What makes something a trend? It's no secret that retailers and designers glom on to what's popular and create their own version of what's trending to appease fashionistas. Are readers treated the same way when when it comes to books?
As I’ve been finishing up my third novel, Finding Bliss, I’ve been
interested in what’s trending in books these days…and does it really matter?
I looked up a few articles online, because I wanted to see what
people had predicted for 2012, and if they were right. Here’s one I found from
Bookmark Radio:
“The most popular book categories for 2012 will include
Mystery Thrillers, Economics, Political Biography and Alternative Health. But
Self-Help/Psychology will loom as the
most popular category as many of us try to stay grounded after having been
uncorked by the sustained recession!”
Well, I’m not sure they were entirely spot on, but who could
have predicted the success of Fifty Shades and friends. Oh my!
Here are Amazon’s top ten best sellers for 2012:
Fifty Shades Freed: by E.L. James
Gone Girl: by Gillian Flynn
Fifty Shades Trilogy: by E.L. James
Bared to You: by Sylvia Day
No Easy Day: Kevin Maurer, Mark Owen
The Marriage Bargain: Jennifer Probst
Reflected in You: Sylvia Day
The Racketeer: John Grisham
Defending Jacob: William Landay
The Innocent: David Baldacci
In a Huffington Post article about the above list, Amazon.com's
editorial director, Sara Nelson made the following statement:
“This was truly
the year of the billionaire bad boy in romance—Amazon readers just couldn’t get
enough of the genre.”
So, does that mean readers have had enough of him now? Will the
vampire resurface and claim his throne as king of romance? These are things I
think about; although they don’t necessarily mean I should change what I do. I
write contemporary romance/women’s fiction. My books are character driven, and
(hopefully) relatable when it comes to relationships both romantic and
familial. I write with a sense of wit, and tend to use a lot of dialogue in my
scenes because I love writing dialogue.
Should it matter to me that erotica and mysteries are
the most popular recent genres? Should I abandon what I’m doing and write
outside of my comfort zone? Uh, no. I enjoy reading erotica, but if I attempted to write
one of those love scenes, my inexperience in that arena (the writing, of
course) would be painfully obvious.
That being said, I would LOVE to write a mystery. I’m a long
time fan of James Patterson, John Grisham and Ann Rule. Being able to craft a
psychological thriller would be immensely rewarding. One day maybe…
So, with that being said, I’d be interested in hearing your
opinions. What sort of books do you read? Do you read outside of your normal
genre just because a book is popular? I know I do. I guarantee you I would’ve never
picked up The Hunger Games had it not been such a chart topper. There’s nothing
about the description of that book that interested me in the least, but I ended
up reading the trilogy and thoroughly enjoying the ride.
And as an author, do you write what’s trending? Does it
matter to you? Do you write what you enjoy reading? Or do you approach your
craft differently altogether?
Please share your thoughts!
Great post, Dina! As a reader I never read the same thing all the time and an author, I tend to genre-jump. Rita Hayworth's Shoes is a rom-com and The Girl, the Gold Tooth & Everything I guess is more of a psychological drama. My current WIPs don't necessarily fall into either of those categories. I never seem to hit the "hot" category but I imagine if I keep "sampling" as I do, perhaps one day? It's not really why I "jump"--I just have a lot of interests I guess. Looking forward to your new book. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOoh, you should definitely write a mystery one day!!!!! I'd read it. :)
ReplyDeleteI read all kinds of books, but I usually steer clear of really popular books because I have this misguided, noble idea that under-the-radar authors need my support more than a bestselling writer...then again, I did read Bossypants over Christmas break, and loved it.
As a writer, I just write what feels FUN to write. Probably to my detriment. LOL
On the advice of my lovely agent, I never try to follow trends when writing. I stick to the books I want to write and those my fans want to read.
ReplyDeleteI do think, though, that it's great to branch out into other genres (you should Definitely write a mystery, Dina!). It exercises our writing muscles and is a lot of fun :-))