The new haunted mansion film has hit theaters, so I decided to recommend books about such creepy places. I mean, it is a fact universally known that grim grinning ghosts do love to read as well as socialize. Happy hauntings my friends.
What mystery is unfolding in the image below? Write what you think is being uncovered in a short story. Feel free to share links to your story or what your story was in the comments section.
Sometimes love isn’t pretty. To showcase this (and because I have a case of the Mondays) I created two anti-valentine lists. One is centered around films while the other is, of course, literature. Have a bloody good time with them!
Get to know the most popular genres flying off the shelves.
Contemporary Fiction:
Feel good books in realistic settings are making a comeback. Such examples include authors like Rainbow Rowell and Fredrik Backman . Readers are gravitating towards escapist tales grounded in real world settings; they want bubbly books of the ordinary, not cautionary stories mired in tragedy.
Fantasy:
One of the most popular genres to date is fantasy. It is 60 years later and Tolkien‘s Lord of the Ring’s Trilogy (along with its lore) remains popular. Amazon has even debuted an entire series Rings of Power centered around The Silmarillion as a live action TV show for its viewers. If there was one genre of story the public can never seem to get enough of, it is the fantastical. The stranger, loftier, and magical the world you build then the bigger the fan-base you shall eventually garner.
Dystopian:
Surprisingly, science fiction dystopia is a hot topic. Troubling world events such as the pandemic, nuclear crisis, and political turmoil have caused readers to seek out worlds worse than their own. They also want books or series filled with hope; that no matter how dire the circumstance, mankind can prevail. Click here to read a list of new dystopian fiction for 2022.
Romance:
Know of a little Netflix phenomenon called Bridgerton? The sexier version of regency will they/won’t they love triangles? Yes, that show! It’s actually based on a series of novels written by Julia Quinn. As you can see by Bridgerton’s example, romance doesn’t go out of style. Ever. People are, for the most part, romantics at heart. If you can write a decent love story then you can write yourself a place on the shelves of any bookstore.
Historical:
The historical genre can be lucrative for writers. The catch? Not only do you need to research your work well, but whatever story you’re telling must have a unique spin to it. Publishing companies will not want to hear about the Titanic again. Unless your book brings something new about the tragedy to the forefront of the reader’s minds, you better write about an obscure piece of history. A prolific historical author is Erik Larson. Read him if you want to understand how to approach historical non-fiction.
Paranormal:
Making a comeback is paranormal fiction. Readers are gobbling up books containing supernatural elements: Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and witches are at the top of this list. YA fiction is especially pronounced in pushing out books centered around such archetypes. Popular books include Coven, What the Woods Keep, and Mere Mortals.
Thriller:
Ever a fan favorite, thrillers continue to climb the charts. Whether high-octane, suspense driven, or shrouded in dark academic intellectual tones it is a go to for book clubs and solo bookworms alike. The most sought after books seem to be either cozy mysteries or true crime.
