Can books gain as much hype as movies or games?

[Depression Moon]

One of the things I love most in life are books. They bring me into another world and broaden my mind giving me knowledge the give stories on a level that a lot of movies can't. With so many books being so great and all, do you think we'll ever see the day when books and novels will gain as much hype as upcoming movies, TV shows, music albums, and video games? The last person to do this to a certain level was JK Rowling but since she's finished with the series there's nothing else for readers to get into. I hope that one day novels will attain as much recognition as the mediums from above.

[I Don't Need A Name]

i love books.
i got in a debate one time where some guy was like 'books cant surprise you or get you excited, they are just boring'
well its obvious he cant read
you gotta love em

[scrumpleberry]

Lack of hype doesn't really stop you from enjoying a good book.

[El Bandito]

The Da Vinci Code
Middlesex
Kite Runner
Life of Pi
Water For Elephants

All of those books off the top of my head received tremendous amounts of hype. Maybe not as much on TV, but by word of mouth everyone around me couldn't stop talking about them once they came out. Even people who didn't read books ended up reading and raving about some of them.

[Heath]

I think the Harry Potter books certainly provide evidence that books can receive as much hype, if not more, than many films and computer games. They are, obviously, a rather special case. I think that a lot of books receive hype such as when a particularly acclaimed author releases a new book (Stephen King, for instance) but beyond the more popular authors, books only tend to receive hype in specific literary or thematic circuits. I don't think that reflects badly upon books, but when it comes to getting people hyped up about them being released, it just isn't that widespread.

However when a book is released and gets good reviews by critics of television personalities (such as Oprah or Richard & Judy), the book obviously receives a certain boost in popularity and undoubtedly creates hype about a certain book or author. However it's important to remember that hype is no guarantee or quality and that even if books get more or less exposure in future, I'm sure there will still be a consistent stream of good books in the future. Even if the only way you find out about them is from word of mouth or from reading book reviews in newspapers or something.

[Ouch!]

A Dance with Dragons better live up to the hype. D=<

[Avarice-ness]

The books with the most hype end up movies, so yeah. It depends on how much spotlight is given to a book, if the book sells well and has the fanbase and funds, they'll make a movie and essentially when that movie does well other movies tend to follow suit in the same general "genre" because they know people will go see it.

So in that sense, many books actually influence the hype of movies and games.

[Germ Hamee]

A Dance with Dragons better live up to the hype. D=<

Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines. George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books gain a tremendous amount of hype in the fantasy community every time there's a new book released. It's not anywhere near the level of hype Harry Potter received, but it's up there.

[Breine]

Hyped books of the top of my head:

- The Harry Potter series
- The Da Vinci Code
- The Kite Runner

.. sure, books can gain as much hype as movies and games, if in some cases not more.

[Garnie]

i have a Harry Potter book addiction!
i can't help it!
;_____;

[Depression Moon]

Hyped books of the top of my head:

- The Harry Potter series
- The Da Vinci Code
- The Kite Runner

.. sure, books can gain as much hype as movies and games, if in some cases not more.

I don't believe there was any hype for the Davinci Code it was more of controversy because of the whole religious thing. Harry Potter's passed like I said, I never heard of the Kite Runner so that says something.

[DK]

A Dance with Dragons better live up to the hype. D=<

Of course it will.

[Ouch!]

A Dance with Dragons better live up to the hype. D=<

Of course it will.

The series always exceeds my wildest imaginings, but A Feast for Crows set a new level of awesome using the crappiest characters in the series. A Dance with Dragons is going to be flipping epic.

[Breine]

Hyped books of the top of my head:

- The Harry Potter series
- The Da Vinci Code
- The Kite Runner

.. sure, books can gain as much hype as movies and games, if in some cases not more.

I don't believe there was any hype for the Davinci Code it was more of controversy because of the whole religious thing. Harry Potter's passed like I said, I never heard of the Kite Runner so that says something.

Nope, there was hype.. but it probably got all of the hype because it was controversial. It was some kind of a mix between the two.

And also, not everybody knows who Angelina Jolie is, but that doesn't make her any less famous - meaning, that just because you haven't heard of "The Kite Runner" it doesn't mean it wasn't hyped.

[Ouch!]

The Kite Runner was over-hyped as some life-changing story that would forever shift my perspective on the world around me.

Bull.