Every Author Should be Reading Today’s Books

  • By: Jessica Faust | Date: Nov 17 2022

If you want to be published in today’s market you need to know what today’s publishers are selling.

As a published author an important part of your job is knowing the publishing industry. It’s the same for me as a literary agent. We both need to be reading a ton of today’s books. Sure you’re a Harlan Coben fan and would never miss a novel he’s written, but if you want to be the next Harlan Coben, you need to be reading the next Harlan Coben. You need to read the books that are debuting today, not the authors whose books debuted ten or more years ago. The market has changed a lot since those first novels were published and because of their success, those authors aren’t necessarily indicative of today’s market. They are trends on their own.

Reading today’s books doesn’t mean you’re chasing the market, it means you’re understanding it. If you’re a baker you don’t need to jump on the Cronut bandwagon, but you do need to know it exists. It just makes smart business.

Expand Your Ideas

Beyond understanding the market, reading books outside of your genre is critical to developing ideas for your own work. I know I pass along ideas to my clients all the time based on books I’ve read that might not have anything to do with the genre they’re writing in, but might be a great new twist.

If you’re a baker it’s important to eat at bakeries that aren’t yours. To try new flavors and new ideas. If you’re an author it’s important to read books beyond your normal genre. To explore and taste new ideas.

 

 

 

 

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