by The Extraordinary Tourist

Created on: April 26, 2007   Last Updated: May 15, 2007

The real question is 'What Sells?' because writing a novel is a major commitment. Anyone contemplating such a task would, no doubt, like to know that their novel's subject has a potential audience.

Keeping the idea of 'what sells' in mind, writing to a subject that sells isn't a guarantee that your novel will sell. If you're writing to a subject or theme because you think it will sell, there is a very good chance you will write to a standard much lower than what you are capable of.

A major ingredient in a successful novel is that the writer is passionate and enthusiastic about the subject, theme, characters and everything else that makes up their novel. If you're not interested in the writing its self then it will show up as work that even you will conclude isn't all that great. Consequently if you don't think it's good then why should anyone else?

Whilst almost any subject will find an audience, not every subject will find a large audience that will propel it to 'best seller' or 'block buster' status. Some subjects will always only appeal to a niche market. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact many authors have had successful careers from writing to a niche market.

No doubt you came to this article looking for ideas for what subjects make for a good novel. Not wanting to disappoint, here is my suggestion for choosing a subject for your novel...

Visit a major book retailer web site, such as Amazon (www.amazon.com). Head over to the book section and have a look at the 'Best sellers' and 'New York Times Best Sellers' list for 'fiction and literature'.

Browse the various book titles, taking specific notice of their themes and subject matter. There is a good chance you will find more than one book interesting to you (these are best sellers after all).

Make a list of any books that you would like to read. See if there is a common theme between these books. Maybe they're all 'mysteries', 'romances', 'drama', 'science fiction' etc. Even if they don't all have a common theme, chances are there will be more than one or two with a similar subject.

Look at the subjects you've chosen and then ask yourself would I be interested in writing for the same subjects? If you enjoy reading these subjects then how much fun would it be to try and write for them? Perhaps you could even mix a couple of subjects together and create something totally new?

I can't suggest for you, what is a good subject for a novel. Only you know what you like. However if you try my suggestion above, you should be in with a chance at writing about something that interests you and also has a potential audience when you're ready to publish.

Remember, the subject you choose must be something you're interested in if you want to produce your best work.

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