What's Hot and What's Not: Predicting Trends in the Publishing Industry

literary agent Gordon Warnock

If people could truly predict what sells well, there would only be about 200 books accepted for publication per year, according to senior literary agent Gordon Warnock, the featured speaker at a recent Writer's Forum. But with 2 million titles published annually, (200,000 by the New York "big six" alone), how can you tell what the industry will seek next? Start with the bookstores, Warnock advised. Notice the lay-out of what's on display, and see what changes throughout the months. Whatever is selling best is easily found at the front of the store, with the most appealing or popular titles facing out. "Nothing in a bookstore is random," he said.

"But don't write to the trend that's happening now, or you'll be too late," Warnock warned. Since it typically takes 1-2 years for a book to reach the shelves, he said, and that's after you get a publisher, you don't want an agent to pass you over just because the market will be saturated with your topic by then.

"The industry wants what is both fresh and familiar," he said.

Supporting the Writing Life: Part 1

I've been thinking about all the ways we writers can strengthen our commitment to the work. So I've compiled a list of 12 things to do that support the writing life. Look forward to these in installments.

READ, READ, READ!

Read every day—it’ll strengthen your writing. Fit it in first thing in the morning, before going to bed at night, instead of watching TV, while climbing the stair master, or during your lunch break. Or get a book on tape/CD for the car. (I couldn’t wait to drive anywhere just to listen to Annie Proux’s That Old Ace in the Hole!) Read in the genre you’re writing in, read outside the genre to widen your span, and read about writing.

During my first full-time job the summer I was fourteen, I raced every day to the couch in the ladies’ lounge during each 15-minute break to devour A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. That book saved me from the monotony of paper pushing and swept me away into the wonderful world of the imagination.

I still read during my half-hour lunch breaks; reading gives me the separation I need and moves me slowly through the pile of books by my bedside (Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide; If the Buddha Married: Creating Enduring Relationships on a Spiritual Path; Real Knockouts: The Physical Feminism of Women’s Self-Defense; Seabiscuit: An American Legend).

What books have you read this year? What books are on your to-read list? When do you make time to read?

ATTEND A READING:

Listening to authors read excerpts and discuss their work can inspire you to read and write more. Often authors illuminate their writing process, their approach to crafting work or getting published. You can catch a glimpse of the life behind the pen, and feel camaraderie within your community. Check out listings at your local independent bookstore, university or café.

This year I only went to a few author readings, including Anne Lamott and Pam Houston. Both women were insightful, humorous and clearly accomplished in their craft and identities as writers. Sitting in packed rooms of eager audiences was akin to singing along with a favorite band at a concert, albeit quieter. Next week I’m going to a local book signing by my cousin, veteran YA author Ellen Schreiber of the Vampire Diaries series!

What author events have you attended? What readings will you listen to this year?

First Friday Author Feature: Ellen Schreiber

This month's author feature is Ellen Schreiber, NY Times bestselling novelist of the teen series Vampire Kisses -- about a goth girl named Raven from Dullsville who pursues a "cryptic romance" with a vampire. I feature Schreiber not only because she happens to be my second cousin, but because her path to publication is a unique one.

Before she published the seven volumes in the series (with one more to come), as well as several adaptions into a Manga series called Blood Relatives, she finished several young adult novels. Her first book, about a rock star called Johnny Lighting, was picked up by her brother Mark Schreiber's publisher in Belgium and first printed in Dutch.

When she later learned that a new editor at HarperCollins would be accepting unsolicited manuscripts, Schreiber sent her Teenage Mermaid. Not only did they publish it, but they also accepted Comedy Girl and the first book in the Vampire Kisses series.