Treat your shelf!
I think it is safe to say that authors are the backbone of the entertainment sector. Something happened in history, they will write about it for future generations to remember. Something sparks in their mind, they will write about it to inspire other people who hold the same beliefs they do. The film industry need new content, they will look for these authors and develop ideas from what we wrote.
This is not new, many authors have left an unforgettable footprint and are now the best and most sought after talent in their industry. Many of these authors certainly struggled to get their content on different library and book store shelves and have now earned multiple awards for their contribution to print which has in turn led them all the way to the bank.
William Shakespeare- Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet
Shakespeare is regarded as a literary genius, he literally paved the way for writers and authors in the world today. He is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language as well as one of the greatest dramatists.
He inspired the use of characterization, plot and genre through his literary works and influenced the likes of William Faulkner and Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist). He is also known for his campaigns on children rights, social reforms and education even though he himself did not acquire adequate education.
Stephen King- The Shining, Carrie
Also known as the king of horror has an impressive 61 novels in his repertoire. He is mainly known for his ability to carry the reader’s imagination in the field of suspense, fantasy and most importantly horror.
It is fairly easy to conjure up a horror movie because people rely on their sense of sight and hearing to develop a sense of fear. But to be able to scare people using one’s sense of imagination is a huge talent all on its own. So it is no surprise as to why his books have sold over 350 million copies worldwide with TV adaptations of his book Misery and Shawshank Redemption earning him Oscar acclaim.
J.K Rowling- Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts
To get a book published only for it to be turned into a successful box office franchise is one thing but to become one of the best-selling books in history is on a whole other level. Rowling was able to channel her mother’s loss with her undeniable ability to transport her readers into a fantasy realm in that one actually feels that they are experiencing the book rather than reading it.
She is the UK’s best-selling living author and the first author to ever attain billionaire status from their work having sold over 500 million copies worldwide. Even though she is very controversial and always airs her grievances on matters politics, religion and the press, she lost her billionaire status due to the constant donations to charities which is one of the reasons she has very loyal readers.
Danielle Steel- The Family, House on Hope Street
She is known as the queen of romance and is one of the best-selling authors alive selling approximately 800 million copies worldwide with a total of 179 books and 146 novels. She has often been labelled a one trick pony often writing about rich families in a crisis or threatened by dark elements with the exception of her book dedicated to her son who unfortunately passed on.
However, despite criticism on making her books somewhat redundant, she has been praised for focusing on family issues, such as loss and mental health, and human relationships which explains why she has an extremely strong and dedicated fan base.
Roald Dahl- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda
Dahl is considered as one of the greatest children storytellers in the world producing one of the most loved classics Matilda and making books that are able to resonate with both children and adults.
His books are however notorious for having unexpected endings, dark comics and harshly violent scenarios even though his fan base comprises a huge percentage of children. He said to have drawn his inspiration from his personal abuse during his days in boarding school. His knack is that his stories are told from the point of view of a child.
Dr. Seuss- The cat in the hat, Green Eggs and Ham
Theodore Seuss Geisel better known by his pen name Dr. Seuss has sold over 600 million books worldwide and has also had a hand in his own illustrations this stemming from his work in animation and children literature illustrations.
Seuss is known for his moral in the story, all his stories were meant to teach something or express his views on social and political issues for example The Sneetches which is about racial equality. He has earned multiple awards including 2 Oscars, 2 Emmys a Pulitzer Prize for literature and a Peabody which honors the most powerful enlightening and invigoration contributions to the world.
Chinua Achebe- Things Fall Apart, No longer at ease
Chinua was largely influences by his fascination with world religions and African culture. Very little African Fiction was available in the market let alone available in English and for this reason among many others Things Fall apart almost never came to be as publishers dismissed him for being an African author.
As soon as his content was published and available to the public many readers praised it for the amazing literature and his books have sold more than 20 million copies around the world as well as being translated into 57 languages making him the most translated African writer.
Binyavanga Wainaina- How to write about Africa, Discovering Home
Having won the 2002 Caine Prize for African writing for his book Discovering Home, Binyavanga was not a writer to mess around with. His piece on “How to write about Africa” brought a lot of undivided attention his way that he published his memoir “One day I will write about this place.”
Binyavanga was greatly inspired by his own experiences with the world, his country and people and we can largely see that in his work. In 2014, he came out as gay which was widely unacceptable in his own country and shortly afterward earned his place on Time’s Magazine 100 most influential people.
The list is most definitely endless, a lot of writers have made huge impacts in the world today which makes them even more memorable as we continue to read their work. This is the beauty and magic of being an author, you can use your own experiences or your own imagination, a story you heard or something you saw someone do and mold it in your own way and be able to create magic.
So as you look at your soon to be library or soon to be bookshelf and wonder what content you want to fill it with whether for your own personal entertainment, for your friends to enjoy and borrow when they visit or for your children and their friends to take time out of their day and enrich their imagination, these are just a few honorary mentions on how you can treat your shelf!