothing like Harry Potter or Twilight. The audience is somewhat different for all three. I'd think that 'Hugo Cabret' and Gaiman readers have more in common with TNC than screaming fangirls accustomed to Twilight and Potter.

I really, really hope that Erin holds onto her money wisely. Because I've seen this kind of treatment turn savagely against the poor writer, when sales slip and initial projections fail to match reality.

I love her art, and I hope the book's success gives her art career a huge boost.

Wow, congratulations Erin on an awesome deal, and it sounds like it was well earned! I am very attracted to the title alone, and the fact that a perfume company (I probably know which one...I'm a big boutique perfume nut) is on it means it's probably the kind of thing I'll like. (I know this particular perfumer has done other collections based on some great, inventive, creative books.)

I'm excited to read it!

Yeah, "THE NEXT HARRY POTTER ZOMG!!!" is a lot of hype to live up to, but it sounds like it's a very strong book in its own right that should do quite well. Definitely seems more along the lines of Gaiman fans than Rowling or Meyer fans, but that's nothing to sneeze at!

I use Gaiman and Selznik as positive examples, not negative.

Yeah, I'm just saying the book seems like it will appeal to those fans more than to Harry Potter fans...so calling it The Next Harry Potter seems off the mark, no matter how awesome it is.

callalily61 said:

Erin Morgenstern is AW's eveningstar. She wrote, revised, queried, racked up the Rs, got feedback, and spent an entire year revising TNC.

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Ah, I see. Though I'm not sure why the OP expected every single one of AW's 28,000 or so members to know that.

(And I still stand by what I actualy said...but I do realise now that that's not what the thread is actually about.)

callalily61 said:

Few things make me happier than a fellow writer in the trenches getting this kind of press. I hope she makes it so big that she has to hire an entourage.

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Indeed. And amen. And all that.

Jamesaritchie said:

I hope Erin Morganstern's books are monumental successes, but this kind of hype is unfair to the writer, and to the books. And it's been used so often, for so many books, that I think it can actually hurt sales.

There never is a next anything that matters. There's only the first and only. There's only one Harry Potter, only one Lord of the Rings, etc. If The Night Circus is a monumental success, it won't be because it's the next Harry Potter, it will be because it's the first, and only, Night Circus.

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For once I completely agree with James. Many, many books are hyped as the next big thing, and then something comes completely out of the blue and surprises everyone to actually be the next big thing.

I don't think anyone here begrudges Erin her success, and I, like many, hope the book is as successful as the publisher is banking on. But if the publisher is hyping it to the point of expecting millions of sales, are they going to be disappointed when it "only" sells 300,000? (Numbers completely made up).

None of what the publisher is doing takes away from the hard work or skill of the author, though. The book sounds fantastic, and if it's available as an iBook, I'll be adding it to my samples folder on my iPad to check it out.

The numbers might be made up, but the reaction isn't. The big six seem to run their businesses on stockholder models of immediate profit. So if some editor pitches the marketing department with 'this book will sell millions of copies', and there are 'only' 300,000 sales, that book will be judged on its expected profit and not its actual profit. That may be why the agent jumped on a movie deal as soon as possible, because the option money could cushion any slower-than-expected sales later this year. Then in a couple of years, the film might revitalize book sales again.

Remember Stephenie Meyer's sales just a few years ago? Today, I can walk into my local Goodwill thrift store and buy every Meyer book, in hardback and in multiple copies, for two dollars each. Or less, on sale days.

I really want Erin's book to have more longevity in the market than that.

It should be a rule - all "next literary sensations" must be AW members. This place is great for the reality checks.