Current Project: DECEIVEDStatus: Chapter 3
I recently got an email from a reader who said she enjoyed my book and thought it was "so great to find a new contemporary author on the scene that's not writing vampires". Her comment made me smile, but it also made me think about the industry. What's overdone. What's not done enough. What's too risky for mass market and what's cutting edge enough to hit it big. You never know, do you?
My editor commented on her blog a while back that she's tired of reading about demons. I sat in on several publisher spotlights last year at RWA national and they all said "no more vampires" and yet Stephenie Meyer's vampires are all the rage right now. Book trends tend to hit long before Hollywood trends, but still CIA, FBI, serial killer and forensic crime scene analysis books are hot even with the surge in popular TV shows like CSI. So how do you make your book different enough to draw attention, but not too different to be outside what the industry's buying?
Jennifer Ashley has a new historical coming out that I'm dying to read. It features a hero with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. This is a totally different take on an historical, and I can't wait to see how she handles it. Still your traditional historical, but with something slightly cutting-edge or different.
Starting in May, S.J. Day has a new kick-ass heroine series with a unique take on the paranormal that involves religion. According to the blurb, she's "Cursed by God, hunted by demons, desired by Cain and Abel."What trends are you tired of seeing in books? What's overdone in the market? And what would you like to see more of? Any books you're looking forward to reading in the next few months?
5 comments:
I am looking forward to a couple of new releases this summer, both a part of individual mystery series I've followed for years. Plus I have Genene's book to read and yours will come out in August...
I don't imagine it will come as a surprise to anyone that I don't think too much about trends. Every vampire book written since about three years ago was written under the caveat of it won't sell and yet as you say, sell they do. There's always room if the story is unique and captures the imagination. Trying to follow trends is tricky as the trends shift and change so fast.
The books you mentioned both sound very interesting. I hope they're as good as you anticipate. I'd like to read both of them (they should hire you for publicity...)
I like a really good story, something that grabs me and keeps me, but my reading has really gotten lazy this last year and I think it's because I'm writing so much. I hope that's it because I seem to have an inexhaustible tolerance for rereading books and that's rather alarming.
Fun blog!
Well, vampires are way over done now and I'm sick of them. Even Kresley's stuff isn't thrilling anymore.
Like Alice, I really don't think too much about trends either, but...
It seems a lot of Greek Mythology type stuff is showing up on TV. Like that new show on ABC "Cupid". It's a really cute show. I watch it on-line which means I must like it since I have to seek it out. But, I've not read any Greek Mythology novels; although, I plan to read yours. :)
I think there are too many "cop" books or, like you said, "CIA, FBI, serial killer and forensic crime scene analysis books" out there. IMHO
ABC has a new show called... 'The Unusuals' It's a great show. It's different. It's showing the police force in a different light. More of what humans really are capable of and how it spills over into every part of their life, professional or not. It's great. Cop show with a totally fresh twist. FINALLY! And I HATE COP SHOWS! If someone wrote a book about the lives of the characters, but kept the crimes to a minimum, I'd love those books.
The Jennifer Ashley's book sounds very interesting as I have a bit of the Aspies going on in my own family. I can't wait to read it to see what her take on A.S. is.
But... The one by S.J. Day doesn't appeal to me at all. I'm not into demons/demon slayers/cursed by God stuff. I think people should leave God out of it.
I think it's just a matter of 'what's up your alley' when it comes to reading books. I still like to read Chick-Lit once in a while, and Regency's are still appealing to me if they're by my favorite authors.
Really, for me, what it boils down to is if the writer has a fantastic voice or not. Then the story can be about pretty much any subject and I'll give it a try. *Well, not horror* LOL
I'm (obviously) looking forward to the rest in your Stolen series because I loved the first one and need to see the other character's lives play out. :)
For me, I stick with the voice of authors I know and love. I have my favorites and I don't stray too far from them unless someone else really loves an author and highly recommends them. It's not so much about trends, but voice. Like Kresley, for instance, I'll keep reading her books, even if they're still about vampires because I love her voice. :)
Hopefully this all makes sense. LOL
Great blog, Eli! And good questions, too. What I love about publishing today is that the sky's the limit and imaginations are running wild. OMG, if you can dream it, you can write a story about it and if it's good, it will be published. I love it! It's been a long time coming.
Vamps and weres were never my thing, but I did take notice when authors started coloring them outside the lines. There are a few I've enjoyed, but I admit to being tired of them. Still, I'll give anything a chance if the story itself sounds interesting enough, and if the characters are compelling.
I have a number of friends with recent book deals for their series. One is about reapers (YA), another is steampunk set in the wild west (adult), one is an Asian fantasy (YA), one is reincarnation (adult), another is about the djinn (YA), and one is about occult gang wars with a mob sorceress (adult). So you can see by these recent buys (there've been something like 3 a month by folks I know since January) that there's some fresh and unusual projects getting picked up with pub dates set for 2010 and 2011.
The books on the shelves now were bought a year to a year and a half ago. Lots of vamp and zombie (ugh) stories. I think they'll continue to be popular because certain readers just love them. Not me, but there's so much other stuff that I'm not complaining.
I love fantasy and science fiction, especially if it uses real issues in the plot like racism, pollution, genetic engineering, infertility, or drug abuse to name only a few. Real life problems with a paranormal twist. One of my favorite TV shows in the 90s that lasted only one season was Alien Nation. Fantastic originality covering all major human issues and applying them to an alien species that crash-landed on earth who were assimilated into human society. I recently bought the DVDs and the episodes are even better than I remember.
I like this weird stuff because it stimulates my mind because it's different. It challenges me to think. I haven't seen the Unusuals yet, but I know I'd like it and will try to catch it the next time it's on. I hate the typical cop shows, but I like CSI, The Mentalist, Lie to Me (the best show EVER!) and Bones. These are all based on cop shows, but very different from the shoot 'em up SVU, Law & Order and Homicide. Blah.
What was the question again? *snort*
Glad you didn't ask me this question directly, Eli! I'm neither a trend follower or a trend setter. And the last couple years have been lean ones as far as me reading as I was wrapped up in my own writing and promotion.
I'm back to reading more now--hooray! But it will take me awhile to catch up and get tired of a trend. I always love to read books by authors I know and, as Karen mentioned, I really like that books with unusual topics are being published more.
Karen-- I LOVE Lie to me!! It's soooo good!! Tim Roth is amazing in this show. The concept is so interesting and fun. That one is very fresh. Oh, and Dollhouse is fun to watch too. Guess I've been watching too many on-line shows lately. LOL
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