Now Trending: What's In, and Out in Fiction
So, you decided to write that first novel. Congratulations, and you have my sympathy.
You are about to embark on an adventure that is equal parts euphoric adrenaline rush, and more painful than dental surgery sans sedation.
What’s your story about? Or are you trend conscious, waiting to see the next wave of literature roll in before you settle on subject matter?
If you haven’t crossed that literary bridge yet, behold some recent trends in writing, publishing and readership.
A best-selling romance novelist says, “One thing I see coming back in a huge way is sci-fi and fantasy romance. I think readers are…overwhelmed with the same old rom com with similar fonts, colors and titles. I say bring on other genres – a great palette cleanser for 2018.”
If you want to write Young Adult fiction, add a little math into the mix, as YA books will feature more hands-on activities to educate kids about STEM fields. Editors at Scholastic predict “More books will celebrate strong female characters.” There will also be more demand for kid-friendly non-fiction. And in keeping with the film sequel trend, iconic series and characters will return in new stories, and similar to adult fiction, will get a dose of fantasy – to counterbalance the drip, drip, drip of reality in our news cycle – YA will be populated with magical creatures who provide an adventure to a different world.
Are you sick of looking at screens? If you have a fabulous visual sense, you might consider crafting a visual book, combining written word and photos, or art. Think of a coffee table book. Then produce one. According to Tacshe publishing, this literary eye candy is sold in stores like Neiman Marcus, pointing to the high status of these books as both luxury, and object of beauty.
Non-Fiction books continue to dominate the market: Witness the success of these titles: Hillbilly Elegy, The Zookeeper’s Wife and Hidden Figures, and Walter Isaacson’s Leonardo Da Vinci. Not to mention the avalanche of titles from politicians: Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Joe Biden, Barach Obama, and Madeleine Albright (and that’s just scratching the surface) as well as the writers who cover them: Joshua Green’s Devil’s Bargain, and or Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury. So, unless you’re a prominent politician or journalist, it’s doubtful your non-fiction work will get much notice. Just sayin'.
Given my gluttonous consumption of CNN, MSNBC, BBC, besides a few print/online sources I’d take a break, and go with Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. If I only had that much time.
Another sign of migration to non-fiction: A notable novelist has thrown her hat into the memoir book bin: Amy Tan writes about her traumatic childhood, and complicated relationship with her father in Where the Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir.
In light of the #MeToo movement, many novels will continue with a protagonist with a strong female point of view. A segment of my own novel, which was written a few years ago, takes up this very theme. In light of successful films like Wonder Woman, and the excellent TV series, Jessica Jones, female empowerment will be a prominent theme, at least for the time being.
Trends come and go. One Greater Boston bookseller tells me “…we love watching trends… but it's always a post-mortem, meaning we can only see it once it has happened.”
They continued, referencing the elephant in the room, given this news cycle.
“The one recent obvious trend is a small decline in fiction, since the news is full of fiction of late. I know fiction writers are struggling to feel relevant in the wash of stories people are digesting every day. Just saw that publishers bought fewer debut novels last year as a result.” But, that'll bounce at some point, I think.”
If you are crafting a strategy, rather than story to reflect trends, or to feel 'marketable' or 'relevant, start writing what you know, what you care about, and what feels emotionally resonant. That’s the story you need to tell, and one that ultimately resonates with your reader.
Who knows, you may start a trend.
