![]() ![]() In a short essay titled “Why I Write Science Fiction”, Octavia Butler describes how she began writing at the age of 12 after watching the film ‘Devil Girl From Mars’ and realising that not only could she write a better story than what she had observed but that, in her own words, “anyone can write a better story than that”. ![]() Despite all this, Butlers’ acclaim on the NYT Bestseller list only occurred posthumously after her passing in 2006 and this begs the question - why has it taken so long? Octavia Butler’s genius has been so poignant that she has even had a mountain on the planet Pluto named after her by the International Astronomical Union a gesture which arguably acts as a testimonial to how the novels she created were truly out of this world. Being deemed a ‘bestseller’ by the NYT carries timeless acclaim and holds an enormous weight in the types of recommendations made to readers (and non-readers) in bookstores. ![]() Despite it being mathematically subjective and heavily biased by editorial evaluations, being featured on the list is still highly coveted by many authors because of its commercial influence within the literary world. Unlike certain other best-seller lists which highlight factors such as reviews and collective general sales, the NYT list only reflects the number of books sold at certain bookstores and online retailers in the United States during a given week, and is thus not an objective measure of whether a book necessarily ‘sold the best’. 44 years since she changed what it meant to be a writer and more significantly, a Black writer navigating the realms of dystopian futures in literary novels.Īlthough Butler's work has previously been critically acclaimed - from being the first science fiction author awarded the MacArthur Grant to being inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, until two weeks ago (September 2020), Butler had never figured on the New York Times (NYT) Bestseller list. It has been 44 years since Octavia Butler published her first-ever novel. ![]()
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