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by Paul Arthurs



Writing Your Book - Pick A Topic That Will Keep Your Reader Interested Too

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Rule 1: Pick a topic that will keep you interested.

Rule 2: Pick a topic that will keep your reader interested too.

Best selling genres are romance, mystery/thriller/crime and western. Fantasy is up there because of J.R.R. Tolkein (Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit), C.S. Lewis (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) and more recently because of J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter). I checked an Amazon listing.

I recently saw something that rated science fiction ahead of romance and figured that it was a joke. I love science fiction, and there are lots of popular franchises, but for books, the romance genre overshadows science fiction. Just go look at the shelf space in a book store. The romance section takes up a lot more shelves, and it’s not because no is buying them and the tomes are gathering dust. The proprietor is maximizing shelf space and selection to maximize sales.

Sales potential aside, you are going to write what you like. If you like several genres, pick the one with the best sales. Make sure your book falls into a marketable category so you can tap in to a waiting readership.

Writing Your Book - Pick a topic that will hold your interest

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

The first series I am writing is The Laner Series, a science fiction storyline about an interstellar war between Humanity and an alien empire, the Ja-gee. There are three novels so far: Enforcement, Defence and Assault. They all have sub-titles:

Enforcement: The Un-declared Ja-gee War
Defence: The Ja-gee Attack
Assault: The Ja-gee in Extremis

I figure that I can wrap up the story in one more book. One of my readers, Craig, figures that the milieu is good for at least three more novels. I have started the next installment, and I’ll see how far I can get through the story in one novel. Regardless, it is holding my interest. I read the first three novels to ensure consistency with the next book, and I still enjoy them. Good pick.

The second series that I am writing is fantasy about the Angel of Death. I co-authored the first book with my teenage daughter, Phoebe. We published the novel last year and now we are promoting it. It is called AOD:DOA Angel Of Death: Dead On Arrival.

Definitely a four-book series, and no problem staying interested in it. Bodes well for the reader.

So having written four novels, my recommendation is to pick a topic that is going to hold your interest. It could take a couple of years to write your novel. It better be about something you don’t mind hearing about a lot for that long a time. Your reader with thank you for it.

Questions? Please get in touch with us at plainville.press@gmail.com.

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