Teenagers and adults across the country have never had a more diverse array of romantic partners available. Zombies, werewolves, angels, ghosts—they're all fair game these days on bookstore shelves. Given the popularity of novels from Anne Rice, Stephenie Meyer, and P.C. and Kristin Cast, among others, as well as a steady stream of guidebooks, it's safe to say that vampires have held readers in their thrall the longest. So it should come as no surprise that a few new dating manuals with crossover appeal aim to teach the lovelorn how to sink their claws into those alluring creatures of the night (rather than vice versa). And surely there are enough vamps to go around: for all the millions of readers swooning over the sparkly, tousled vampires of Twilight, there must be a few who think Nosferatu is kind of cute, right?

The Vampire Is Just Not That into You (Scholastic Paperbacks, Oct.) How to Catch and Keep a Vampire (Sellers Publishing, Oct.) How to Date a Vampire (Octopus Books USA/Spruce, Jan. 2010)
AUTHOR
Vlad Mezrich Diana Laurence Sophie Collins
THE GORY DETAILS
Scholastic developed The Vampire Is Just Not That into You in-house; the entire book was inspired by the title and pseudonymously written by a nine-person team (Quirk Packaging designed the interior). The $7.99 paperback original is printed in black and red and includes quizzes, diagrams (a flow chart helps readers determine if their crush is truly a vampire or just a gamer, goth or emo poser), testimonials and firsthand advice from “Mezrich,” a vampire himself. Laurence “enlisted” the help of not one but seven vampires to put together her dating guide (she has previously published novels and stories with vampire and paranormal romance elements). Cautionary tales from those who have dated vampires, as well as case studies (“My credentials are years of vampire dating experience,” Laurence writes in her intro), are scattered through the paperback, which is aimed more at adults than at vampire-obsessed teenagers. Arriving in January from Octopus Books USA's Spruce imprint (British publisher Octopus is distributed in the U.S. by Hachette), How to Date a Vampire is a full-color, scrapbook-style guide. Quizzes, vampire history and manga-esque cartoon art characterize the paper-over-board title, which also includes diary sections for readers to fill in with details of their vampire romances. Despite its 2010 pub date, Octopus spokesperson Andrea Glickson said the book would be in stores for the holidays.
KILLER ADVICE
Mezrich offers the 10 best places to meet a vampire, from Home Depot (“It's open all night and has all the things you need to make a comfy casket”) to a parapet (“Ideally, the parapet should be stone, decorated with gargoyles, and drenched in shadow”). “Overswooning, much like familiarity, breeds contempt,” Laurence writes. “Spend a day not thinking about your vampire.... Meanwhile, instead of daydreaming about his bite, think about your upcoming trip to visit your cousins in Cleveland.” Envy is one of seven unwelcome conversational “sins” Collins lists: “Jealous of his cool charisma and laid-back look? Tempted to be more like him? Stop! Vamps aren't used to seeing their reflections, so a mirror image of them isn't going to appeal.”