Is your query or manuscript still marketable or do you need to shift gears to a new topic or update your existing one?
It’s not unusual for me to hear a pitch from someone who has been working on a book proposal or manuscript for two, three, ten years or more. For some writers, time is a non-issue. However, for others, certain works in progress may age out of the market, whether fiction or nonfiction.
As an agent, it’s an awkward conversation when I have to let someone know that the topic he or she is passionate about is now passe in the market. For example, nonfiction topics like perfectionism or titles that use the word “messy” have aged out. In fiction, tropes like discovering a spouse’s affair or what I call “starting over after heartache” have been done every which way and now those tropes are drifting away from editor and agent interest. Sigh. It’s tough to share those insights, but it’s better to know and shift to a new topic and treasure the time spent and knowledge gained working on the first idea.
What’s selling these days? Good question!
For some insight, I clicked over to the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association (ECPA) 2021 best-seller list. It’s the most recent since the 2022 list isn’t out yet. Is this list the only metric out there? No. But it is one snapshot of many that offers a high-level view of what’s popular these days among Christian book consumers. (I also check Amazon’s best-selling lists. Again, it’s not the complete picture, but it can provide a snapshot of what’s popular,)
Here are some observations from the ECPA list that I’ve divided into three categories: trending, timeless, and tender. NOTE: The ECPA list drifts toward nonfiction writers, but the big picture principles still apply. Click this link if you’d like to see the actual list.
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What’s Trending?
I define “trending” as top-selling books published in the past two years. On the ECPA list, only 12 of the top 25 books were published in 2020 and 2021. Here are a few of the newer books–pay attention to any trends you can pick up in the titles:
Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen
Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschel
Seeing Beautiful Again by Lysa TerKeurst
Woman Evolve by Sarah Jakes Roberts
Crazy Faith by Michael Todd.
Notice how these topics gravitate toward a common theme of exchanging human thinking for God’s thinking, to move toward peace and better spiritual/mental health. Considering the state of our world, mental health will continue to be a trending topic. Keep in mind, the more popular the topic, the more creative and fresh an author’s perspective on the matter. For example, Jennie Allen’s book is based off the New Testament book of Philippians, but you’d never guess that from her book’s title.
Let me add this…yes, platform does play a big roll in these best-sellers. Yet, the author’s ability to deliver their promise to inspire and help the reader matters more. Consumers may be curious because of word-of-mouth, but they still vote with their actual dollars.
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What’s Timeless?
Half of the ECPA top 25 of 2021 were published before 2020. Some of those titles include perennial favorites such as The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey and other titles like Boundaries by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend and Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren.
Timeless books are popular year after year. They tend to focus on deep themes that influence the quality of our human and faith connections with each other like love, faith, money, and purpose. I noticed that the top-selling, timeless books appeal broadly beyond the Christian market, even though they were published by Christian publishers. I don’t think that Francine Rivers, Rick Warren or the others knew that they were writing blockbuster works, but it’s a reminder that anything is possible if you create a work with a great hook, excellent writing, and you have a solid platform.
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What’s Tender?
Books that tap into our heart-longings appear on the ECPA list, including top-selling topics like The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer, New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp, and It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa TerKeurst. There are long-time life challenges like busyness, disappointment, shame, and failure that every generation must navigate. Periodically, a fresh voice hits on a perspective that readers gravitate toward in large numbers.
In my humble opinion, these authors create compelling language to describe what a hurting person is thinking or feeling. Readers have a sense that the author “sees” them even as they are standing in the bookstore or reading a computer screen. What seals the deal on the sale? When an author offers a promise that sparks hope the reader didn’t have before . Do the readers actually read these books? Maybe. But what writers must pay attention to is why readers buy these books in the first place, and how to position their work so readers will want to purchase them. If you write on tender topics, it’s valuable for you to know how to tell your own story, but crucial for you to know how to help others find meaning, give purpose, and develop language for their own stories.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: As you consider your current queries or works-in-progress, would you categorize them as trending, timeless, or tender? If you don’t like those categories, what category would you create to describe your book’s marketability?
What a thought-provoking question, Barb. Hmmm … I would categorize my latest as timeless. Parents and grandparents always want clean and wholesome stories for their littles. The kids themselves, they will always love to laugh and your “boy and his dog” book is a classic. Add a neighbor girl with a paintball gun and rampaging wildlife and I hope it is unique. When I write for our camp blog, I find myself writing trending (kids and teens so struggle with mental health) and lots of tender moments. At camp, even the rowdiness can turn tender so quickly and I love to capture that in story. Thank you for reminding me about three of the reasons that we pick up a story. This is such a good guide as we craft new tales.
Hi Kristen, it’s so good that you’re able to classify your writings for different audiences into their unique categories. I’m sure that your insights will be helpful for others who are reading today’s blog and comments. Thank you for sharing!
Barbara, I hadn’t thought about topics aging out before. But it explains why certain books I wrote a few years ago never gained traction. 😉 This is helpful, and I appreciate your practical suggestions on how to get a bead on what is trending, timeless, and tender. Thanks for this insightful post!
You’re welcome! I’m glad that today’s post provided helpful and thoughtful insights for you.
Barb, such timeless advice!
Hi Ginny, thank you for stopping by the Books & Such blog today and joining the conversation!
Can you give us the same information for fiction?
Also, Are you seeing mss in which an author picks up a character from a deceased author’s books and continues that character’s life? I’m thinking of Jane Austen. Since the 200th anniversary of her 1817 death, there have been dozens of books in these five years moving her characters forward in life. Is there any hope of that ending anytime soon? Why any writer believes he/she can write a character better than the writer who created the character is beyond me.
Hi Peggy, that’s an interesting concept. I think that the question to consider is whether or not there’s a large enough current audience as well as future audience who would be as knowledgeable of Austen’s work and characters. Austen’s work is classic, but is her mainstream appeal stable, growing or declining? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I think that it’s helpful one to look into.
This reminded me of trying to click my way into a secure site. You know, those places you can’t get into unless you use that super-secret password. You wrote it on a tiny piece of scrap paper and shoved into the back of your desk drawer. And then, when you finally got past the first screen, after having gone through thirteen more prompts and six security questions, after you left the computer for just 17 seconds to microwave your coffee for the third time … the screen reads, “TIMED OUT!”
Thank you for this hard but very necessary read, Barb.
Thank you for this list, Barb. My work in progress is a historical novel set in post-Bolshevik Revolution. I consider it trending with the atrocities occurring in Ukraine today. I also believe its message is timeless. God is faithful.
I had an epiphany,
a book concept a-borning,
but ’twas a luckless thing for me
that it was SO this morning.
I shifted gears yet once again,
and let the hashtags flow,
waiting with a poise-ed pen
for the sign to GO!
But that greenlight never came,
I’m beached here by time’s river,
stripped of bright prospect of fame
for I could not deliver
what is needed, not at all,
from my foggy crystal ball.
This is a really helpful way to look at the market! Thank you so much for sharing. It will definitely help me as I’m thinking through my own manuscripts and ideas.
This is so encouraging. Thank you!
Deb