The New Twilight

Written by Kyle Slagley

Now that the New Year has dawned, we can all take a deep breath and mentally regroup. Often times as we move into January, the water cooler talk has to do with the normal slew of resolutions: diets, workout routines, quitting a bad habit, or the time spent cutting coupons in an effort to save more money.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that Bob from accounting cut 750 calories out of his diet just by giving up his nightly pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream, really I do! I’m sure you’re thrilled to hear that I’ve made it to day three of my decision to do the P90X Yoga routine every day. The fact remains that in two months, when Bob is once again making the yacht payment for the Ben & Jerry’s CEO and my Yoga X disc has been buried underneath the first four seasons of That 70’s Show, we will all be wondering one thing: Now that Twilight is finished, what will be the next Twilight?

It’s a legitimate question! At some point we’re going to have to have another fictional hunk for America to love, so we’d all best be on the lookout. I’ll need something to do with that hour-I’m-not-using-for-yoga anyway. Here’s my shortlist of contenders.

Warm Bodies – I mentioned this title a few days ago in my 2013: Year of the Zombie blog. The basic premise is that a zombie falls in love with a human girl and finds that love may actually be the cure to the disease that turned him into a zombie in the first place. The book really is its own Cinderella story; author Isaac Marion initially self-published the novel and it was later picked up by Atria Books. Marion has now announced a sequel that is currently in the works, and the movie starring Nicholas Hoult is due out February 1.

Beautiful Creatures – Written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, this series first appeared in 2009 and has been on the “Next Twilight” shortlist ever since. In the first (of four) novels, the two lead characters Lena and Ethan become inexplicably linked. Lena is a Caster (of magic) and Ethan is a normal high school sophomore. Swirling with mystery, romance, and the supernatural, this series has already been received well by critics and readers alike and, with the movie due out on February 13, it is a leading candidate to fill the void in the hearts of Twilighters. The three other books in the series are Beautiful Darkness, Beautiful Chaos, and Beautiful Redemption.

The Mortal Instruments – There are currently five novels in this series by Cassandra Clare, with the sixth due out in 2014. The first novel, City of Bones, was published in 2007 and is a YA urban-fantasy tale about a secret society of tattooed-teenage demon hunters. This series is a hit already with those that like their urban-fantasy fierce, rugged, and not-overly-sappy—it reminds me a lot of the Borderlands short-story series that originated in the ‘80s. The movie is due out on August 23, but with romance taking a backseat in the series kickoff, the crowd may differ somewhat from that of Twilight.

Divergent – This trilogy by Veronica Roth, already loved by many, will continue to grow this year and probably subsequent years. It’s not quite a fantasy-romance like Twilight, but will attract many of the same readers and moviegoers as The Hunger Games because of its dystopian future-Chicago setting. The first installment was published in 2011, the second – Insurgent – just last year, and the unnamed conclusion is scheduled for release this fall. The movie adaptation of Divergent is currently in pre-production with director Neil Burger; it’s listed for tentative release in March 2014 and will be distributed by Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate (who also distributed The Hunger Games).

Authors Eye New Markets

Publishers Weekly recently noted five Young Adult (YA) authors, like Melissa Marr, that are making the leap this year into “adult” fiction. Likewise, a number of adult authors, like John Grisham and James Patterson, have started to publish works aimed at young adults. So what’s with all the crossing over?



It’s no great mystery why adult writers are venturing into the teen market. Just look at the mega-success that franchises like Harry Potter and Twilight have created for authors J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer. The Potter phenomenon made Rowling the first author ever to appear on Forbes’s annual billionaires list.¹ Meyer was second (to James Patterson) on Forbes’s most recent list of highest-paid authors.²


Figures show that YA lit sales are increasing and adult lit sales are declining.³ And it’s not just teens driving the YA craze. More and more, adults are picking up YA novels for themselves. So, in an odd way, adult authors are turning to young adult fiction because that’s where their own audience is.

For YA authors, it’s a slightly different story. While they’re undoubtedly interested in expanding their audience as well, it seems likely that they’ve always been interested in writing more complex stories and handling more mature themes than the traditional YA market would allow. As adult readers take an interest in YA fiction, though, they’re able to push the envelope.

What do you think of the blurred lines between teen and adult fiction? Have you noticed the crossover trend in your library? What YA titles are popular with adults, or vice versa? Let us know in the comments below.

¹ http://www.forbes.com/2004/02/26/cx_jw_0226rowlingbill04.html
² http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/19/patterson-meyer-king-business-media-highest-paid-authors.html
³ http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/08/entertainment/la-et-young-adult8-2010mar08

The Twilight Saga Continues with the DVD Release of Eclipse

Millions of people anxiously watched the clock on December 4, awaiting the stroke of midnight. No, they weren’t practicing for New Years. Instead, they were gathering with fellow Twilighters and Twihards at local retail stores for the DVD release of the third installment of the Twilight Saga, Eclipse.

Originating as a paranormal romance novel for young adults, Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga has become a pop culture phenomenon, gaining popularity in multiple realms of entertainment—books, film, and music.

Twilight, the first novel in the saga, debuted on bookshelves in 2005, followed by New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. The saga, based loosely on the literary classics Pride and Prejudice, Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights,and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, has been on the New York Times Best Selling Children’s Series List for the past 172 weeks.¹ In June, Meyer followed up the series with the release of her novella, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, and in just one month, the book sold over one million copies.²

Due to the increased popularity of the series, the Twilight Saga has since been adapted into five films. The last book, Breaking Dawn, will be split into two films tentatively scheduled for release in theaters on November 18, 2011 and November 16, 2012. And as gross sales for the first three films have steadily increased with each release (Twilight, $192 million; New Moon, $296 million; Eclipse, $300 million), the final two films are expected to do even better.³ Released in November 2009, New Moon set a Guinness World Record for highest opening day sales by grossing $72.7 million.⁴

Twilight and New Moon have gained popularity among young adults, earning accolades at both the MTV Movie Awards and the Teen Choice Awards. Meanwhile, the most recent release, Eclipse, has been nominated for eight People’s Choice Awards including Favorite Movie, Favorite Drama Movie, and Favorite Movie Actor and Actress, among others.

Released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 4, Eclipse sold three million copies in just two days. Over the next four weeks, Steve Nickerson, president of Summit Entertainment, expects sales to increase dramatically for both original and special edition releases. Summit is committing three times as much on marketing in the post-street window compared to Twilight and New Moon, which both sold around four million units in their first two days in stores and over nine million units since.⁵

Chart-topping soundtracks accompany the successful movies. Debuting at number one on the Billboard 200, the Twilight Motion Picture Soundtrack sold 165,000 copies in its first week before reaching certified double platinum.⁶ Additionally, the New Moon Motion Picture Soundtrack was named certified platinum. Together, these CDs made history for being the first soundtrack and sequel to both reach the number one spot on the Billboard chart.⁷ The Twilight Saga – Eclipse Soundtrack debuted at number two on the chart. And accompanying the soundtracks are their respective scores—the Twilight Score, New Moon Motion Picture Score, and Twilight Saga – Eclipse the Score. A collection of music videos and live performances from these soundtracks is also available on DVD, Music from the Twilight Saga Soundtracks.

The overall booming popularity of Twilight has turned the city of Forks, Washington into a major tourist attraction. Every month, an average of 8,000 tourists flock to the tiny Seattle town to eat from Twilight-inspired menus at local restaurants and venture on local tours.⁸ Even those not able to make the trek can see the town and its splendor by watching the documentaries, Twilight in Forks and Destination Forks – Real World of Twilight.

However, despite the unparalleled popularity of the Twilight Saga, parents and educators often dispute the novels, labeling them unsuitable for young adults due to subtle religious and sexual notions. In 2009, the series ranked number five on the American Library Association’s Top Ten List of the Most Frequently Challenged Books.⁹ But that hasn’t stopped readers from catching Twilight fever. As of March 2010, the print series sold over 100 million copies worldwide.⁸ And Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse have grossed over $1.7 billion in theaters worldwide.³

CVS Midwest Tape is Here to Re-Vamp Your Collection
CVS Midwest Tape has created a collection of audiobooks, CDs, and DVDs from the Twilight Saga. To view our collection, click on the Twilight panel on the CVS Midwest Tape homepage.

Has your library seen a large demand for Twilight materials? What other popular culture materials are in high demand at your library?


¹ http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/series-books/list.html
² http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/books/29arts-THELITTLEVAM_BRF.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=The%20Short%20Second%20Life%20of%20Bree%20Tanner&st=cse
³ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Saga_%28film_series%29
⁴ http://www.examiner.com/twilight-in-national/the-twilight-saga-new-moon-makes-guinness-world-records-book
⁵ http://www.homemediamagazine.com/research/consumers-bite-a-third-time-twilight-21335
⁶ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003889643#/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003889643
⁷ http://www.newmoonmovie.org/2009/11/new-moon-soundtrack-goes-platinum/
⁸ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_%28series%29
⁹ http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/21stcenturychallenged/2009/index.cfm