It's been a while since I've done a Wicked Wednesday post. I hope to get back into the regular swing of things. So much has been happening, and I've been very busy with my 13th Floor series. I'm learning a lot about the genre and what's hot. This week I'm going to share a few things with you.
Werewolves are still a hot topic. You read on a lot of sites that the popularity of werewolves and vampires is diminishing. Perhaps agents and publishers are tiring of them, but readers still want more. The Alpha has already sold four times as many copies as The Marquis. People hear werewolf and their ears perk up. A new twist to the alpha trope? Now they're even more interested. I'm curious to see what happens when I get to the vampire's story in my series.
Paranormal romance fans like sarcasm and humor. The posts from my tours that received the most feedback were the funny ones. I think humor attracts people in general, and fans of this genre like a certain edge to their humor. I will never be Joss Whedon, but I'll do my best with this.
Covers matter. With The Marquis, people were seeing more urban fantasy. It wasn't sexy enough. The Alpha got more attention with Stefanie on the cover. Intense and gorgeous. The Dragonslayer has gotten the most attention. Shirtless Xan has caused a lot of people to drool. With paranormal romance, the hotness factor does count.
What have you learned through promoting your books?
Excellent discoveries! I had a feeling The Dragonslayer cover would catch people's attention! ;)
ReplyDeleteWell, hot certainly gets me interested ;) I like a good character plot too.
ReplyDeleteI love vampires, and werewolves. I don't like them fluffy or sparkly though. Anne Rice has the most awesome vamps; and while I'm no chic lit fan, Charlene Harris did well with Alcie.
Maybe agents aren't tired of vamps and were's;just tired of the angsty ancient supranormal meets average prom queen motif. All fads come to an eventual end; and readers sometimes grow up.
But sexy, hot; never gets old, lol. You seem well on your way to writing characters ever Joss would take note of. When you love what you write, it shows Christine.
.......dhole
It's interesting to hear that these topics are still popular with readers. Too often we hear 'it's all been done before' but people need choice.And yay for a bit of humour, we all need that. Keep doing what you are doing, it's obviously working well :)
ReplyDeletecool analysis! and great to hear there is chatter!
ReplyDeletehumor should be involved in every genre as in life!
As long as you've got a fresh story to tell, that's the most important thing. There's always room to bring something new to the table. Characters should come before genre. Seems like you've got some awesome ones!
ReplyDeleteWhile I can certainly see the appeal of shirtless Xan, I found The Marquis cover sexiest. Marc just looks so intense and rawr.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised werewolves are still so popular, I thought them and vampires were done with (for now) and people wanted different paranormals. I'll be interested to hear how your vamp is received.
Thank you for sharing what you have learned so far- I'm wondering how they stack up against Fearless?
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
I'm always surprised when people say that vampires and werewolves are dwindling in popularity, since that certainly doesn't seem to be the case whenever I walk into a bookstore--heck, or turn on the TV!
ReplyDeleteAnd honestly? As amazing as all your covers are so far for the 13th Floor series, the one for The Marquis is easily my favorite. There's a great menacing feel to it, and as an artist, I'm a little too in love with the overall composition. It's so cool how everything but his eye is saturated!
Excellent way to introduce the week. If only I had the time to read and read. Usually end up reading until 2 in the morning and then too tired to work the following day. :0)
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone! I didn't realize there was such love for The Marquis cover. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting how the vampire one goes over, since The Alpha has done so well. And Xan's cover is hot. I can see why people are interested. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe Dragonslayer is purty. What an interesting way to learn more about your market. So I should stick werewovles in my stories?
ReplyDeleteChristine, your covers are so professional - just amazing! Good to hear the second book is doing so well.
ReplyDeleteGreat learnings... and thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how much covers really do matter.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting the different reactions you've recieved. I think the Marquis is actually my favourite cover (and favourite story too, though I haven't read Dragonslayer yet).
ReplyDeleteI am an unpublished author, so I haven't had the experience of promoting a book yet.
ReplyDeleteI don't need to necessarily see "hotness" on a book cover, but I do like to see something or someone that would make me take a second "what was that again" look...like someone with glowing red eyes.
Covers DO matter. And those look FABULOUS...
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