In a move that some will see as a further attempt to segment and ghettoize the book-selling market (although we have no control over it, and it will probably increase genre sales), Barnes & Noble has announced a change in the way they’ll be laying out their book stores. Specifically, starting immediately, physical B&N stories will separate out two subsections of their “Teen Fiction” departments: paranormal romance, and fantasy and adventure.
B&N’s Vice President of Children’s Books Mary Amicucci told Publishers Weekly that teen fiction is “the biggest book growth category at B&N”, and in terms of volume it’s the second largest subject behind adult fiction. Teen series will be shelved in the appropriate category, and there will be two bays devoted to bestsellers (one changing weekly and reflecting the top 10 teen fiction bestsellers; the other organized by genre and display top teen picks).
As reported in this PW article, the company successfully tested the new layout in a Hackensack, New Jersey, store three weeks ago. “It’s really about improving the customer experience,” Amicucci told PW. “We haven’t expanded or shrunk anything. That was the beauty of this—by breaking the genres out, we can really showcase the books. The key is a directed customer shopping experience that really supports browsing patterns.”