I'm a creative writing teacher in Turkey, and have been debating putting some time and effort in writing a book purely for profit, rather than art. Whore that I am. As the title of the thread betrays - I'm looking for a genre: which is the most popular..? I suspect horror, but I'm only guessing. I'm also debating on style. I have a large and obscure vocabulary, and a love of tortuous grammar, neither of which I presume will endear me to the average punter. So, "The cat sat on the mat." Or, "The feline reclined languidly upon the kilim."..? Does dumb sell better than complex..? And finally. How long..? A three-hundred page one-off..? A thousand-page monster like "A suitable boy"..? A never-ending series..? I'm not looking for an extended sociological debate - just a point in the right direction.
The Spartan, Romance sells. According to a number of publishing statistics, it's the one genre that seems to be on the increase while others tread water or lose overall readership. Mystery and Action seem to be doing okay, but Romance is what you're probably looking for with the stated goal in your post. As to style etc., I have no clue since I don't read or write romance. Terry
true, romance always sells... and sells well enough to housewives and career gals, but not as mainstream best-sellers... plus, the major romance imprints have incredibly detailed, very strict guidelines that must be followed, or your ms won't even be read... which won't allow you much, if any creative satisfaction... if you're looking to make a name for yourself, the steadiest, biggest sellers seem to be thrillers... whether political, international intrigue, courtroom, or borderline sci-fi, they're always the best bet for one who wants to hit the fastest-flowing part of that mainstream... the kind of stuff crichton, grisham, cussler and cook write... style-wise, don't be foolish and either dumb down or fancify your own 'voice'... as long as it's reader-friendly and not overblown, write the way you write best, not the way you think you should... forcing your voice to take on a 'foreign accent' will just result in a mess that won't ring true to anyone... re size, as an unknown noob, you'd be wise to stick to the preferred optimum for a first novel, around 100k words... much shorter won't be of any interest to most presses and much longer can wait till you've made a few sales... best of luck... let us know what you decide to write, willya?... love and hugs, maia
Don't mean to sound cliche, but as it goes... sex sells. In literature as well as in everything else. Watered-down, romance does well as well. I encourage you to write what you're best in rather than what "sells" though. That's always best.
Dan Brown never claimed it was true. It's like me going up to Tolkien, taking him hostage, and asking, "Where's middle earth... tell me, you old bag!"
Hmmm. Well, sex, sex, more sex, gang sex with vamps and weres (a la Laurell K. Hamilton) and sex. Paranormal erotica, fantasy and cliched romances, to name a few more.
In the end, targeting a specific market and writing in a particular style or with "popular/trendy" content won't help if the story and quality of writing isn't up to par. Terry
Vivid violent scences and sex. Always sells, even if it knocks the reader sick. Something based around a conspiracy (like the Da Vinci Code) sells too.
Sorry for the delay in replying - forgot my password and had trouble getting another. Anyway, thankyou all for your suggestions - I will start the Romantic/thriller/'real-life-story'/hardcoresex/death/splatterpunk/vampire novel tomorrow. Wish me luck.
