Genre Boot Camp
Finding your way without fear
www.bcpl.org
Who we are
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Karen Helmle, Reference Associate II, Boone County Public
Library khelmle@bcpl.org
Carrie Herrmann, Public Service Coordinator, Boone County
Public Library cherrman@bcpl.org
Katie Widener, Reference Librarian, Boone County Public
Library kwidener@bcpl.org
What We Want to Accomplish
The State of Readers’ Advisory
From 2013 Readers Advisory Services in Public Libraries Report
(http://lj.libraryjournal.com/downloads/#_)
21% of librarians have issues keeping up with books and
genres
17% of librarians uncomfortable with unfamiliar genres
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How do you keep up?
From 2013 Readers Advisory Services in Public Libraries Report
Erotica in Libraries
What to do after 50 Shades of Grey
www.bcpl.org
Erotica Definition
According to the Adult Reading Round Table, “These edgy novels
use much blunter language to describe sexuality.... Sexual
relationships are more important in these works than
emotional relationships, and the story may not end with a
marriage.”
Topics covered in Erotica
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BDSM (bondage/discipline/domination/submission/
sadomasochism)
Multiple Partners
Exploration of alternative sexual practices
M/M Fiction
F/F Fiction
Readers’ Advisory Challenges
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Hot Romance is not Erotica
Structure of the story
Erotica is not pornography
Sexually Graphic is not automatically erotica
Street/Urban Lit is not Erotica
Character motivations are not important
Author’s storytelling choices are not important
Readers’ Advisory Challenges
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Respect reading preferences
Sexuality is an individual experience
Find the theme they enjoy
Sex in Erotica
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Explicitness
Types of Sex
Quantity of sex
Marketing your Erotica
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A Balancing Act
Read-A-Like Pamphlet
Read-A-Like Bookmarks
Use your catalog
Polaris
KLU
Collection Development
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You probably already have some in your collection
50 Shades effect
Allow for anonymous requests
eBook vs. Print
Collection Development Policy
Reconsideration Process in place
Print Erotica
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Kensington’s Aphrodisia and Brava
Harlequin’s Spice and Blaze
Avon Romance’s Erotic Line
NAL’s Heat
Random House’s Black Lace
eBook Erotica
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InterMix
Carina Press
Loveswept
Ellora’s Cave
Ravenous Romance
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Flirt
Avon Impulse
Forever Yours
Samhain Publishing
Total-E-Bound
Loose ID
Cleis Press
10 Authors to Know
Nicholson Baker
Maya Banks
Jaci Burton
Sylvia Day
Joey W. Hill
Lorelei James
Tiffany Reisz
A. N. Roquelaure
Saskia Walker
Zane
Go to Erotica Books
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Bared to You by Sylvia Day
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
by A. N. Roquelaure
Sweet Addiction by Maya Banks
Long Hard Ride by Lorelei James
Colter’s Woman by Maya Banks
Natural Law by Joey Hill
Their Private Arrangement by Saskia Walker
New Adult Genre
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Newly Emerging
Young Adult Meets Erotica
Female between 18-26
Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance
www.bcpl.org
Urban Fantasy vs. Paranormal
● Defined.
● How to tell the difference.
● Web resources and much more!
Urban Fantasy Definition
According to Wikipedia:
Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting.
Urban fantasy exists on one side of a spectrum, opposite high fantasy, which is set in an entirely fictitious world.
Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements.
However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods, and the settings may include
fictional elements. The prerequisite is that they must be primarily set in a city.
Paranormal Romance Definition
According to Wikipedia:
Paranormal romance is a sub-genre of both romantic fiction and speculative fiction.
Paranormal romance focuses on romantic love and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation,
blending together themes from the speculative fiction genres of fantasy, science fiction, and horror.
Paranormal romance may range from traditional category romances, with a paranormal setting to stories where the main emphasis is on a
science fiction or fantasy based plot with a romantic subplot included.
Common hallmarks are romantic relationships between humans and vampires, shapeshifters, ghosts, and other entities
of a fantastic or otherworldly nature.
Genre Headings
● Improves reading recommendations
● Some readers very picky about their “niche.”
Categorizing Books
● Is Subjective.
● One person might put all zombie books in one area.
● Another might divide them by theme. Comedic vs. Horror.
The Family Tree
● Urban Fantasy is a subgenre of Fantasy.
● Paranormal Romance is a subgenre of Romance.
● They aren’t relatives!
It’s Complicated
● Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy are very similar. In
some cases, the differences between the two subgenres are
almost indistinguishable.
● Both genres share the presence of magical creatures such as
werewolves, vampires, angels, demons and fairies.
It’s Complicated
● Elements of romance, fear, mystery, horror or humor.
● The fun is imagining that the storylines could be true.
It’s Complicated
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Characters might have psychic powers.
Ghosts may be involved.
Characters might have superhuman abilities.
The main character usually lives.
Shapeshifters may be involved.
Time travel could occur.
It’s Complicated
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Elements of legend.
Elements of magic.
Include folklore.
Include horror elements.
It’s Complicated
● Some stories are police procedural.
● Some stories are good vs. evil
● Some are humorous detective stories.
It’s Complicated
● The genres are changing.
● PR is doing more world building.
● UF is adding more sex and romance.
Follow the Clues
● UF is usually written in 1st person.
● PR is usually written in 3rd person
● Not unusual to read viewpoints of leading lady, lead male
and possibly the villains.
Follow the Clues
● PR - setting doesn’t play a large role in book.
● UF usually takes place in an urban setting that has a
dangerous undertone.
Follow the Clues
● Paranormal romance is the story of two people falling in love
with supernatural elements included.
● The book must focus on the relationship above all else.
Follow the Clues
● Urban fantasy may have a romance, but the story is not built
around it.
● UF’s main character is usually trying to solve some type of
supernatural mystery.
Follow the Clues
● Paranormal Romance’s protagonist tends to be a more
traditional feminine character.
● Can be full of angst.
● May suffer from low self esteem.
Follow the Clues
● Urban fantasy’s female protagonist is a tough chick!
● She often has a power forced upon her thru accident or
birth.
● Doesn’t wallow in angst.
● Doesn’t suffer from low self esteem.
Follow the Clues
● Paranormal Romance characters always have a Happily Ever
After!
● Urban Fantasy -there is usually a romance but a happily ever
after ending is not guaranteed.
Follow the Clues
● PR - a human is having a relationship with a supernatural
creature.
● UF- characters may both have supernatural capabilities.
Follow the Clues
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PR romantic couple professes undying love for each other in
melodramatic manner.
Loads of sensuality throughout book.
Varying degrees of sexual experiences, depending on the
author.
Follow the Clues
● UF romantic couple communicates through sarcasm and
swear words. Humor may be included.
● Couple may not last to end of series.
● The sex scenes usually aren’t as descriptive as PR.
Follow the Clues
● PR’s couple needs to overcome some type of paranormal
obstruction in order to be together.
● UF’s main characters need to overcome a supernatural
obstacle in order to save the world!
Follow the Clues
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PR has a lower level of action and violence.
Creatures are written to be less scary than UF.
For example, vampires are sparkly and hot!
Vampires may choose to drink only animal blood instead of
human blood.
Follow the Clues
● UF higher level of violence and action.
● Stories are dark, gritty, scary and exciting.
● Male character seems much more dangerous.
Follow the Clues
● PR’s main character’s supernatural power develops quickly
over one book.
● UF’s main characters supernatural powers develop slowly
thru the series.
Follow the Clues
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PR tends to lean towards one novel.
Squeezes in multiple points of views to introduce characters.
Makes us care about them.
They have a problem, then a resolution.
Each book is neatly wrapped up by the end.
Follow the Clues
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UF tend to have a series.
Main character makes many mistakes along the way.
Tries to fix them thru series.
We get to read how character changes and grows as a person
thru series.
But I Will Argue…
● I don’t think Urban Fantasy is about the city.
● I think the city is a character in the books
● Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse books, Shreveport,
Louisiana
● Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden, Chicago
● Kat Richardson’s Greywalker series, Seattle
Follow the Clues
● PR book covers tend to have the couples holding each other
in a romantic clench.
● Covers tend to be more sexual with varying degrees of
nudity.
Paranormal Romance
Follow the Clues
● UF covers tend to have the main character armed to the
teeth.
Urban Fantasy
Follow the Clues
● PR - Back cover of book will comment on relationship
dilemma for main characters.
● UF - back cover will discuss character’s situation.
The Final Clue!
● Ask yourself, if the romance is removed will the story still
stand?
● If no, it’s Paranormal Romance.
● If yes, it’s Urban Fantasy
PR Dark Go To Authors
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J. R. Ward - Black Dagger Brotherhood Series
Sherrilyn Kenyon - Dark Hunter Series
Christine Feehan -Dark Series
Lynsay Sands - Argeneau Family
J. R. Ward
● Books are dark and twisted
● Extremely emotional
● Characters are full of pain and longing.
Sherrilyn Kenyon
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Tortured Heroes
Kick Butt Heroines
Reformed Villains
Tearjerkers
Christine Feehan
● Known as one of the first authors to start
paranormal romance
● Strong characters
● Sensuous love scenes
Lynsay Sands
● romantic comedy
● snarky humor
● Vampires are relatable, they are doctors, chefs, lawyers etc.
PR Light Go To Authors
● Katie MacAlister - Dark One Series -Aisling Grey Series, Light
Dragon Series
● Michele Bardsley - Broken Heart Vampires
● Molly Harper - Naked Werewolf
● Dakota Cassidy - Accidentals
Katie MacAlister
● Lighthearted
● Writes about Dragons and Vampires
● Funny as heck
Michele Bardsley
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Zany scenes
Small town romance
Poignant
Molly Harper
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Feel good novels
Light charming novels
Funny
Crazy plot twists
Dakota Cassidy
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Quirky and offbeat characters
Light
Known for using pop culture references
Over the top corniness
Urban Fantasy Go To Authors
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Ilona Andrews - Kate Daniels series
Jim Butcher - Dresden Files
Kim Harrison - The Hollow Series
Faith Hunter - Jane Yellowrock Series
Laurell K. Hamilton - Anita Blake Series
Ilona Andrews
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Embodiment of the kick-butt UF heroine.
World building is the best in the genre.
Every aspects of society is detailed.
Kate Daniels is way cooler than any other heroine.
Awesome action.
Jim Butcher
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Harry Dresden is the perfect anti-hero
Sarcastic and funny
Gritty and dangerous world of magic and mayhem
Harry always feels the need to be a “knight in shining armor”
for women.
Kim Harrison
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First book was just ok. Stick with it!
Characters have realistic lives.
Lots of action, romance, conflict.
Side characters have depth.
Author isn’t afraid of issue, dating, grief, abuse, addiction.
Faith Hunter
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Heroine is a shape shifter.
Page turners.
Great character growth.
Unique premise
Second only to Ilona Andrews.
Laurell K. Hamilton
● Exotic World.
● Borders on erotica.
Crossover Authors
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Karen Marie Moning - Darkfever Series
Patricia Briggs - Mercedes Thompson Series
Kelley Armstrong - Women of the Underworld Series
Darynda Jones - Charley Davidson
Karen Marie Moning
● Male character is very mysterious
● World building is interesting
● Mythology is a fun mix of magic and and Irish legends about
the Fae.
Patricia Briggs
● Mixes mythology, and fantasy in a way to feel magically real.
● Main character, Mercedes Thompson is tough without being
pushy.
● Great side characters, charming romance.
● Brave and resilient.
Kelley Armstrong
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Excels at plot, pace and characterization.
Great romantic themes.
Most real life paranormal world.
Main female characters are strong with unique stories.
Darynda Jones
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Exciting newcomer.
Charley is the Grim Reaper.
Charley is endearing.
Wacky.
Great sense of humor.
Hard to Come By, the Male Protagonist
● Mark Del Franco - Connor Grey
● Anton Strout - Simon Canderous
● John Levitt - Dog Days
Mark Del Franco
● Ex-druid (a priest in the ancient Celtic religion).
● Private investigator of the paranormal.
● Readalike for Jim Butcher.
Anton Strout
● Simon Canderous is a reformed thief and a psychometrist.
● Paranormal policeman.
● Think a Ghostbuster/Men in Black mash up.
John Levitt
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Former Magic Enforcer
Now just plays the guitar for a living.
Always gets sucked into doing the work.
Hero is likable and believable.
STEAMPUNK
Clockwork and Counter Culture
www.bcpl.org
Steampunk: the origin story
I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can
come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself.
Something based on the appropriate technology of the era;
like ‘steam-punks’, perhaps.
K. W. Jeter in Locus Apr. 1987
Steampunk came out of the Cyberpunk movement of the 1980’s. The movement was
popularized and defined by three writers: K.W. Jeter, Tim Powers, and James
Blaylock
What is Steampunk?
According to the O.E.D:
steampunk n. : a writer of science fiction which has a historical setting (esp. based on
industrialized, nineteenth-century society) and characteristically features steam-powered,
mechanized machinery rather than electronic technology; (also) such writing as a subgenre of
science fiction.
According to the Urban Dictionary:
Steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasiVictorian alternate history setting. It could be described by the slogan "What the past would
look like if the future had happened sooner." It includes fiction with science fiction, fantasy or
horror themes.
2 Key Attributes of Steampunk
Setting
Traditionally, set in the 19th
century British Empire or the
American West.
Alternatively, set in a fantasy
world, an alternate historical
setting, or post-apocalyptic.
Technology
Modern devices (or at least
anachronistic devices) depicted as
if it was created using the
available technology of the 19th
century. Steam Powered over
combustion, Clockwork over
digital, Airships over Airplanes etc.
Ancestral Steampunk
The True Victorians
H. G. Wells
Jules Verne
Mary Shelley
Proto-Steampunk
Keith Laumer's Worlds of
the Imperium (1962)
Ronald W. Clark's Queen
Victoria's Bomb (1967)
Michael Moorcock's
Warlord of the Air (1971)
The Names to Know:
James P. Blaylock,
Homunculus
K. W. Jeter,
Infernal Devices.
Tim Powers,
The Anubis Gates
Names to Know:
William Gibson & Bruce
Sterling,
The Difference Engine
Paul Di Filippo,
The Steampunk Trilogy
Neal Barrett Jr.
The Prophecy Machine
Names to Know
Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds
Steampunk
Jonathan Barnes,
The Somnambulist
Gail Carriger,
Soulless
Cherie Priest,
Boneshaker
Steampunk Across Collections
Scott Westerfield,
Leviathan
Gail Carriger,
Etiquette & Espionage
Marissa Meyer,
Cinder
Brian Sesnick,
Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neal,
The Invention of Hugo
League of Extraordinary
Cabret
Gentlemen
Diana Wynne Jones,
Brian Augustyn & Mike Mignola,
Howl’s Moving Castle
Gotham By Gaslight
Steampunk Culture: Where Fiction Becomes Fact
Steampunk is no longer restricted
to the pages of books or movie
screens it has become a counter
culture with its own artists,
musicians, magazines and
conventions. It has been featured
in popular television programs and
has even spread to incorporate
more common fandoms…
Images Via: geektyrant.com , ministryofpeculiaroccurrences.com,
steampunkworkshop.com, rebloggy.com
Graphic Novels
More Than Just Masked Men
www.bcpl.org
A Few Definitions to Know:
•Comic Strip: A short sequence of 1
page or less
•Comic Book: Serialized comics
appearing in a magazine- sized
booklet
•Graphic Novel: Novel –length
comics or a collection of comic
books/strips that tell a single
narrative arc appearing in book
form
•Manga: Stylized Japanese graphic
novel in which both page and
panels are read right to left.
•Anime: Animation of Japanese
origin that can share both style
and narrative tropes with manga.
But what’s a “comic”?
Graphic Novel Genres
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Biographies and Memoirs
Westerns
Romance
Crime and Suspense
Science Fiction/ Fantasy
Horror
Life (or something like it)
Superheroes
Biographies, Autobiographies, & Memoirs
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Marbles: Mania, Depression,
Michelangelo, and Me: A
Graphic Memoir
Maus
Persepolis
Fun Home
Blankets
Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland
Westerns
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Loveless
Bouncer
Law of the Desert Born
All Star Western
East To West
Dead West
Romance
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Happy Marriage?!
Love and Capes
Blankets
Stardust
You’ll Have that
Midnight Secretary
Crime and Suspense
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Sin City
Road to Perdition
A History of Violence
Criminal
Sleeper
Kabuki
Chew
Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Fables
Saga
The Sandman
Y the Last Man
We3
League of Extraordinary
Gentlemen
Punk Rock Jesus
Horror
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The Walking Dead
American Vampire
Locke and Key
From Hell
Bedlam
30 Days of Night
Constantine
Life (or something Like it)
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Chicken with Plums
Building Stories
It’s a Good Life if You
Don’t Weaken
Ghost World
Epileptic
Strangers in Paradise
Scott Pilgrim
Graphic Novels from Other Series
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Firefly
Dresden Files
The Exile
Moon Called
Derrick Storm
...So about those masked men
Image via: bestgeekblogever
Image via: geekrest.com
Image Via: comicbookmovie.com
Image Via: dccomics.com
The 20 Graphic Novels Every Library should own
Non-Fiction
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
Maus
Persepolis
Finished Collections
Sin City
Scott Pilgram
Y the Last Man
Road to Perdition
Kick-Ass
Ex- Machina
Individual Novels
Blankets
300
A Covenant with God
The Dark Knight Returns
The Watchmen
V For Vendetta
The Dark Knight Returns
Current Series
Fables
Hellboy
Sandman (Sandman Overture started 10/13)
The Walking Dead
Erotica Resources
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Fantastic Fiction for Adults
Ellora’s Cave
Erotic Readers & Writers Association
Under the Covers Book Blog
Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance
Resources
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http://bestfantasybooks.com/
http://paranormalromancewriters.com/topics.cfm
http://urbanfantasyreads.com/
https://sites.google.com/site/sherabookwhisperssite/home
Steampunk Resources
http://www.ministryofpeculiaroccurrences.com
http://www.goodreads.com/genres/steampunk
http://www.steampunkmagazine.com
http://gailcarriger.com
http://youtu.be/z6-AmXihFsU -PBS off the book
Graphic Novel Resources
Websites:
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Goodreads: Graphic Novel
Image Comics
Print:
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Previews
Booklist
Marvel
DC
Vertigo
Dark Horse
Vis Media
Top Cow
People:
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Local Comic Book Shop
Patrons!