Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is credited for starting a book-reading craze across the nation

From Jill Brooke
CNN Showbiz Today

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Top-ten writers like Stephen King and John Grisham have always enjoyed great success, but now more and more lesser-known writers are finding readers from an unexpected source -- talk show hosts.

Media personalities like Oprah Winfrey and Don Imus have suddenly made reading fashionable.

"The bestseller list is populated by a lot of exciting literature right now. That wasn't the case five or 10 years ago," literary agent Molly Friedrich said.

Many credit Winfrey with the change in attitude toward reading. In a departure from the usual talk show format, the daytime TV star started a book club on her self-titled show.

After she recommended "The Deep End of the Ocean," the book became an instant bestseller, as did Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison's "Beloved" and Wally Lamb's "I Know This Much is True."

For an author, getting on Oprah's list has become the literary equivalent of winning the lottery.

But "Jewel" author Brett Lott said he thinks the readers win too. "There's now a literary market out there for books that have deeper meaning and deeper humanity that people wouldn't normally read," said Lott.

Radio personality Don Imus has created his own book award

The original printing for "Jewel" was 19,000. Now 650,000 copies of this Winfrey recommendation are in print.

Oprah is not the only media force boosting book sales. Imus not only discusses books, he put his money where his mouth is.

The radio show host assembled a $250,000 book award for four writers.

"Unknown writers need exposure more than anything else and I think Imus' book award helps, it encourages people to buy and read books," said Ruth Oseki, author of "My Year in Meats."

Many people get overwhelmed in a book store and don't know which book to choose. But fans of these shows are also fans of the hosts and trust them to make selections they would like.

It is a win-all-around situation for authors, readers, publishers and book sellers.

Book sellers have picked up on reader indecision and have started staff recommendation sections to make choosing a book easier for readers. Retailers have found that when readers come to a store to buy a recommended book, they often leave with one or two other books as well.

Though the source of this increase in readers was unexpected, no one in the book industry is complaining.