Writing Conversation Part 3

I believe that Mac’s point is that there are few people who care. I don’t want to be argumentative, but the sales of eReaders (Kindle Fire etc.) and the explosion of Blogs would indicate that there are readers out there, and some writers are getting them.


What kinds of writers are getting readers? Mac argues that SciFi and Fantasy are what I write and those types of stories are getting read.

I didn’t think that was correct, but I wanted to get some numbers so I wouldn’t just be arguing ala Monty Python’s Argument sketch.

Amazon editors' picks in over two dozen categories in our Best of 2011 Store.

1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
-Biography
2. Bossypants by Tina Fey
-Autobiography
3. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
-Autobiography
4. Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan
-Novel
5. In the Garden of the Beasts by Erik Larsen
-Historyical political thriller.
6. A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
-Fantasy
7. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
-Biographical
8. The Litigators by John Grisham
-Law stuff
9. The Abbey by Chris Culver
-Mystery
10. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
-Fantasy

USA Today’s list of top sellers of 2011:

1. The Help Kathryn Stockett
- A young white woman tells the story of black maids in 1960s Mississippi (F)
2. The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins
- Youth: Girl takes sister's place in a real world survivor game in a post-apocalyptic U.S. (F)
3. Heaven is for Real Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent
- Subtitle: "A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" (NF)
4. Water for Elephants Sara Gruen
- Love, drama in a circus in the 1930s (F)
5. Catching Fire Suzanne Collins
- Youth: Katniss and Peeta are targeted as rebels after winning the Hunger Games; second in series (F)
6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever Jeff Kinney
- Youth: Greg is trapped with his family during a blizzard after he is accused of damaging school property (F)
7. Mockingjay Suzanne Collins
- Youth: Katniss must give herself completely to the rebellion for it to succeed; final in series (F)
8. Steve Jobs: A Biography Walter Isaacson
- Biography recounts the life of the late founder of Apple (NF)
9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson
- Journalist is hired to investigate the disappearance of an heir to a wealthy family (F)
10. Unbroken Laura Hillenbrand
- Subtitle: "A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" (NF)

Three of each of these lists are the type of stories I write. I like to write mystery and YA as well as Fantasy and SciFi, plus I like to mix genres.

None of that really matters though. If something is written well enough then there will be readers, BUT, things that are written poorly are well read too. It’s very frustrating, but fashionable topics are the best of best sellers.

I think the size of the audience is bigger than Mac thinks, but that is beside the point really. Whatever the size of my audience is, I want a piece of it.