I've always considered myself strictly a non-fiction writer. In my opinion, no matter what genre a writer dabbles in, their work must carry a thread of truth, or else it has no significance to humanity. So, to me, everything is non-fiction anyways.
On October 27th, Teleread released this infographic that compares the selling rates of different genres, from the 18th century to 2007. Classic Literary Fiction is apparently the longest-surviving genre, while Magic Realism only contains one source. I can't say I'm overly surprised that Children's Fiction takes the gross lead. However, I would be tempted to include Young Adult in their definition of CF - since when are 7 year-old's reading Harry Potter?
Irregardless, I stipulate over the significance and accuracy of these findings. Are these genres what our society explicitly values, or are they what the publishing industry pushes upon us?
I wonder if the largest volume of books sold represents a booming genre I should strive to add to, or an over-crowded industry unlikely to accept new manuscripts. Reversely, do the lowest numbers reveal room for more literature, or a lack of demand in that genre?
No matter what this infographic proclaims, I'm going to continue writing what I want to write and what I'm good at writing. I won't change my style or ideals to fit into a literary framework contrived by some executive publisher. Even if I never become a best-seller or reach millions, hundreds, or even more than my classmates who are reading this blog, I will be producing meaningful literary texts that might be meaningful to someone else. Even if it's only one other person, that's enough of a reason for me to write.
On October 27th, Teleread released this infographic that compares the selling rates of different genres, from the 18th century to 2007. Classic Literary Fiction is apparently the longest-surviving genre, while Magic Realism only contains one source. I can't say I'm overly surprised that Children's Fiction takes the gross lead. However, I would be tempted to include Young Adult in their definition of CF - since when are 7 year-old's reading Harry Potter?
Irregardless, I stipulate over the significance and accuracy of these findings. Are these genres what our society explicitly values, or are they what the publishing industry pushes upon us?
I wonder if the largest volume of books sold represents a booming genre I should strive to add to, or an over-crowded industry unlikely to accept new manuscripts. Reversely, do the lowest numbers reveal room for more literature, or a lack of demand in that genre?
No matter what this infographic proclaims, I'm going to continue writing what I want to write and what I'm good at writing. I won't change my style or ideals to fit into a literary framework contrived by some executive publisher. Even if I never become a best-seller or reach millions, hundreds, or even more than my classmates who are reading this blog, I will be producing meaningful literary texts that might be meaningful to someone else. Even if it's only one other person, that's enough of a reason for me to write.