--- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, Patrick King <abrasax93@...> wrote:
> As an writer trying to publish a first crime novel, agents are
telling me that fiction and genre fiction in particular are very hard
markets to crack right now. Several agents have explained to me that
Publishers are looking for books they can sell in large quantities to
institutions and schools. Non-fiction is more popular than it ever has
been. Most new books published today are non-fiction books. The
fiction being published is by established writers with bankable track
records or authors with notoriety of one sort or another. Reading for
entertainment apparently is at an all-time low.
>
True about nonfiction books, but that has been the case for a while.
Also, a lot of very fine writers have gone into nonfiction. Before,
they would perhaps have gone for the novel. Last night I was reading a
book of essays by Barry Lopez, a fantastic stylist writing about down
to earth things, nothing glamorous, just stuff and shit.
> I am not of the opinion that genre fiction will die off. Hollywood
is notoriously unimaginative and has always required novels to spin
their plots. I have been told by many people that as the cost of
television channels goes higher and higher they are returning to books
for entertainment and information. I'll believe this when I see it,
but people are saying it. In the meantime, television shows become
more elaborate and expensive and more frequently based on novels.
>
We are entering a very big depression. My bet is that books will hold
their own. People are going to have to get back in touch with reality
after the long oil fiesta and the era of acquisitiveness, essentially
a fantasy. A writer who spins a good tale is a good companion, and
will be more so in hard times. The book is here to stay.
> Nonetheless, if you go into that local bookstores struggling to
survive in most small cities, and note the new title offerings, there
is very little new fiction and what is offered is by long established
authors. That which is empty fills... hopefully.
>
Actually, the number of books published continues to be high. In the
hardboiled and noir genres, the number has shrunk but the quality has
markedly improved. People will continue to write fiction and they will
find readers. Especially if the public becomes less busy, as is bound
to happen. When life is about staying where you are, picking up a book
is a very reasonable option (as opposed to going to the mall to buy
more useless stuff). Reading is like sex: you need technique, you need
time, but above all you need relaxation.
Best,
mrt
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