Books are made to sell?

[Sarah_Khan]

Do any of you feel like some books these days are made only for the sake of selling millions of copies?
For example, instead of an author having a passion for writing or already having an idea and that's why they want to write, authors are writing books to appeal to the audience. Like an author that writes YA novels decides to write a novel about vampires because she/he knows that is what is in trend and that is what will sell, not because she/he wants to write a vampire novel.
This makes it so that there are dozens of novels on the market that are basically all the same.
Does anyone else agree? Or has this been happening since the beginning of time and I'm only now noticing?

[Kourtney Bradley]

It seems like they will all "flock" to writing about the same sort of storyline when they see how well they sell Like when 50 Shades came out to be such a hit, it appeared that there were thousands of books very similar. Or it could also be that because we have noticed that these are big hits, we start to see others that are like it. Who knows? Maybe we are just now noticing.

[Sarah_Khan]

Or it could also be that because we have noticed that these are big hits, we start to see others that are like it. Who knows? Maybe we are just now noticing.

Yeah maybe you're right, maybe it's only after we've read a certain type of book that our eyes open up to how many other similar books there are.

[MsMartha]

Do any of you feel like some books these days are made only for the sake of selling millions of copies?
For example, instead of an author having a passion for writing or already having an idea and that's why they want to write, authors are writing books to appeal to the audience. Like an author that writes YA novels decides to write a novel about vampires because she/he knows that is what is in trend and that is what will sell, not because she/he wants to write a vampire novel.
This makes it so that there are dozens of novels on the market that are basically all the same.
Does anyone else agree? Or has this been happening since the beginning of time and I'm only now noticing?

I was thinking about this myself not too long ago--it makes sense to me that some books are written for the sake of sales. Personally, I prefer books that are interesting and well-written, and I don't care if they've had a million sales or not.

[Sarah_Khan]

Personally, I prefer books that are interesting and well-written, and I don't care if they've had a million sales or not.

Exactly, also I feel like you can tell when a book is written with love versus a book written just for money.

[MsMartha]

Personally, I prefer books that are interesting and well-written, and I don't care if they've had a million sales or not.

Exactly, also I feel like you can tell when a book is written with love versus a book written just for money.

I agree! And sometimes, there's a bit of both

[SparklingOne]

Seems like they are these days,which makes choosing books a chore. It's like certain authors approach writing as if they were writing a blog, or dumb down the content to appeal to a larger audience. The very best authors weave their characters and storylines in a way that takes the reader along for the ride. This is what I appreciate most, all the better if there is some thought provoking content thrown in for good measure.

[DB44]

This is true without question. Not only authors, but publishers, who now seem to almost want only guaranteed best sellers. Thus we have endless celebrity biographies and cook books and self-help books, whilst many "mid-list" authors no longer rate even a small advance. And authors know this. Look at Fifty Shades of Gray. A substantial niche market is identified and deluged. Does this sound familiar? "Anyone who loved Fifty Shades of Gray will love this".

It is not surprising. Authors have always written for money, many without any particular love. Though it is nice to see authors write to attempt to cater to an audience which may actually want to buy their books. Good professional authors can write good books even without putting their soul into them, though personally I do think you can tell. What is more offensive to me is those many authors who write books for critical acclaim and hopefully awards which stand little chance of recouping even their printing costs, whilst thinking there books are so worthwhile as to justify government grants and subsidies for their writing,

[easy_dc13]

I agree but at the end of the day, it's still a business. We have just as many writers writing for the sake of selling as we do writers who are actually passionate and will ensure that the product isn't just made to produce money but fulfills its true purpose as well. The trends and common themes that are prevalent in some genres this days are a result of one book stumbling on to acclaim (or deservingly so). Once other writers see how well it's doing, they'll hop on the wagon and if they have a good publisher, they'll just see it as a money-making machine rather than actually writing a book. This is somewhat of a virus here in the Philippines where a bunch of uncreative romance novels are handled by a certain publishing company and then a movie studio bites on it to make in to a movie. Makes me shake my head.

[Novelbound]

I totally agree. Some writers do jump on whatever the popular trend is at the time. However, this doesn't necessarily make them millions, even if that is their intention. Most of these writers will not become millionaires, unless they are already a well known author. I do think there are also well established authors that do this too. But if being an author is their full time job, then they have to put food on the table and that may mean writing something trendy. In that case, I feel like there is a combination of writing what sales and writing because they love it.
The problem is that every bad or mediocre writer thinks they are going to be the next Suzanne Collins or whoever, and it results in a saturated market of dystopian, vampires, werewolves, etc.

[Scerakor]

I think this sometimes shows up on long-winded series which have had significant successes earlier on. The subsequent books don't add too much to the series but rather ride on the coattails of the previous successes. Devoted readers to the series will buy them regardless of the content solely on the idea of the book.

[MrsCatInTheHat]

Ultimately, for many authors, the point is to make a living from writing. In that sense, they do need to cater to what will "sell".

[BookishBookkeeping]

I agree that some authors are just giving into the trends but I also agree that authors should get paid for their work. Sometimes their early work is better then the later stuff or vice versus a.

[Ssinghal]

In this capitalist and materialistic world, most authors do write books that follow the trend just for the purpose of selling.
However, there are some authors who write what they are good at. These are the ones who sell millions of copies and set the trends instead of following them

[IsabelMay]

It has never been a surprise that popular books influence writers (especially those who are new), but it's still kind of sad. The good thing is that it's easy to recognize which book came first, as those are usually written better, and avoid other copies. I think this happens the most with younger or new writers who would like their first novel to be a best-seller. Fame and money, two things people are obsessed about no matter how much they deny it.

However, reviewers take this into consideration as well, so it affects their rating and the popularity of the book. Still, if someone liked Outlander by D. Gabaldon, for example, of course they'll search for similar books to enjoy so I wouldn't be too negative about those ''copies''. They can sometimes be extremely well written and refreshing.