Vampire Books Are Big Business
Vampire books = Big Sales. Case in point: two extremely popular vampire books series (Sookie Stackhouse and Twilight) made it from print to TV and film.
The Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery Series was made into an HBO series called True Blood. Although the initial ratings were lukewarm the series quickly became a big hit. Anna Paquin even won a Golden Globe award for her portrayal of the lovestruck vampire lover Sookie Stackhouse. This series appealed not only to those of us that have been reading fantasy books for years, but also introduced the genre to a completely new audience. As such the last few episodes in the series were on par with Nielsen ratings for the Sopranos! I’m sure Charlaine Harris never envisioned her fantasy books heading to a big time HBO series. Season 2 of True Blood will air this summer and I’m sure there are millions of fans that can’t wait until the new series begins.
On a similar vein, the vampire fantasy books by Stephenie Meyer have topped the charts. The Twilight Saga Books, aimeed at capturing the young adult audience, has crossed over from print to the big screen. Twilight the Movie did quite well at the box office and the second fantasy book in the series, New Moon, is currently being filmed.
Not only have the book’s authors reaped the successes of their fantasy books, they’ve also become minor celebrities. Charlaine Harris was at the premiere of True Blood in Hollywood and Stephenie Meyer has been making the TV talk show circuit. I saw her on Oprah a few weeks ago!
Although Anna Paquin won the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, the show itself was nominated for the Best Drama series. And the actors and actresses have also benefited from the success of these vampire books. Stephen Moyers (Bill Compton), Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse), Rutina Wesley (Tara Thornton), and Sam Tammell (Sam Merlotte) are now recognized as B-list celebrities. And who doesn’t know Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette Reynolds), True Blood’s flamboyant and outspoken short order cook? Although last season’s finale alluded to his death, HBO executives should check the wikis, bulletin boards, and blogs: Lafayette has a loyal fan base that won’t take kindly to his departure from the show.
With Twilight The Movie, Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan) and Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) are also overnight celebrities. Although their names may be more recognizable than the actors from True Blood, the first time I saw Stewart was when she starred (minor role) in Zathura (2005). I remember Pattinson as Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire but again, he had a small role in that film. However because of the popularity of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire books and the film they’re both on track to earn more than the reported $2 million they each made from Twilight. It’s quite the money making franchise. There’s even a jewelry line based on the books!
As I’m sitting here reviewing the current best selling fantasy books at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble I can’t help but notice that the popularity of vampires clearly translates into book sales. Take a look at the current Top 10 Best Selling Fantasy Books from both outlets. I’ve specified the books that include vampires as either central or supporting characters:
Amazon.com Fantasy Best Sellers
- Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) by Stephenie Meyer +V
- From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries, #8 ) by Charlaine Harris +V
- Sookie Stackhouse 7-copy Boxed Set (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood) by Charlaine Harris +V
- Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9) by Charlaine Harris +V
- Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) by Jim Butcher +V
- Betrayed (House of Night, Book 2) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast +V
- The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Neffenegger
- Deadly Desire (Riley Jensen, Guardian, Book 7) by Keri Arthur +V
- Skin Trade (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 17) by Laurell K. Hamilton +V
- World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
Barnes and Noble Fantasy Best Sellers
- One Second After by William R. Forstchen, Newt Gingrich (Introduction)
- Max (Maximum Ride, Book 5) by James Patterson
- Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9) by Charlaine Harris +V
- From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries, #8 ) by Charlaine Harris +V
- Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) by Jim Butcher +V
- Sookie Stackhouse 7-copy Boxed Set (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood) by Charlaine Harris +V
- Curse the Dawn (Cassandra Palmer, Book 4) by Karen Chance +V
- Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, Barry Marx (Editor)
- The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, Book 1) by James Patterson
- The Host: A Novel by Stephenie Meyer
As you can see, 8 of the top 10 best selling fantasy books at Amazon.com are vampire books; likewise half of the books on the Barnes and Noble Best Selling Fantasy Books list either focus on vampires or contain elements of vampire lore. I have a friend who wants to write a fantasy book but is having a hard time getting started. Looks like it would be smart of her to include a couple of vampires amongst the characters – you just never know what might happen!
