Rachel Bellerby canvasses industry experts to identify five trends that could help your writing on its way to becoming a bestseller. This article has been reproduced from the UK magazine Writing Magazine.
Misery-Lit, Cheers Up
 True life tales of abuse or unhappiness, often known as "misery-lit",have enjoyed strong sales for several years. However, the genre has suffered in recent months, following a number of high-profile court cases in which authors have been sued by those named in their books. One such case was that of Constance Briscoe, who was sued for libel by her mother following the publication of the book Ugly, in which Constance described an abusive childhood at the hands of her family. Although the author successfully defended herself against the accusation that she had fabricated parts of her book, this case and others have prompted press speculation that the misery-lit genre is in decline.
Although sales of misery-lit still remain strong, there has been a rise this year in the number of titles focusing on inspirational true-life stories. Aurum Press recently published Love in a Headscarf by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed, a chick-lit style memoir of a successful arranged marriage. Liz Rowe, publicity manager at Aurum, told Writing Magazine: "Shelina's book offers a fresh perspective on the story of Muslim women. She gives us an insight into her positive experiences of being a British Muslim woman, which makes a refreshing change from the stories of forced marriage that Muslim women are often subjected to."
The recently launched HarperTrue imprint from HarperCollins publishes "inspiring" true-life stories. After the launch of the imprint in February, Carole Tonkinson, Harper non-fiction publisher, was quoted as saying, "HarpersTrue's focus on Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives really seems to tie-in with the growing interest in real life content. We are thrilled to be bringing these stories of true love, true heroism and true adventure to the widest possible readership. It feels as if the time is just right."
Blog Off
 In book publishing, traditional marketing is as vital as ever, but with many publishing houses cutting their budgets, the onus is on authors to help promote their own books. Blogging is a way to create anticipation among readers before a book is published and to highlight your successes after publication. Kate Hardy, author of more than 25 Mills & Boon novels, updates her blog several times a week: "Blogging means that readers get a glimpse into the ideas behind my work - whether it's an awards do, a research trip or random musing. It also updates my website frequently to bring readers back; I use it to interact with my readers and my publishers can use it on their website as a publicity tool".
Award-winning writer Patrick Ness spoke to Writing Magazine about how, instead of using his blog as a way of promoting his work, he delights in it's deliberately low-key profile: "I like my diary (I hesitate to call it blogging, which to my mind always implies "sloppily written") because it feels like it's a secret way to talk to fans. I don't publicise the site, people have to find it, so it feels like we're having a secret conversation. And people respond in the same way. They really feel like it's personal, which it is, like you're having a real exchange outside of any need to get someone to buy something, or pay to see me at an event or similar. I never think of it as publicity, because I never, ever want it to be mercenary. My publisher doesn't write on it, for example. It's all just me and my quirks and ideas and thoughts, which seems to work extremely well in communicating directly to the reader. And what could a writer want more?"
Novelist Lola Jayne, author of By the Time You Read This and the Quick Read book Reaching for the Stars, has used blooging both as an unpublished writer and later as a published author communicating with her fans. "Before being published, I used the blog to let off some angst and it was a way of flexing my writing muscles and giving me something different to work on. Now, as a published author, I can let people know what I'm up to, such as when I recently visited New York and readers can interact with me."
New Genres Evolving
 Writers working in the field of science-fiction, fantasy or horror may be aware of changes which are seeing more variation in these genres and a move away from the traditional settings and characters. John Arnold, a leading agent for writers in these fields, has watched these changes happen: "In horror fiction, the biggest move has been the growth of urban fantasy. Sexy, fast-moving books, often featuring female protagonists and mystery / romance plots with vampires, werewolves and the like. These range from huge bestsellers like Stephanie Meyer, to newer writers like Tanya Huff and my own client Suzanne McLeod. In fantasy, we've seen some successful authors move away from the medieval template of Lord of the Rings, which held sway for over thirty years. Scott Lynch is using a 15th century Italian template, for instance, and Robert VS Redick's Red Wolf Conspiracy has no specific historical period to point at. There is far more variation in genre fiction than has sometimes been in the past. As I've said to writers groups: there is no absolute template. For an agent or publisher, it's about loving the writing, the setting, the characters and the story - personally and professionally. For an author - write something that moves you, but be aware that there is a commercial market. No one is writing in a vacuum."
Writing Magazine's Fantastic Realms columnist Stuart Palmer said: :I definately agree with John's assessment of urban fantasy and welcome it too. For far too long, fantasy has walked in the shadow of Tolkien and its imitators, to the point where it almost becomes pastiche, so its about time it broke some new ground and found a way to hook a new generation of readers with fresh and interesting ideas. Fantasy should be about pushing the imagination - both of the readers and the writers - so this is definately something to look forward to."
Reinvent History
 The past few years have seen the publication of history books, both fiction and non-fiction, which concentrate on the experiences of ordinary people, rather than on well-known historical figures. One such title is John Hatcher's The Black Death: An Intimate History of the Plague, published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson, which uses a method the author calls literary docudrama, telling a story through the eyes of an ordinary person from the past. Alan Samson, publisher at Weidenfeld & Nischolson is convinced that such books will continue to grow in popularity. "These type of books are a way of using the pleasures of fiction to tell a historic story. I believe that people no longer trust some of the institutions we once took for granted and are now very suspicious of fake expertise", said Alan. "There is a reaction against unqualified comment and the popularity of popular histories, many of which use authentic diaries and letters, has completely exceeded our expectations. "History and genealogy magazines have also picked up on the growing interest in local and social history. Rob Attar BBC History Magazine, said:"I think this type of history is growing in popularity, particularly when it comes to the amount of books being published about ordinary people." BBC History Magazine have recently published a number of features on the history of non-famous people, including an article on Jewish refugees and a feature on Cornish fishermen who sailed to Australia during the Gold Rush. Many such articles are tied to an upcoming anniversary, TV programme or current event, so for your best chance of success, find an appropriate peg for your writing.
Mass Appeal
 Whilst blogging is one way to communicate with readers, another recent trend is the use of websites where the success of a writer is determined wholly or partly by the opinions of other writers and / or readers. HarperCollins' Authonomy is one such site and three writers who posted their work on the site have recently signed book deals with HarperCollins. There has been some debate as to whether these schemes actually find the most talented writers, or simply those authors who are best able to market themselves online. Kate Hyde, digital producer at HaperCollins, believes Authonomy has given authors ownership over their books: "I don't think this phenomenon is seen as a sideline to traditional publishing: it's more a case of many savvy authors re-evaluating where the traditional publishing house can add value to their project and being more targeted and empowered in their discussions with a publisher. A book stands a much better chance of getting investment from a publisher if it has an identifiable and proven market. If a book has already been tried and tested in a community and comes up trumps, listening to what large numbers of people are saying makes sense. That's the kind of ammunition an agent can take to a publisher, a publisher can take to a bookseller, and a bookseller can ultimately pass on to people choosing and buying books in store."
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