Are Recent Books Boring Or Is It Just Me?

I belong to several newsletters that advertise new books. I'm always looking for a new read. A new author to love.

But for the last few years, it's been weirdly difficult. It's common knowledge that trad publishing goes for the lowest common denominator. Rarely do they take chances on something different.

I truly believed with the advent of indie publishing and no gatekeeping, I'd find more different, engaging stories. Boy was I wrong. I'm seeing indie writers do the same thing as the trad publishers--they're following the herd.

Then both sides wonder why they're not making any money and sales are down.

First of all, we're in the weird recovery period after the COVID-19 pandemic. People expect things to go back to the normal they were pre-2020. It's not going to happen, folks. The post-apoc writers don't seem to realize that we spent the last three years living through a plague that killed millions of people. I honestly think that's why romcom is starting to make a comeback.

(Folks, that doesn't mean you should jump on the writing romcom bandwagon. Do it if you love the subgenre. Otherwise, leave it alone. We readers can tell when your heart's not it.)

Secondly, we in the U.S. are not getting any more stimulus checks. That means with the higher food prices, your average reader has less free cash for entertainment. Writers aren't competing with each other. We're competing with streaming and gaming. So unless writers figure a way to stand out, the general population isn't going to give a rat's ass.

Thirdly, the U.S. presidential election is this year. Setting aside the bullshit of the 2016 and 2020 elections, presidential election years have had notoriously slow sales over the last century because a good chunk of the population is paying more attention to politics. That's fine, and normal. Except the last two elections turned into a circus, and 2024 promises to be the same. Which means even fewer eyeballs are available to read out books.

Last, but not least, is the problem I mentioned above. A majority of writers, regardless of who their publisher is, are playing it safe. They're writing the same pablum over and over again. They use tropes as a write-by-the-numbers guide. It waters down their stories until you can't taste anything new and delightful.

So, if you're an indie writer seeking attention and discoverability, give us readers something new and different. I know I'd love to curl up with something new to read. Something so engaging Miss Bella can have a nice long nap on my lap while I read.