Robert wants to know: How hard is the market for science fiction/fantasy books?
The market for science fiction and fantasy is huge. It’s very popular. There are so many subgenres that it really gives you a lot of room to be creative. (See my recent post on speculative fiction subgenres.) And if you can come up with an interesting twist, so much the better. What publishers don’t want to see is “the next Twilight” or “the next Harry Potter” or “the next Hunger Games.” Always try to make your book stand on its own. And do your homework. Know what genre you are writing so that if you get the chance to meet an editor or agent, you can tell them about your story in a quick, sales-pitch kind of way.
Great post! Those are some of my favorite genres, and I’m happy they’re doing well. Creativity is really important in any genre, but probably even more so in scifi and fantasy. If your character has the same powers as Eragon- even unintentionally- you’re going to get turned down. That’s why it’s also important to stay up-to-date with the most popular books in the genre you’re writing.
Good point, Aloha. Reading what’s popular in the market is a smart thing to do.
Publishers, agents, the whole industry wants books that SELL! They say ‘be original’ but take that with a grain of salt. Study the market to see what kinds of books are actaully being bought and read by your chosen demographic and if you’re to write a book like the 3 in the post, put a spin on it. None of the stories (HP, Hunger Games, Twilight) are original but the young adult demographic they’re geared towards is too young to know it. Then they get really excited about something that isn’t original. So I think young adult is the best market to write for.
Reader,
I think YA is the best market to write for too. 😉
And you are totally right when you say Hunger Games and Twilight are not original. But they were written in a new way at a time when their genres were not big. So they felt knew, and their successes created a desire in readers for more vampire and dystopian novels. It would be very hard for a new author to publish a vampire novel right now. Dystopian is still growing, so there will be some time for writers to break into that genre before it runs its course and people are sick of it.