Would American readers read a story set in Toronto?

As long as it's not another oil tycoon/hill billy that won't ignite World War 3 in these tremulous times.

 

Of course. American reader will read a story set anywhere, as I believe has been shown by the U.S. best-seller lists. Just make it a good novel.

 

Of course not!

I'm voting for Jeb Bush. He's a civilized fella.

 

That's seems so bizarre to me. Do you think it has to do with the romance-novel-reader market?

Toronto sounds like a great city to put a spy novel in.

 

I, like probably most Americans, know little of Toronto. So whatever you tell me it's a good setting for, I'll believe -- as long as it's a convincing story.

 

Romance in Toronto? Where, High Park? The Beaches? Just kidding.

 

It's now a new genre: gritty romance!

It's a romance without all the bullshit cliques, like Paris, beaches, luxurious restaurants and walks in central park. It's real romance -- how regular folk meet up and experience the realities of relationships.

Now, I would read that.

 

I feel the same way. I was going to write a love story, it probably wouldn't fall under romance. Let's ask @BayView Do stories take on a realistic tone and not have happy endings in romance, or would they fall under literary?

 

Sure wouldn't bother me. I grew up (mostly) in or near Toronto. I'm very familiar with the place - at least, as it was until about 1991.

I'd read a story set in Toronto, of course!

 

I may be ignorant of the facts, but I was under the impression that the British show - The Office, was rewritten by Americans to be set in America with an American cast so as to cater to American audiences.

I guess maybe it includes some 'funny because it's true' humour, which maybe is a specific case where it's useful to match the setting (and the writer) to the audience, but has added to the perception over here that Americans prefer shows set in America.

 

There is a looooong history of swapping shows. You guys bought Who's the Boss from us, recast it, and rebooted it as The Upper Hand. Regardless, TV is not books. TV in America is pap for the masses. It's not to be confused with literature.

 

That't true. I've never heard of literature audiences wanting their native setting for their books.

 

Humor is also very often dependent on the viewer being culturally informed. I get a huge kick out of watching Russell Howard's Good News because he's the funniest little blond man-boy ever, but I have to constantly pause the show to look up the British celebs, politicians and happenstance in reference because that information just doesn't filter over to us. Our media machine is into exporting, not importing.

And.... though The Office is not a very good example of the following... often, I think that shows are rebooted for American audiences because American audiences have been trained to only ever see very, very, very pretty people on the tellie. There was no reason to reboot Shameless for American audiences, other than to populate it with ridiculously beautiful people living on the wrong side of the tracks. *shrug* The British original show had more "real people" looking actors.

 

You get that in PR? Cool!

 

Nope. Forced to Youtube it. I have a gang of UK pals on facebook who keep me abreast of what's what on UK TV.

Mongrels, now that was a show.



Also, this right here would NEVER be allowed on American network TV. Seriously. Never.

 

I think that The Office is to some extent a special case, for the reasons that I think you're suggesting. The humor depends heavily on what's normal, kinda abnormal, and off-the-scale abnormal. That depends on a specific etiquette and set of societal rules. I was interested to see that there's also a French and German version.

I think that some Americans might be uncomfortable with a novel set in a society that they really don't understand at all. But Toronto is close enough that it shouldn't be an issue.

And, sadly, a fair percentage of Americans may not realize that Toronto is not a city in the United States...

 

Realistic is fine, but you need that Happily Ever After if you want it to be a Romance. The romance gods have declared it so.

 

The same ones who tell me on eBay, "Yes, I'll ship to Puerto Rico, but you have to pay in U.S. dollars."

And here I was going to pay in clam shells.....

 

That reminds me... How are clam shells holding up these days? Been wondering about that for awhile now.

Anyways...

I have no problem reading a story in a different country or watching shows for that matter.

 

It has been my experience that books sell better in countries they are set in, even if the country it is set in is not the intended audience.

 

Have a look in the news. It's not a good time to invest in PR clam shell.

 

Puerto Rico is like the Greece of the Caribbean.

 

I like Daniel Silva's books, and that series takes place mostly in Italy and Israel. I don't think most readers care about the setting if the story's good enough.

 

Oh lord look at all the Jason Bourne books they are all over the place and they are top sellers.