Letter to NY Times re: Bestseller List

[plinsenmayer]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C2511
From: plinsenmayer
Subject: Letter to NY Times re: Bestseller List
Date: 6/21/00 10:09 am  (ET)

Here's the text of my letter (I will post whatever address we all agree
is correct later -- once our NY members have weighed in on that one) --

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I read in several recent sources that the New York Times Book Review is
considering the creation of a separate bestseller list for children's
literature. The creation of this separate "children's" list is allegedly
motivated by the number of slots on the hardcover fiction bestseller
list currently held by J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series.

I am writing to urge you to continue to list the Harry Potter books on
the main NYT Bestseller List - Hardcover Fiction (or paperback as the case
may be). As I'm sure you must be aware, these books do have a wide adult
following. But even if large numbers of adults were not reading these
books, I still don't believe that creation of a separate bestseller list
for children's books would be warranted. If a book generates sufficient
sales figures to land a coveted spot on your respected bestseller list,
then I do not believe it should be excluded simply because of the age
level of the book's intended audience.

Assuming that you did create a separate list for children's literature,
it would seem difficult to determine on which list to place the
Rowling books given the overall sales volume of these books. That is,
I'm sure you must realize that children's books do not regularly sell
millions of copies, and, therefore, adults must be purchasing copies
for themselves. Accordingly, I don't know how you could in good faith
make the determination that the Rowling books belong on a "children's
bestseller list." It also seems to me that the perceived need for a
children's bestseller list might well disappear altogether when the last
volume in the Harry Potter series falls off the list.

J. K. Rowling's books are a phenomenal success with both children and
adults. That success should be rewarded with continued listing of her
books on the main NYT Bestseller List.

Sincerely,


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