The world today is indeed a free world. Yes, you can do almost anything you want: write about anything your heart desires, have the entire world read it, and you bear the fruit of the success that comes with it. However, this does not mean you have to go with whatever is trending. Yes, these sell, but it does not bode well for those who read. The choices are becoming more and more limited, and reading is slowly becoming boring again. For Jeff Dunn of edudemic.com, here are the top 5 literary trends that need to go away:
Sub-par graphic novels and comic book adaptations. Yes, comic books and graphic novels are considered bad... by most parents. But they’ve provided kids with the desire to read, even if they focus more on the drawings than the storyline. Comic books and graphic novels are on the rise, but there’s a lack of effort put in by those who do adaptations of classics such as those by Shakespeare. People are more concerned about the money it rakes in rather than sincerely paying homage to whatever they adapt. Unless you can think of a way to stay true to the story you’re adapting, think of something more original.
Self-help guides. People are always looking for ways to depend more on themselves and be able to stand on their own feet. Self-help guides are the literary world’s answer to such a need. They sell, and they sell quickly, prompting more people to create more self-help guides. There are now more self-help guides on shelves than there ever were. But most of these guides are not done in a good way. In fact, most of them do more harm than good. There are self-help books that actually work, and are backed by science, but all would-be writers should think twice about writing another one.
Bandwagon-ing. Yes, bandwagon-ing. It is, by far, the easiest way to make money through books. You find a certain genre that people are going nuts about, write a novel, and pitch it to publishers. Publishers, being business-minded people, look at the trend you’re playing up and see money everywhere. Your book starts to sell, and they ask for more. It’s a vicious cycle. It also destroys the minds of those who read because everything out there is about the same thing. No one wants to read about the same thing after they just finished one.
Celebrity memoirs. Ah, yes, the celebs. They’re already popular: they make a lot of headlines, have a lot of projects, and do anywhere between three and four guestings a day. But it does not entitle them to get someone to write a book about it. Sure, there are a few good ones, but it has to stop somewhere. Not everyone wants to read about the lives of celebrities, okay.
The diet plan. Diet plans are very popular nowadays, especially with rising numbers of Americans declared overweight or obese. Everyone wants to have a sexy body, and live a healthy lifestyle. But for goodness sake, please do not indulge yourself in diet plans you see at your local book store. All diet books basically say the same thing: eat in moderation. In reality, you can live a healthier life just by eating in moderation and exercising. Do away with those diet books. They all say the same thing, anyway.
