What Is NOT in right now!

OK, so you want trends? I can't give you those. What I can tell you are things that people are not really buying right now, or if they are, you dang well better bring something TOTALLY amazing. 

Mafia Dark Romances are going out of style - This is according to my 20 year old daughter who is a voracious reader and lives on BookTok! Can  you spin it? I think so, but you better bring something new.

Romantasy? - Right now, there is really only one big name author who has the market going. Another is trying hard to hold on but the readers on BookTok (thank you daughter) has said they don't care about the new books). At this point, everyone has done nothing but copy previous book stories, plots and trope. WE ARE EXHAUSTED!!!!!

Historicals - These are just a plain hard sell right now. Bridgerton killed the market. Readers today, I hate to say it, are not intellectual (yes, I know that sounds bad but they like easy fast reads with not a whole lot going on). I personally think that if you do Historicals it needs to be in WWII and more of a women's fiction spin but...

Women's Fiction - Sorry but mentioning Colleen Hoover is probably not the best approach right now. I am not saying she is a bad author, but... the drama she brings might not be what you want to attach to your stories. People want stories for their book clubs that they want to talk about. Do they want drama. NO, and I say that out loud! Oh, and here is a hint. Not every husband has to cheat on their marriage to get the story going.

New Adult - College kids sleeping around is a thing. I get it! But does this really make a great story? Um no. I wrote about this once before. What is the take away? If you want to do something like this, make sure you have a real message here. 

Now, here is my list of things I still do not like:

• I don't like band/rock star stories
• DO NOT pitch me duel POV stories
• If it is a time travel, the time travel MUST be integral to the storyline
• Don't pitch a Christmas story unless you are already an established Harlequin, Tule, or Hallmark author.
• Don't tell me your story is one thing and then change it when you submit. BE HONEST!

Taking Advantage of Networking Opportunities

In today's world, success is all about networking. It is about who you know and about getting your name out there. If you think about it, how many of you have heard friends getting jobs because of a friend making a connection for them. Heck, that was the original purpose of social media sites such as LinkedIn. As an author, this is something you need to invest in.

Unfortunately, too many authors simply do not do this. Part of the reason is that writing really is a solitary activity. Writers sit in their offices, working away on their laptops with their only friends being their characters on the page. The only time they may interact with someone is their critique group (if they have one) and their editors and agents (if they have those people). Outside of that, they are alone. 

Still, they are going to have to step out of that bubble and talk to people. The amazing part is, you never know where those people might show up. I remember someone talking early on with my work at Greyhaus mention this. If your neighbors don't know you are an author, you are already missing out. Sure, you might think that is TMI, but hey, if they know you are a writer, that is at least one more person who might read your book and post a review. They can be a part of "your street team." OK, I do get it when you might write erotica and you don't want you pre-school parents to know this, so leave them out, but tell everyone else.

Here is another example. One of my writers just got back from a small cruise. She was attending a chocolate and liquor tasting (OK, I want to be invited!!!!) and she started chatting with people around the table and her being a writer came up. So.... she tossed out her name but no one at the table knew her name. That's fine, there are a ton of writers out there. But then they asked for some titles to read so she tossed out a couple of titles that are doing really well and one of the women pulled out her phone. Lo and behold, one of the books was on her TBR pile at home. BINGO! NAILED IT!!!! She now has a new Reviewer! This woman had read several of her books and had loved the stories! They connected and they are off and running. 

Now here is an example of a failed networking situation. In one of my UCLA classes, I had two USA TODAY Bestselling Authors taking my class (they were doing so to get some ideas for an outside project they were working on). These two authors openly told the other class members who they were. I kept mentioning this is a great way to connect!

And no one did. 

Bummer. 

Did I? You better believe it!!!!!

The key is to keep your ears open and don't be afraid to ask. Who knows what might land in your lap! 

Why Are You Writing Your Book? What Is Your Take Away?

There are so many times when I have started reading a book, and simply put it down and asked a simple one word question - "Why?" No, it was not, "Why on earth did this author think this story was a good idea?" although yes, that has crossed my mind a lot. It is more of "Why am I reading this?" Or, maybe the better question is, "What is the big take-away?"

This is a concept a lot of business people use in meetings or when looking at proposals. What do you want me to take away from this concept? As I walk out of the room, or leave this Zoom call, what do you want me to leave with? 

The same can be said with a book. It doesn't matter if it is to be a humorous book or a serious book. It can be a romance or a thriller. An author needs to have something that is going to guide the reader through the story. No, just simply saying you want them to have fun is not it. We are talking about a hidden message that maybe only the author is aware of. It doesn't even have to be stated.

Over the weekend, I was reading a book that was pretty well written. Now, when I say pretty well written, I am not saying it was blow my socks off written. I was there reading it and I kept flipping the pages so something was going well. Characters were fine. Writing was fine. Plot was Ok. (I haven't finished it yet so I will have to let you know later). At this point, I'm giving it a B-ish grade???? (maybe????) Yes, I know there are a ton of question marks but it is early.

And......

I am stuck with that single question of the big WHY?

I think there MIGHT be a why in the story, but I am not sure. Because I am a literature major I can pretty much create a theme in almost anything so I have to be cautious when I am in a situation like this. It is the responsibility of the author. 

This "take away" by the way, is really what builds your "high concept" of your story. And no, you cannot make this up after you have written your story, which is why I am sitting here with this book struggling with wondering if I am trying to force that take away and why on a book that doesn't have one.

So, why do you need it? This why gives your story meaning. It gives yours story purpose. The why gives every action and every scene in the story a reason for existence. For most writers, you are just putting things in your story to move to the next scene or to add word count. That creates a lifeless story, and yes, to rejections.

Your homework? Do you have a why?

Don't Try To Write For Everyone!

You Can't Please Everyone!

OK, we all want to try and do this, but the reality is, it is completely impossible to please everyone out there. This is especially true when it comes to writing. You have heard me say this here, but writing and publishing is completely subjective. You know this even if you as writers often want to deny it when you submit stories to editors and agents. 

Think about it. When you have a friend hand you a book they totally loved and you start reading it and start questioning your friendship because of this book. What on earth were they thinking. This book is complete garbage. That, my friends is the subjectivity I am talking about. 

So, with that said, when you are writing your novel, quit trying to please everyone. Focus on YOUR audience. Yes, this does mean you need to do some market analysis and know who your market is, but that is who you have to focus on. It is that simple. This means, if you are an Inspirational Romance author then focus on that group. I don't care if what is hot right now in other genres might be dark romance, or romantic comedies, or even romantasy, stick to what YOUR group wants to hear. Don't leave your lane!

Another way I see people trying to do this is when they think "cross genre writing" will take care of everything. The issue here is you are not going to bring in people, you will actually drive off your readers. You can't say "My book is a historical, romance with a science fiction/fantasy feel that is part erotica but also will speak to those looking for a Christian message." Ummm, excuse me? Not going to happen. All you have here is a huge mess.

The same goes for your marketing of your books. You need to only focus on marketing in a way that your people will respond to. You should also only spend your effort marketing on platforms that they will be seeing your message. Consider this. If your audience is primarily an older audience, do you really think they will be learning the latest dance on TikTok? Probably not, so why would you be out there filming reels? This is a waste!

Just stick to one area and focus. You might be surprised at the success you will see!