In publishing, I’ve come to believe that timing is . . . if not everything, really important. It seems that readers go through cycles. For example, when Left Behind took off, suddenly everyone was reading, and writing, end-times fiction (or nonfiction). Biographies or touching personal stories might be popular for a season–mysteries, fantasy, chick-lit, and so on. I’ve heard editors say that writers should just write what they know, or what they’re passionate about, rather than trying to jump on whatever is popular at the moment. And then I’ve heard the opposite: No one’s reading that genre right now–do you have something else? I think it can work either way–depending on the writer, the idea, the specific publishing house. But what if you’ve written the greatest fantasy story of all time (just an example), and while lots of people were reading fantasy last season, now everyone’s clammoring to get the latest contemporary novel that Oprah has endorsed? (Again, just an example.)
Well, as they say about the Colorado weather, just wait awhile, things will change. It’s all about timing.
