Week 8 Paper

The Impact of Literary Awards and Oprah on Book Sales

            Awards of any kind bring recognition to individuals within a group. The awards recognize unique talents, character traits, behaviors, or achievements.  An award brings a certain level of notoriety within the group. The benefit of the award, beyond the value of recognition, will depend upon the prestige of the award and its effect within the community in which it is given.

            A popular award ceremony in American culture is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, other wise known as the Oscars.  The ceremony presents awards in twenty-four categories. The goal is to recognize the best in each of the categories.  The ceremony also increases awareness of the films.  Awareness increases the likelihood that individuals will go to see the movie and purchase movie related merchandise.

            Literary awards serve a similar function.  Authors are recognized for their ability to write compelling stories of fact or fiction.  The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2015 lists 15 literary awards. The 15 awards are listed in the Appendix along with their websites. These 15 consist of the most widely known awards such as the Nobel, Pulitzer, and Man Booker.

            There are many more book and author awards.  Wikipedia lists nearly 100 literary awards given in America alone.  (List of Literary Awards) Each award focuses on particular criteria. For example, “The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.” (The Coretta Scott King Book Awards) Additional examples include the following: the Hugo Awards recognize excellence in the science fiction genre.  The Caldecott Award focuses on illustrations in children’s books. The Gold Medallions and Christy Awards recognize Christian literature. The National Jewish Book Awards and the Koret Jewish Book Awards identify the best in Jewish literature.

            Awards are available for nearly every genre and geographical region.  Do awards impact sales of books? The answer to the question is not straightforward.  Different awards command different levels of awareness in the general public.  And, awards mean different things to different groups of people.  But, awards, being what they are, do create excitement.

            Francine Fialkoff writes about the 1994 National Book Award ceremony in New York and its winners. She observes that while publishing houses may not be happy with the sales of award books, there was plenty of excitement around the award ceremony. She notes the rumors that “these awards have lost their luster, and a much-publicized comment by Random House head Harry Evans in 1994 that such awards don’t sell books (he noted, in fact, that his 29 1993 New York Times Notable Books cumulatively lost $698,000), the event was just as crowded as ever with book world elite.” (78)  

            Deahl writes in Publisher’s Weekly in 2011 that the impact of the Booker Prize is felt more consistently than the impact of the National Book Awards.  The Booker Prize is British and impacts American sales.  The National Book Award is strictly American and does not have the same consistent impact in America or abroad. “The Booker Prize moves sales, especially for the winner.  Not only does the British literary prize matter to U.K. readers, but Americans apparently care as well.” (10) Her case in point is Julian Barnes’s The Sense of an Ending.  After the Booker Prize winner was announced, the British publisher stated it would produce an additional 125,000 books. “…the author’s English publisher, Jonathon Cape, announced it would be going back to press for 125,000 copies (after two reprints already), while Knopf (which published Barnes in the U.S.) said it would be going back to press for 40,000 copies.” (10) The National Book Award does not foster the same level of confidence within either America or the international market. When the National Book Award finalists were announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair, international publishers were reluctant to commit to a book. “Focusing on the adult nonfiction and fiction nominees, a number of publishers PW spoke to reported a spike in interest, but not closed deals.” (10)

            Other reports are more positive regarding National Book Award winner sales. However, these sales are within the U.S. market only.  In 2012 Publisher’s Weekly noted in a December 14, 2012 brief article titled “Measuring the National Book Award Sales Effect” that the announcement of the winners for the National Book Awards made a significant impact on the sales of the books. “Louise Erdrich’s The Round House (Harper) sold 30,000 of its 47,000 copies since its victory…In its first week after winner the book saw a 143% increase…”  (Publisher’s Weekly) The same article reports on Katherine Boo’s Behind the Beautiful Forevers. The book “was already a success before it won the Nonfiction award, moving 75,000 copies, but its weekly sales jumped to 1,200 from 300 immediately following its win.” (Publisher’s Weekly) The article reports that the winners in the Poetry and Young People’s Literature categories also saw a significant increase in their sales.   

            The Caldecott Award is for illustrators of children’s books.  The books that are awarded bear a distinctive sticker on its front cover.  A customer in a book store or a library patron knows right away that the book was selected for an award for its illustrations. Vicky Smith writes that while it is impossible to accurately measure the impact of a single Caldecott book on long terms sales, she notes that there is a “Caldecott Effect.” With the exception of two books, all Caldecott books remain in print.  “The good news is that with only two exceptions - …. – all medal-winning titles are available, either from the original publisher (or its corporate descendent) or from a subsequent rights holder.” (10) The Caldecott Award is a continual source of income for publishers.  “It is possible, therefore, to infer from the relative stability of Caldecott Medal-winning books within their publishers’ backlist catalogs that a winning title is a significant asset from a business standpoint.” (10) The sales of the books increase with the announcement of the award.  As years go by, libraries are responsible for purchasing older titles.  “While an initial Caldecott bump in sales comes from two sources – libraries and consumers – with the exception of those perennial favorites, when older Caldecott titles sell, it is primarily to libraries.” (11)

            While some awards garner interest or increase awareness from potential buyers, not all of them do.  Religious awards do not necessarily translate into larger audiences or sales. In her article, “What Are They Worth?” Juli Cragg Hilliard tells about the impact of Marjorie Sandor’s book Portrait of My Mother, Who Posed Nude in Wartime when it won the National Jewish Book Award fiction prize.  When the award was announced the marketing director for the publisher sent news releases to “250 Jewish-interest media outlets, 154 Jewish bookstores and other targeted contacts. At least three colleges adopted Portrait for courses, and libraries picked up the book.  In all, Brown credits the prize for about 500 copies sold.” (S12) Granted, there was certainly a sales increase. 500 copies are more than zero. However, when compared with earlier citations of award books, 500 copies is not much of a sale increase.  Hilliard observes that awards don’t increase in the Christian marketplace either.  She notes that Ted Dekker’s Thr3e won both a Gold Medallion and Christy Award but there was no discernable increase in sales with those announcements.

            A jury that consists of authors, publishers, and academics generally selects literary award winners.  Each award has its own set of criteria for selecting a winner as well as rules about whom may do the selecting.  To an outsider, it may appear that people with a vested interest in books are the ones who are doing the selecting.  Peers are voting on peers.  However, there is one non-peer person who has a tremendous effect on the sales of books.  The Television personality Oprah has had an enormous impact on the sales of books through her book club.  As Motoko Rich says in a New York Times article, “Ms. Winfrey’s selection virtually guarantees blockbuster sales.” (C2) Case in point is her choice of David Wroblewski’s The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. As a result of her choice, the book “has been a mainstay of bestseller lists and has sold 766,000 copies in hardcover and 14,000 copies in paperback, according to Nielsen BookScan, which represents about 70 percent of sales.” (C2)  Butler, Cowan, and Nilsson conducted an academic study of Oprah’s impact on book sales from 1996 to 2002.  They found that sales increased significantly for every book that she selected for her book club.  They joined the top 150 best-selling titles for many weeks. They write in the introduction, “Oprah’s TV picks helped sell the books she endorsed.  Furthermore, we conclude that selection into Oprah’s club provided much more than fleeting fame for the chosen authors-their titles not only received a terrific initial boost in sales following their selection, but also enjoyed prolonged popularity after their initial surge.” (23)

            As far as business profits are concerned, the impact of an endorsement by Oprah is significantly stronger than the most easily recognizable literary awards.  Oprah has a broader audience than any single official award does.  However, all awards have their place and purpose.  They single out the best in their category.  They identify books that tell stories that need to be told and read by their readers. They lift up excellence for the betterment of all.

            In her 1994 editorial in Library Journal, executive editor Francine Fialkoff concludes her comments about the role of awards for books, authors, and readers. 

So what is the role of awards and “best” lists? They give books new life. They bring to our attention books that we may have missed on their initial release.  They stimulate discussion of books, even if it is merely to disagree with the choices made.  They sell books, albeit perhaps on a smaller scale than publishers might wish, and they help readers find books.  As one librarian friend said, ‘Anything that brings books and literature to the attention of the public is good.’ (78)

Works Cited

Butler, Richard J., Benjamin W. Cowan, and Sebastian Nilsson. "From Obscurity to Bestseller: Examining the Impact of Oprah's Book Club Selections." Publishing Research Quarterly 20.4 (2005): 23-34. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.

Deahl, Rachel. "Waiting for a Rights Bump From the NBAs." Publishers Weekly 258.43 (2011): 10. Academic Search Premier. Web. 06 Mar. 2015.

Fialkoff, Francine. "Awards Breathe New Life into Books." Library Journal 119 (1995): 78. Academic Search Premier. Web. 07 Mar. 2015.

Hilliard, Juli C. "What Are They Worth?" Publishers Weekly 252 (2005): S12. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.

Janssen, Sarah, ed. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2015. New York: World Almanac, 2015. Print.

"List of Literary Awards." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

"Measuring the National Book Award Sales Effect." PublishersWeekly.com. Publisher's Weekly, 14 Dec. 2012. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

Rich, Motoko. "New Oprah Book Choice." New York Times 19 Sept. 2009: C2. Biography in Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.

Smith, Vicky. "The "Caldecott Effect": The Powerful Impact of Those "Shiny Stickers"" Children and Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service 11.1   (2013): 9-13. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.

"The 87th Academy Awards|2015." Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

"The Coretta Scott King Book Awards." The Coretta Scott King Book Awards. American Library Association, 2015. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

Appendix

In pages 266-277, The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2015 lists 15 book and author awards along with the names of the winners. The awards are listed along with a website. This list of awards is not exhaustive, but reflects the awards that are most easily recognizable.

Alfred B. Nobel Prizes, 1901-2014

http://www.nobelprize.org

Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, Letters, and Music, 1917-2014

http://www.pulitzer.org

Man Booker Prize for Fiction, 1969-2014

http://www.themanbookerprize.com

Newbery Medal, 1922-2014

http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberymedal

Caldecott Medal, 1938-2014

http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal

National Book Awards, 1950-2013

http://www.nationalbook.org

Bollingen Prize for American Poetry

http://bollingen.yale.edu

Coretta Scott King Awards

http://www.ala.org/emiert/cskbookawards

Edgar Awards

http://theedgars.com

Golden Kite Awards

http://www.scbwi.org/awards/golden-kite-award/

Hugo Awards

http://www.thehugoawards.org

Lincoln Prize

http://www.gettysburg.edu/lincolnprize/

National Book Critics Circle Awards

http://bookcritics.org

Nebula Awards

http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/

PEN/Faulkner Award

http://www.penfaulkner.org