Went to Powell's Books in Portland and noticed something weird about the sci-fi section

I spent 3 hours browsing the sci-fi shelves at Powell's last weekend and couldn't believe how little space they gave to Ursula K. Le Guin compared to some newer authors who barely have half her skill. Pretty much every book club I've been in raves about the big names like Sanderson or Scalzi, but I think The Left Hand of Darkness tackles gender and society better than almost anything written since. Has anyone else noticed that physical bookstores push certain modern authors way harder than the classics that actually started the genre?

2 comments

2 Comments

hayes.tara1mo ago

Read something about how Le Guin's publisher wasn't pushing her stuff much anymore.

davis.casey1mo ago

Wow that's insane. I had no idea her own publisher dropped the ball like that. @hayes.tara you got any more details on that? I remember grabbing The Dispossessed from a used bin for like 4 bucks and it blew my mind. Meanwhile I walked past a whole end cap of Sanderson's latest at a Barnes and Noble last week.