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I'd be more inclined to exert my control over the publishers, and tell them to stop accepting every Vampire, Shapeshifter, or Zombie novel that crosses their desk. Maybe set some kind of limit on how good the book has to be (as judged by a panel of literature teachers, maybe) before it gets published.I don't have a subject I'd like them to write about specifically, but I would like to see more good books getting published. I like the smaller trend towards writing books set in the area between Faerie and reality, that has led to some interesting work. And there was a few a couple of years back with either angels or demons as protagonists that came off really well - anyone read Thomas E. Sniegoski's Private Eye Remy books?
I think the problem is, I could hand them a really well-written and interesting book, and some editors would take notes and compare other books against it: "has a vampire love interest. check. Has a competing shapshifter love interest. Also check. Heroine has some special power that gives her a benefit against one of the two, check. Alright, publish it." And so we wind up not only with Twilight and the Sookie books, but a whole host of copycats getting published just because there's paper to burn and the publishers (and lots of readers) don't care how good or bad the story is.
My book had the vampire, but the characters grew as the book progressed. but lately they're publishing novels chock full of grammer errors. it's like authors are lazy and publishing houses are accepting manuscripts as is. I had NO EDITOR for my second book. but I went over that sucker with a fine-tooth comb.
In the YA market I'd like to see books with actual characters. It seems like every other YA I look at has some sort of blank, minimally defined, yet somehow special character for the reader to slip into and experience the story. It doesn't seem like these characters are designed as someone to get to know, so much as they are designed to be a vehicle for the reader to ride through the plot. I'd like to see fantasy that engages my brains as well as my guts. I don't care if they're vampires, werecritters, ghosts, demons, wizards, or whatever, just make them smart. I'll read anything with a tight plot and bright characters, but these days it feels like many of the books I look at fail on one or the other of those counts.
I'd like to see romances where the characters actually like each other. I mean, is it too much to ask that these characters be able to have a half decent conversation on a common interest without sex or the threat of imminent destruction by the bad guys?
Sonya wrote: "My book had the vampire, but the characters grew as the book progressed. but lately they're publishing novels chock full of grammer errors. it's like authors are lazy and publishing houses are accepting manuscripts as is. I had NO EDITOR for my second book.but I went over that sucker with a fine-tooth comb. "
I had one author say to me he didn't realize they were going to publish his manuscript as it was. He had assumed there would be some editing involved. Next thing he knew he had one shot at the proof copy, and given in was one run through, he missed a lot of what was lurking in his book.
Are you going to stay with the company that did no editing for you?
I'm publishing myself now in digital copy.
Mod
Ebook with Smashwords? :)
Congrats on the self publishing. Good luck with it.
I am honestly coming to a point where if I see "vampire" on a book's title, I stay far FAR away. Sad, I used to love vampires.Well, I still love vampire LORE.
Mod
Well, I still love vampire LORE."
I'm getting to that point too. I love paranormal, but these days it is difficult to find books about things other than Vamps! I'm sick of it. I started loving Vamps when I was about 13, but I seriously need a long break from them. lol
^ So true. I was the only kid in school who chose vampires over pirates (haha) but now... *shrugs*
Give it ten years. Then they'll all be into westerns or astronauts or whatever, and the really talented vamp lovers will be the only ones still in the field.
Keryl wrote: "In the YA market I'd like to see books with actual characters. It seems like every other YA I look at has some sort of blank, minimally defined, yet somehow special character for the reader to sli..."Yeah, more or less what Keryl said. I'd like intelligent characters, who do things for motivations that MAKE SENSE, not because it's convenient for the author, and for them to like each other.
Pretty happy with Lisa Klepas's historical romances in that regard. I absolutely love the Hathaway family, and only a couple of her books have had characters that really didn't make sense together. I'm very happy, too, that several of her books portray the characters after the wedding, getting to know each other in new roles. Too many books go for "happily ever after", but hers are realistic that there will still be roadbumps after marriage.
Keryl wrote: "Give it ten years. Then they'll all be into westerns or astronauts or whatever, and the really talented vamp lovers will be the only ones still in the field."I hope it's the talented ones who stay. I would be okay with the current state of things if there were more really good vampire fiction out there. Everybody looks the same lately.
Cate wrote: "I hope it's the talented ones who stay. I would be okay with the current state of things if there were more really good vampire fiction out there. Everybody looks the same lately."I think they will. I've noticed that people who really nail a genre rarely move out of it. Probably many of the less than stellar vamp writers just haven't found where they belong yet.
Cate wrote: "I am honestly coming to a point where if I see "vampire" on a book's title, I stay far FAR away. Sad, I used to love vampires.Well, I still love vampire LORE."
I'm trying to give the books a chance since I adore vampires and the various lore that goes with them. I mean I've been in love with the creatures since I was around 4 or 5 (I know, what on earth was I watching at that age? lol). So I'm kind of sad that they've turned into the most lovable creatures out there. I mean I like a few of the "nice" vampires but I prefer the ones with a raw edge, and now even those have turned into mush almost. I wish they would go back to being ignored, because the market is flooded with them right now.
Keryl wrote: "I think they will. I've noticed that people who really nail a genre rarely move out of it. Probably many of the less than stellar vamp writers just haven't found where they belong yet. "Yeah. Write about what's popular today. Move on to the next hot topic when this one dies down.
@Michelle - I agree. I like the darkness of these creatures. I like the danger and death surrounding them. Not these, "cute boy vampire next door" who can walk in the sunlight. I just... cannot get into that.
Vampires should be dangerous and edgy. They should at the very least be like having a wild tiger next door. Yes, it might be pretty, but really, only an idiot would try to date it.
I am a big fan of suspense books, but these seem to be the least popular at this moment in time. I don't mean the thriller/suspense novels and I know some people say "Every book is filled with suspense." but I am a fan of the coen brothers movies and if you watch them you know they are really clever character driven plots that are usually based around a simple concept and it builds to a great ending filled with suspense. I try to find books like this and there isn't a big market for them, which is disappointing. Usually suspense is like the secondary genre of a romance, paranormal, thriller and what not.
Oh man, I love you guys. And gals. I read Vampire Lestat and Interview with a Vampire back in college (about the time the first movie came out), and even though that was sort of the start of the "vampires are just brooding, misunderstood bad boys" genre, at least Lestat was still written as an anti-hero and a monster. I've read some other vampire books, but they were on loan from a friend several years ago, and I can't remember who wrote them now. Been driving me nuts, because they were good.Drives me nuts, because some of the newer stories are based more on Beauty and the Beast then on any vampire lore... the beast just happens to suck blood and be cursed, and all he needs is a good woman to love him to save him from being a monster. Such a fairy tale, and not just because vampires don't exist!
@Ken: I really enjoyed The Society of S. It was one of the few that I thought was well thought out and wasn't annoying in some way. I've been trying to find the sequel.@Poppy: I adore the Vampire Chronicles. They are as close to human as I want vampires to be really, to me there are the perfect cross section. They are still likable and attractive to humans but they all have a side to them that makes them something completely different. There are only a few that wish for a different life and have that broody thing going on but they don't seek romances with humans and they certainty don't hang out in high schools (creepy).
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Lisa Kleypas (other topics)Thomas E. Sniegoski (other topics)
For example: I would like there to be more YA books about bad boys with tortured souls. I would like more books about witches and shapeshifters.
If you were in control of the author community, what would you tell them to write? What would you tell them to stop writing...
Be the Alpha and let us know what you would do with the control!