Fad Writing - Profitable... for a Little While

Welcome to Creative Convulsions, where author Jae El Foster will help guide you through the trials and tribulations of the writing process.

For this first entry, I've decided to discuss one of the major fails that many inexperienced authors and those who are wishing to make a quick buck fall into - writing a fad story.

Fads are social elements that do not stand the test of time, even though they are popular with the general public... briefly. Through Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, and other online retailers, I've noticed a new fad - Corona Virus Fiction.

Apparently, the Corona Virus will be around for a bit, but two things happen when you write a novel based solely on something like this. Firstly, you limit your audience mostly to those who are curious and who have the virus on the brain. Secondly, that audience will go away. In five or ten years, if that long, your creation will be outdated and will no longer stand the test of time.

If you're looking to make a quick buck, sure... go for it. Other authors have. There are horror books based on Corona Virus. There are erotica and romance books based on Corona Virus. Titles like these are flooding the market, which means your title will fall into a mix of dozens, and likely soon hundreds, of similar titles.

This brings about an important question. How do you intend for your title to stand out? Sure, this can apply to basically any of the hundreds of romance and horror titles published weekly across the globe. Because of this, originality is the key. With so much competition out there, authors must find a way to be original, to stand out from the crowd, and to offer something long-lasting if they wish to survive in this current market.

Due to certain distribution entities like those mentioned toward the start of this article, we are now in a market that is filled with really great writing, and really horrible writing. Anyone who wants to be a 'published author' can now do so, without the need of any consistency readers, editors, cover design professionals, and people to properly format the book into a readable piece. The days of literary managers and agents seem long gone, which can be good or bad. However, it is the bad stuff being published - rushed books with poor plots and little to no editing - which can harm any other self-published author who has titles in the same genres. Many of these bad authors latch onto current fads and rush books out, flooding the market and burying decent books in their paths.

The way to overcome this is to steer away from fads. Sure, the Corona Virus is out there. That doesn't mean you have to base your new piece of erotic fiction on it. Be original and creative. That's what readers expect from authors. If you want to write about a dominating virus, create one that is original - one that the world never saw coming. You wouldn't write a modern day book about people wearing poodle skirts and attending sock hops, now would you? No, because those were fads, and they are no longer relevant and around in the general public's eye.

Again, originality and outstanding creativity are the keys for success in this business. Like politics, you should look at publishing as 'the game.' Either you're a home-run player in the game, or you're a bench-warmer. Those who hit home-runs have taken the time to practice their trade and hone their skills. Those that warm the benches are known for striking out.

An issue with Fad Writing is that, for the moment, authors can see great immediate sales. Those sales will steadily decrease as a fad wears itself out. A book that stands the test of time is something you can promote five or ten years from now, once a fad has come and gone, and it is still relevant and entertaining.

If you're in the business to make as much money as quickly as possible without the need to sustain the release for years to come, Fad Writing might be for you. Make the money and enjoy it, but don't spend it all. You'll need some of it saved up when sales of your Fad Book drop into obscurity.

Also, to new authors who are ignoring the needs for editors and professional cover designs, remember this. You may be able to fool a reader into buying a book based on an okay cover and a killer blurb, but if your story makes no sense, if it is riddled with errors, and if it is poorly under-developed, you will lose those readers. They will likely not return for your next title, for fear of more of the same. A strong editor is a must to stay in this game, and that editor should never be the author of the book. Editors see what the author doesn't. Beta Readers are also important, as they too catch things the author and editor has missed.

Don't fall into the growing sea of fads and one-shots. Take the time to develop original work, and take the time to make sure it has been properly edited and formatted before you release it to the world. Quick fad sales might sound good, and they might make you see dollar signs at first, but as time has shown over many decades, they will not last. Write lasting material that your readers will cherish for years to come, and those readers will remain faithful.