Fellow posters to the Ray Bradbury Web Site...can you imagine what would happen if one of Ray's new books had the promotion and hype similar to the new Harry Potter book?

He would have to figure out where to stash all the money. And, in a way, it is sad that his books don't receive all the promotion that something like the Harry Potter books receive.

On the contrary, it's the other way around. It's a shame there is such hoopla connected with the Potter books. It must make all the other authors, some of whom have been working in fantasy for years if not decades, wonder what they did wrong! And it gives kids the idea that Harry Potter is the only readable literature out there, when in fact there is plenty else as well-written or even better!

My nephew recently confessed/admitted/bragged to having read the Potter books 13 times apiece. His sister said, "I thought you said five times." "No, that was five times THIS YEAR." He complained that he "couldn't find anything else to read." I give them at least 8 books apiece a year, including Bradbury books! Wonder if he's even opened those Bradbury books?

Good point, Dandelion.

Come on, you guys! Do you honestly think Rowlings success is somehow a bad thing?

Ray’s already had the kind of success other writers can only dream about. If he’s not selling the numbers that Rowling is – and who is? – it’s not because Rowling’s sucking the oxygen from the market. In fact, my last browsing at the bookstore tells me publishers are climbing all over themselves to take advantage of Rowling’s popularity. Her work seems to be encouraging readers, and, thence, publishers to find other writers that will appeal to them. That’s a good thing in my, er, um, book.

Eventually, the market’ll sort out what’ll last and what won’t – F-451’s been around for 50 years now and sales show no sign of flagging. I’d say the market has spoken loud and clear about Bradbury’s work. There plenty of room for him, and others, as well as Rowling’s phenomenal success.

(And, by the way, I haven’t ready any of Rowling’s work. Could barely make it through the first chapter of the first book but I’m enjoyed the movies well enough. Her sales tell me the problem isn’t hers but mine. Maybe it’s time I gave her another shot.)

Best,

Pete

Have to agree with you, Pete. Rowling's success is phenomenal but well earned. I, too, only made it through the first book, but the fact is that she has been # 1 on the NY Times book list for what seems forever, and I applaud that. I applaud her ambition and imagination. Children and adults are turning on to reading once more because of her and that's a good thing for all writers. RB included, of course.

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Pete,

You do make a very good point. I guess when I first posted, I was thinking of the intense marketing efforts, kids with their parents (many in costume) waiting until the bewwitching hour (midnight) to purchase their own copy of the book.

But you bring out a good point about longevity.
Ray's work have endured and will continue to do so. But what I wonder is: how many copies of F451 or Martian Chronicles or Illustrated Man or any other title have sold over the years. The numbers could far surpass those of Rowlings. I am sure that somewhere there is a compliation of the numbers.

But I am sure that Ray's work have sold in the millions all over the world and in different languages.

Thanks for putting me into a different perspective.

I've read the first three Potter books all the way through once apiece and have the fourth one near the top of my "to be read" pile.

Well, folks, having been a musician and artist all my life, and meeting and even working with some very creative and talented artists (some of whose names you'd know); I don't equate fame or popularity in our culture with talent.
Hopefully, of course, these books will encourage kids to read other books, especially the classics, but I doubt it. Ray, in his youth, devoured the likes of Poe, Wodehouse, and Dickens. I think "Harry Potter" readers (from what little I've read of these) would find this sort of literature too mentally taxing. This may apply to Ray's work as well. But we can hope.

If you don't want to read this entire interview, scroll down to where Ray Bradbury is mentioned:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/july-dec05/hp_7-18.html

Braling II

You’ve certainly earned props for your career in the arts but I disagree with your point. Surely you and I can agree that talent has many facets. You might say that popularity and fame doesn’t equal talent but I’d say that talent doesn’t equal art.

Few would disagree that James Joyce was immensely talented but his Ulysses and Finnegan’s Wake are all but unreadable. Great works of art? Pshaw. I’ll leave that argument for another day but what’s the good of art if it’s inconsumable by anyone but the cultured elite? Yes, Ray devoured the works of great artists but he also gobbled up Flash Gordon comics.

(And, yes, I’d agree that the artists you mention would likely tax today’s youth but so what? Heck, they’re too taxing for me. But let me go out on this limb and give you a chance to saw it off: Except for the requirements of college courses, and a few die-hard literature-philes, those writers would be gathering dust. Deservedly so? Likely not. I’m not arguing for mob-rule but I favor a democracy in most endeavors, the arts included.)

Best,

Pete

The Lake--And without Ray's books, I would be much lonelier, wouldn't you? See how Ray has passed it along! Thanks for posting the interesting interview.

Pterran

I agree completely with your reply, but I feel you missed my main point (probably my fault), which is that I'm not as encouraged as others seem to be by the popularity of these books viz their being read by our youth as indicating a general resurgence of reading in our culture.

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Well, at least they are long, indicating that the attention spans of young people are not as short as publishers thought they were.

Enjoyed the dialog here so far. I have read all the Potter books (except this newest one, which I bought and am anxious to read), and loved them all. The story telling (to me, and, obviously, to millions of others) is riveting. The characters are easy to connect to. The battles between evil and good are clear cut, yet have varying levels of sophistication--depending on the reader.

I do think that these books will lead to increased reading in kids, just like F451, SWTWC, and MC lead me off to Sci-fi, fantasy, and then into many, many fields of reading (literature, philosophy, scripture, theology, etc.). I see kids lined up at these "hooplas" (My daugher and I have gone to them for the last three books releases) and they are anxious for . . . a new 700 page book to read. They run home and read them, often, cover to cover. Thousands of kids do this. My daughter began this last one when we got home. By three in the morning she was past page 350. She finished it hte next afternoon. She was totally immersed in the book. The death of a character actually saddened her.

I think these books are great, and I see no downside to them. Her story-telling is excellent and I love that millions of kids are as anxious for the next book to come out as the kids in Willy Wonka were to get a golden ticket.

It's all good, in my mind.

I read a funny post at another forum about this one. The person said: "Well, they (publishing company) have spent several million dollars promoting the release of the newest Harry Potter book, and they are probably worried about losing money..."

Ha! Is he kidding? They made their money back within 30 minutes after the official release!

In addition, they probably had already sold the movie rights for a few million more, plus a percentage of the gate receipts!

I am not a Potter fan, but you have to love the marketing effort...