[BRIEF NOTE] A Question on Science Fiction

[rfmcdonald]

Recently, while venturing to an Indigo bookstore well-known to myself, I took a look at that store's science fiction section. Even at a distance, it was obvious that it was half the size of the adjacent romance and mystery sections. On closer examination, the books were heavily weighted in favour of the works of classic authors like Asimov and Clarke and of more recent authors' military science fiction. I talked to two of the staff charged with maintaining the section. Both said that sales were uneven, that while some authors sold massively, others' books sold hardly at all.

I'm curious. Is this only a Toronto pattern, or is this a common sales/distribution pattern in large bookstores more generally? What have you experienced?