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Post by Claire on Jul 4, 2008 20:10:59 GMT 1
Leadng on from what I was discussing on another thread about modern pony books being 'Americanised' was wondering if USA pony books are the most popular nowadays. For years the traditional pony book had been British (altho this is not to say they werent some American classics too) but lately the mantle seems to have been passed across to the USA and in Britain pony books have gone out of fashion.
Amongst the younger readers the American series such as Saddle Club, Heartland and Thoroughbred have been immensely popular. We have British writers who have started setting their books in America, possibly to jump on this band wagon, such as the Half Moon Ranch series. The Stacey Gregg Pony Club secrets books I think are written by a British writer but appear to be set in the USA.
I think it is more of a publishing thing. A lot of good modern pony writers such as Pamela Kavanagh and Anne Wigley have only been published recently in the US. (If you look at all the writers of the American 'Pony Club' books there are a surprising number of Britishers.) It seems that British publishers dont like the UK pony book much, apart from the glittering pink types or fantasy ones, unless it is set in America and follows the pattern set by the books they know have sold (Heartland, Saddle club etc) Another example of British publishers turning their nose up at pony writing are the books of Australian author Alyssa Brugman whose non-pony ones have been published in the UK but not her pony books.
I have often wondered why the older British authors seemed to have stopped wrinting pony books entirely (except for K M Peyton) and it seems possible it could be a result of the attitude of publishers rather than the writers themselves. It does seem a shame that those of us who love British pony books are deprived of both our favourite authors and decent newcomers in this way.
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Post by kunuma on Jul 4, 2008 21:49:37 GMT 1
Hmmm, sadly, not only do I think you have a good point, I think you are right and that it is actually getting more so. I do remember Joyce Stranger saying - probably 20 years ago now - a similiar thing about animal books in general, when one of her publishers stopped for some reason, she found that there was an attitude that the sort of books she was writing were 'not in demand nowadays'. How wrong all these publishers were, and are, is it because they are town based themselves? I very much doubt if the pony books of today will be as sought after by future generations as the ones we fight over today are!
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Post by garej on Jul 4, 2008 21:49:51 GMT 1
I think most of it is due to the publishers. I think a lot of British publishers do think that pony books are "old hat" and wont sell as well today.
With Jordan's books, which are the main ones out there, it is due to it being her. With Jordan being in the media so much, she is a brand, and mothers tend to buy them for their daughters because it is "her" rather than the content. If Jordan was "writing" a book about poo (cleverly disguised so it wasnt obvious from the front cover) for example, then some parents would still buy it.
Also, without being disrespectful of older authors, they are getting on in years, and may not be able to physically do it any more. Also, publishers may not be willing to take on a new book by them even if they are able to do so. Josephine (PT) hasnt written a book for 14 years and Diana 12, so really for most children they are unknown to them (especially as most are out of print) and therefore wouldnt really appeal to modern audiences from a publisher's point of view. K M Peyton has been the exception as she has managed to publish one every single year (in some cases more than one) for at least the last 20 years, so therefore would be a familiar site to publishers, and also siblings of children whose books they are aimed at.
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Post by Claire on Jul 4, 2008 22:03:34 GMT 1
If Jordan was "writing" a book about poo (cleverly disguised so it wasnt obvious from the front cover) for example, then some parents would still buy it. Lol Garej! That is so true! Are publishers less imaginative nowadays? They tend to stick to the tried and tested forumlas or as you say Garej, the celebrity brand, rather than the actual excellence of the story itself. But surely there is still a market for pony books here. K M Peytons books still sell well. And judging from publishers like Girls Gone By and Fidra reprinting them, lots of people are interested in pony books still. Obviously there is not the huge demand there was in the 50s to 70s but enough for publishers to make profits surely? It just seems ludicrous that I had to buy a book from the USA written by a British writer in order to read a decent modern Brit author!
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Post by susanb on Jul 5, 2008 20:06:26 GMT 1
Claire...I think you're on the money when you point out that publishers are sticking to tested formulas....the same goes for tv and movies (and theatre, for that matter) I think....if one fantasy book is a hit (Harry Potter) all of a sudden there are a million "Harry-Potter-ish" books out and nothing else can get published. I don't know....it seems like what used to be creative is now just a business....what sort of "bottom line" can we show our shareholders, rather than "what great thing can we present to our audience", whether that audience is a reader, theatre goer, tv/movie watcher, etc. I think that it's just as prevelent in the US as it is in the UK, the only difference being that (for whatever reason) the horse/pony series are selling here, so it's part of the "tested formula"....of course, it's still mostly series books, but the success of the series seems to mean that at least a few good (non evil Saddle Club) authors can get a look in. Risk adverse...that's what people in the business of presenting creative arts have become.....and unfortunately, risk aversion is literally the death of creative art....a match made in hell!
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Post by Claire on Jul 5, 2008 20:35:21 GMT 1
Susan was thinking just the same as you about the huge number of fantasy books there are for children now, and not a lot else, maybe that is why the magical pony/unicorn, etc books get published but the more realistic ones dont. You are so right saying risk aversion is the death of creative art. It seems a shame that books and films which should be a huge opportunity for imagination and experimentation should be run by soulless marketing types. It seems that if something is a success it is done over and over again until you feel like screaming. Formulaic TV shows, endless celebrity exposes, reality shows, the same film re-made a hundred times. Luckily a few imaginative shows like Lost and Heroes and the odd book manage to slip the net, but not a lot
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Post by susanb on Jul 6, 2008 2:50:45 GMT 1
And even when a good, different film is made or book published, there is the additional hurdle of getting it to the public (at least in the US)...the bookstores stock the tried and true, not the unusual. Virtually all the cinemas are chains/multiples multiplexes....whatever moronic blockbuster came out this weekend will be on 4 of 10 screens, but an offbeat, smart movie isn't on at all...for that, you'd need to go into a city to an "art" cinema.
Grrrr........
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