06 Jul 2011 03:55:24
Stephenie Meyer's blend of vegetarian vampires and teenage lusts might have made her a bestseller around the world but UK readers at least aren't too keen to hang on to her Twilight novels, with the Mormon author joining the list of authors most donated to Oxfam shops for the first time.
Meyer makes her debut in fourth place, the charity revealed this morning, behind Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown – who tops Oxfam's most-donated chart for the third year running – Ian Rankin and Jeremy Clarkson. American horror writer Stephen King also enters the line-up of authors most donated to Oxfam's 685 shops over the past year for the first time, as do thriller powerhouse James Patterson and Jackie Collins, queen of the bonkbuster.
The charity revealed a certain amount of crossover between the books people most want to buy and those they are unwilling to keep, with Meyer also in fourth place in its bestseller charts, joint with prolific fantasy author Terry Pratchett. Stieg Larsson's Swedish thrillers took the late author to the top of Oxfam's bestselling authors chart, with chick lit writer Sophie Kinsella – creator of the Shopaholic books – in second place and Brown in third. Joanna Trollope, Alexander McCall Smith and Mills & Boon titles all entered the charity's bestseller list for the first time this year, with last year's chart-topper, Rebus creator Rankin, falling by the wayside.
Although she makes nothing from the sale of her books through charity shops, Trollope, author of The Choir, The Rector's Wife and most recently Daughters-in-Law, said she was "very gratified" at the news. "Their bookshops are most impressive - for the careful condition of the books as well as for the huge range of titles," said the writer. "I am so pleased to think that sales of my books are helping to support the vital work that Oxfam does."
"We're really grateful to everyone who donates their books to Oxfam, and it's fun to see how our most donated list changes year by year. This year Stephenie Meyer has joined the list at number four, but she is also fourth most sold so it's great to see that people are bringing us the books that shoppers are coming in to buy," said Oxfam's trading director David McCullough. "Oxfam is hoping to attract even more people into our shops and bookshops over the next two weeks to take part in Oxfam's annual Bookfest – the UK's largest book festival."
