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Originally Posted by Phil Masters
Depends. If you're really going to worry about these distinctions - and frankly they may be below the level of resolution that GURPS can handle comfortably - then the division is between Connoisseur (Literature), which is all about knowing what makes a good book and being able to judge what'll be a hit among readers (perish the thought that these are two completely separate judgements), including of necessity knowing what's been a hit in the past, and Connoisseur (Rare Books), which is about the physical structure of books and the sometimes bizarre cultural history of the publishing industry, including knowing what old rare volumes will sell to the sort of weird collectors who tend to judge a book by its cover and who may have a slightly shaky grasp of the whole idea of good writing.
Both could have a default from Literature, though I'd tend to give Connoisseur (Rare Books) a rather bad default because it's only tangentially related. Connoisseur (Literature) would get a default from Writing - knowing how to perform an art includes knowing what's good work, by definition; Connoisseur (Rare Books) could have a default from Pro Skill (Bookbinding) for some purposes.
Connoisseur (Literature) is handy if you're running a branch of Borders. Connoisseur (Rare Books) is required if you work in the books division of an auction house.
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The way that Connoisseur is defined, it's primarily useful to look at things—in the case of literature, stories and poems—from the perspective of critics and the cultural elite. Its effect on buying and selling is secondary: +1 to Merchant skill. So I would say that what you use to run a bookstore, or pick potential best sellers, or be a literary agent is Merchant (Literary Works), possibly helped by Propaganda or Fast-Talk. Some people will go for Connoisseur skill and the extra +1; others will just buy up the core skill—they won't know anything about "literature" but they'll know what readers will buy. Somebody with Connoisseur (Literature) might point you at John Bellairs, or Garth Nix, or Liz Williams just as well as at Terry Pratchett or J. K. Rowling; they wouldn't be large blips on the radar of someone with Merchant (Literature).
That is, I think there
is a difference between knowing what's a good book and knowing what will sell to readers.
For comparison, Merchant (Roleplaying Games) will tell you to stock up on d20 products, with a sideline in White Wolf. Connoisseur (Roleplaying Games) will make you aware of Diana: Warrior Princess or Nobilis.