People like crime novels
8th April 2017 | for Creatives | reading, crime, mystery, writing, reaching your audience, Jonathan Kellerman |
"I once asked a fan who was a homicide cop, 'Why do you even read this? Isn't it a busman's holiday?' He said, 'Jon, I get the bad guy 70 percent of the time. You get him 100 percent of the time.' People like crime novels because they give a certain sense of—I hate to use the words, but—closure and finality. To some extent that's why people latch onto forensics, and shows like 'CSI' are so popular. DNA, whiz-bang science."
Similar for Creatives
People want to read varied perspectives
"People want to read varied perspectives and a lot of publishers and agents who wouldn't take a chance before are finally responding."
the kind of stories that you'd love to read
"Write the kind of stories that you'd love to read, not what you think will please other people or the market in general. If you love it, there's a good chance that others will too, and those readers will tell their friends."
Stories pushed beyond the limits
"I believe in sending characters down fearful paths. Stories pushed beyond the limits of comfort stick in readers' imaginations."
The biggest seller of books is still word of mouth
"I'm inspired when I literally can't put a book down. I'll leave the dishes in the sink. I'll bore friends and family talking about people they don't know and situations they've never read. In short, I'm pitching to everyone around me. If a book connects with me to that extent, it will connect with others. The biggest seller of books is still word of mouth, and the most successful books are those people can't stop talkinga about, agents included."