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Tue 4 May, 2021 10:27 pm
Hello there, first off to be clear, this is not promoting anything here at all (also no names or links here), just asking a question.
I'm asking this question on behalf of my friend, she has been working on a novel (her very first) for quite some time now, and is almost finished with writing it. The problem now is that she suddenly is extremely insecure and unsure if anyone AT ALL (like, even a single person) would even be interested in reading the kind of novel she is writing. So to hopefully answer her question even in the tiniest bit, I'm asking this so that she can hopefully get a tiny bit of assurance.
Now to the kind of novel itself; it's an ebook, sort of slice of life fantasy drama novel that is rather dialogue heavy. It's more targeted towards younger audiences (teen-young adult) and looking to be ~60k words in length. Also the cover is rather anime-styled (but not extremely anime, a bit more realistic stylewise (also don't worry, it does look professional)).
Now the question is if you think that there is a market for this kind of novel and if there would be any people interested in this. Or maybe even if you yourself would say this is something that would interest you or that you would pick up (again, not promoting anything).
Any honest and helpful answers would mean a lot since this insecurity has been extremely hard on her laterly and it could really help a lot. (Also, in case you think that this question doesn't really fit here, would you have a suggestion on where it might?) Thank you for reading and have a good day/night.
@Lukeru,
Well apparently some people really love anime-style fantasy stuff. Apparently even some adults. I can't help you at all because I rarely read fiction, I prefer non-fiction. If she is targeting teens - young adults, another forum might be more helpful....I suspect the people who post here are 60 years or older. But good luck, I'm sure there is an audience for her style of writing.
@glitterbag,
That's about what I was going to say. I do read fantasy - right now, I'm in the middle of an L.E. Modesitt, Jr. novel. His stuff is always well thought out, and he's good with human nature and economics.
Like gb says, I bet there is a market for it, but it isn't me.
@Lukeru,
You're trying to do market research. This is not the way to go about it.
There are numerous young readers' groups on Facebook. They match your demographics a lot more closely.
Ask there.
And be prepared to hear that people can't really answer you without actually reading the book.
Your friend should write what she wants to write. Full stop.
It's highly likely that she won't become a bestselling author.
But anyone who goes into writing and sees that as it the only possible measure of success is in for a disappointment-- and needs to learn how to manage their expectations better.
She should write anyway.
@Lukeru,
All really great advice.
Maybe she could start a blog or something (I'm not on social media so maybe that isn't the best way to go about it) and just put it out there, chapter by chapter, and see what reaction she gets.
Also, I just retired from a library and there are tons of that kind of stuff for YA (young adults). Has she read any published works? If so, how does hers compare? We can tell which authors/genres are most borrowed at the libraries ... she could ask her local library what's the case where she is.
Anime is huge (or used to be) in Japan - she could target that audience.
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