Vampire is the New Black

Some say romance novels are dying. If you think this, you haven’t looked through the book section at Wal-Mart or any retail bookstore. Romance isn’t dying … it’s turning undead.

Enter the Paranormal Romance novel. In Joss Whedon’s wake come tales with the same template as the Buffy Series. There’s the heroic female, vampire lover, and a played out potential.

Come again?

If you follow a trend as a novelist, avoid committing career suicide. What is hot today will become dead tomorrow. Successful writers do one of two things:

Tell a Different Story

Hot female must save tortured vampire’s soul is now cliché. If you have any doubts, thumb through those new novels. You will see the same plot. To avoid this, spin the situation into a new perspective or dump it for something completely new.

And completely new does not mean changing the vampire into a werewolf, demon or making the female the paranormal subject. That’s changing color, but not structure.

Start Your Own Trend

Every reader, agent and publisher is looking for the newest, trend-setting novel. Write it. This is difficult, but who said writing was easy? Be the template author. A clear sign you’ve done something different is trying to pinpoint your book into a specific genre. Clan of the Cave Bear’s publisher had no idea where to place it. But the novel’s stand-alone perspective drew in readers who demanded more.

If your story is different from everything else, and it’s well written, agents and editors want it.

Despite what you’ve heard about agents looking for a reason to reject you, the opposite is true. Agents want a reason to see more. However, most writers give them a reason to pass instead.

Don’t be those writers. Stand out!