Wednesday, November 25, 2009

What's Selling

Writers always want to know what editors are buying, and I'm happy to report that editors seem to be buying again, although very slowly.

I want to underline that fact - they're buying but at a slower pace, and, often, for less than you might have gotten a year ago.

OK, so what's selling is paranormal romance and young adult fiction. And, as I've said countless times, you can never have too many vampire novels, with zombies following close behind. And don't forget to set those paranormal YA romances during the vampire/zombie apocalypse (seriously).

However, it's become increasingly difficult to sell any genre fiction from a male protagonist's perspective, unless he's really hot. But even if he's a really hot teen vampire, it's better to tell the story from a female point of view. If you have a male character, I'd almost suggest that you change the gender of your main character to sell a novel in this climate.

And as far as erotica goes, it is nearly impossible to sell any sexually explicit material from the male point of view, unless it's gay or M/M.

I have never seen a time in publishing where women's tastes have driven the market. I'm hoping that it produces a whole new crop of books that are unique (and profitable for all).

8 comments:

Sherri Cornelius said...

Well that is great news for me! My novel's characters are uniquely (I think) non-human, my protagonist is a strong female, and it could be marketed older YA. Yay!

Bethany Wiggins said...

Wow. Thank you for this. And have a great holiday!

Cathleen Ross said...

Thanks, that was a really interesting post. How is erotica doing? Is that market still selling?
Cathleen Ross

cindystubbs said...

I can't help but think people will suddenly tire of vampires so completely & very soon and that this trend will end like that. Sorry to disagree. I want a heroine who can beat the guys up & trying to think of a reasonable reason why she would be able to do so. WOmen are coming into their own, which is as it should be.

Bekki Lynn said...

Thanks so much. We authos are always asking ourselves, what is really selling? What do the readers want? Is the market over saturated with paranormal and vampires?

I love your blog and appreciate that you keep us informed.

How's the romantic suspense market doing?

Eva said...

Glad to hear it! I'm putting finishing touches on my YA paranormal romance featuring Angels. Good, bad, fallen and otherwise. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for all of your wonderful advice!

Chris Jensen mssproductions@verizon.net said...

I just finished a paranormal romance story and was very relieved to read your post. Now if only I could find an agent...

Kitten Cafe said...

Good rreading