The Hock (A PublisherËs Guide to Writing)
What you need is something to grab the reader, something sensational to sell your product. You need something to reel the buyer in, what you need is a Hook.
Nuns are good. Lesbians are better. Vampires are very popular. A Lesbian Vampire Nun would be brilliant.
To be a Best Seller, you must reach the widest market possible, therefore your novel must:
Break taboos Breach boundaries And cross genres
So why not make your Lesbian Vampire Nun a time traveller who solves serial murders in the wild west?
A book will only be profitable if the characters are:
Well rounded Three dimensional And they have flaws
So why not make your time travelling Lesbian Vampire Nun a single mother with a drug problem and an abusive ex-husband?
Also, your book will be more Marketable if it is set in an actual place. Therefore, your time travelling Lesbian Vampire Nun, and single mum
Should live on a run-down council estate On a remote, but picturesque island. There she will be surrounded by a mix of lovable rustics and feral teenagers on crack who spend all day saying the F-word.
If you follow this outline, you will not only have a Marketable Product, but a novel that is gritty, urban and cutting edge. Above all, it will have Verisimilitude for the most important thing in this business is REALISM.
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