Thursday, March 16, 2017

3 More “Hot” Amazon Subgenres or Trends?

Note from Edie. Neither Cyle nor I is advocating writing in some of these trends. The purpose behind this post is to make sure we've got our eyes wide open to the trends swirling around in the publishing waters. 

by Cyle Young 
@CyleYoung


Every few months it seems that the hot genres, subgenres, and trends changeover. Some previous trends cool off, while others heat up.

There is a significant correlation between popular movies and television show release dates and the desire for readers to purchase books of similar style, content, and feel.

After examining what’s selling right now and testing it against what editors are looking for, I have found that these 3 trends are hot across the publishing industry right now. I’m not advocating that you write any of the genres or subgenres listed, but it’s always good to be aware of what’s going on in the industry.

Space Opera
The Space Opera trend is innately a science fiction trend. Space Opera books deal with stories entirely set in outer space. They can range from tales of galactic conquest to thriller/horror books like Aliens.

One thing is true about the “hot” books in the space opera trend. Those books embrace the tropes. A lone battleship captain, up against all odds, a mercenary crew, a vile plot to overthrow the galactic government, and more.

If you love writing science fiction this trend may be for you. I recommend reading some of the authors who are selling very well to discover the tropes in the niche. Try reading: Nick Webb, Daniel Arenson, Chris Fox

Dark Romance
The definition of a dark romance varies from person to person, but one thing is consistent, these books are gritty, raw, unfiltered, and push the envelope of acceptability to an uncomfortable extreme. These books can span every subgenre of romance and almost always hold a risqué edge.

Why is this trend so popular right now? You can thank the 50 Shades of Grey phenomena. Its sequel recently released, which dredged up more interest in dark romance.

Even though this may not be a subgenre for all writers, sales are flourishing and new books are releasing in dark romance every day.

YA - LGBT
Hold on before you get frustrated that I might be telling you to write LGBT stories, I’m not. What I am sharing is that the LGBT trend has hit publishing in full stride. Dozens of large traditional publishers are seeking LGBT manuscripts from Children’s picture books through adult. But right now, the hottest market for this seems to be in YA.

How do you embrace this trend in the Christian market? We’ll to be honest, you write real stories about real life. I’m also a pastor, and I can tell you that public school kids deal with the students who have embraced LGBT lifestyles on a DAILY basis. A contemporary story about modern public school students should include some kind of interaction with the LGBT community.

Warning, if you an include LGBT characters or discuss issues related to same-sex attraction, homosexuality, etc., you will have a hard time publishing in the traditional Christian market, but those are the real kind of stories that modern teens are buying and reading.

Some publishers are starting to realize Christian books have to embrace the modern culture if they want to be relevant. You don’t have to affirm anything, but teenagers struggle with discovering what they believe about real life issues, and YA books should include teens working at understanding culturally relevant ideas.

As an author and agent, I find great value in knowing the market.  I hope these trends help you get an understanding of the current state of publishing and will give you some new insights that may help you as your plot out your next project.

What genres have you seen trending right now?

Cyle Young is thankful God blessed him with the uniqueness of being an ADD-riddled…SQUIRREL!...binge writer. Not much unlike the classic video game Frogger, Cyle darts back and forth between various writing genres. He crafts princess children’s stories, how-to advice for parents, epic fantasy tales, and easy readers.

5 comments:

  1. Thank you Cyle, my audience is homeschoolers. I've been telling them for a few years that things are changing, and keeping your kids in a bubble hasn't ever guaranteed a particular outcome. How can we fight if we don't know what we're up against?
    This is real life, my sons friend who has one year of college left announced at Christmas that he is now a she. Women and girls are foolishly calling 50 Shades "good entertainment".
    We need to be battle ready, we're not in Kansas anymore.

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  2. Great, honest and enlightening post. As a fan of space opera, I am thrilled to see it trending. Although in my opinion, no one can write space opera like Iain Banks.

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  3. Great, honest and enlightening post. As a fan of space opera, I am thrilled to see it trending. Although in my opinion, no one can write space opera like Iain Banks.

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  4. Thanks, Cyle, for keeping it real. Like it or not, we need to know what the book-buying public wants.

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