Publishing Trends

I love talking to writers. I mean, I L-O-V-E sitting back and having a conversation with anyone who writes. Unless they're residing in a nuclear bomb shelter, most writers are aware of the current trends in publishing, but, much like the rest of the general public, we have no clue what the future holds.



Since it takes a long time to write a book, it occasionally happens that the market for the book has either cooled or is beginning to cool by the time an editor sees a query for it. What's an author to do?

Well, I think most authors are pretty savvy. They see what books and genres are successful and try to emulate them. Unfortunately, the books in stores reflect last year's trends. It's difficult to know if a genre's popularity has peaked.

If I walked into Target or Walmart today, I'd conclude that the historical romance market is hot--if the only historical period is Regency England. I'd also conclude that vampire romance is hot, that James Patterson releases a new book every other week, and that books about vitamins are in ever-present demand.

Five years ago, I could have walked into the same Target or Walmart and seen romances set in the American West. I might have seen a few historical romances with Vikings. There would have been a slew of contemporary romances, many tongue-in-cheek like Bridget Jones' Diary.

This is where following agents can help an author. Agents who blog often post about what kind of books they would love to see right now. This is your cue to write the information down. Does it mean you have to write a gritty suspense set in Alaska? No. But it might make you tweak the idea for your next novel to fit into a genre agents are looking for.

If you cannot fathom writing anything other than your heart dictates, by all means, write the story. But if the book falls into a lukewarm genre, be prepared to polish it extra shiny, and even then you may end up sitting on it until the trend turns back around.

I don't think writers should chase trends in a desperate attempt to get published. We should nurture our strengths and write books we're best suited to write. However, we shouldn't be afraid of trying something different and expanding our creative wings either. Why make life harder on ourselves by writing books that sold well five years ago but aren't selling at all now, when we could be writing a different genre, a genre that sells, until the climate shifts. Don't give up on your favorite genre, though. Today's ice-cold category is tomorrow's hot trend.

Join me on Friday when we'll discuss author websites.

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