Bestseller Formula
Okay, considering I'm not a big name in the publishing industry, please take this post with a grain of salt. This is a fun little thing that I noticed, and now I'm going to share it with you. Nothing about this is to be taken as advice. (Though if it does work for you, please let me know! lol)
So after reading a couple of newer releases and looking back over the many books that have dominated the YA and Fantasy genres over the past decade or so... [Internal monologue: it's been twenty years!] Ahem. So after looking at many popular series over the course of several years, I began to notice some similarities. Which led to a fun conversation/observation to a friend one night.
For those of you unable to see the image (and got the most basic of all descriptions of it), this is what it basically said (with some expansions for the sake of clarity):
NA (yes, include the sex) a. What I meant by this is that, while Young Adult has ridden high as a genre of choice between all manner of people, the fact that certain authors were marketed to younger audiences than they should have been has left a resurgence of people calling for older charactes if they are to engage in more graphic sexual depictions. While the book will probably still be marketed as YA, it's looking a little better if the characters are at least over the age of eighteen. I'm still hopeful that New Adult will still make a comeback as its own sub-genre, but I'm not holding my breath.
b. Make it spicy. This does not have to be a bucket of spice. Or even a ladle. There might be a hint. Maybe just a pinch. A light topping at most. Why? Because this isn't a smut book. (Or at least it shouldn't be.) It is a book with intriguing characters, a heavy plot with a mysterious outcome, and a healthy sex life for your consenting romantic pairs. If you are going to get spicy with it, make sure it works like actual spices: it enhances the flavor of the dish, but the dish is still quite palatable without it. Want to test your palatability? Take out all of the spice and have a member of your audience read it. If they hate it as it is, then you've got some reworking to do. If they adore it as is, then you sprinkle the spice back in and watch them go bonkers. You're welcome.
Paranormal/Fantasy of some kind "Does it have to be?" Yes, yes it does. "But Divergent wasn't!" It is the exception that proves the rule. (Especially with the existence of the whole third book. Don't get me started.) "Okay, but why?" Why, indeed. Part of it is because it's popular at the moment. Another is escapism. Yet, the most important aspect is the ability to make up your own rules. In contemporary, and even historical, there are real life parameters on everything you do. If something doesn't make even the slightest bit of sense, you'll catch heat for it. Whereas, in paranormal or fantasy, most disbelief is suspended. Therefore, everything is an option. (Paranormal doesn't have to go all-out. It can be subtle, which will allow most of the story to have a contemporary feel, if that's what you want to go for. But it does allow your reader not to pick on you for everything that's slightly altered.)
Have character be part of house/family/clan etc. "Why?" For the purposes of all these points, just assume the first answer to this question is due to its current/consistent popularity and increases the likelihood of readership. Moving on... This one is actually mildly psychological. We all crave to belong. Period. It's that simple. Those of us that grew up during the Harry Potter era made a lot of connections simply by knowing someone else's house. A lot of late night discussions could be had over your favorite house from A Song of Ice and Fire. Which faction you would have chosen had you been in Divergent said a lot about you. Even The Hunger Games districts–which no one had control over–were heavily debated. Having a book where certain characters can be separted into groups based upon personality, desires, or blood is something that has sparked the imaginations of many. The reason this worked so well for the Harry Potter universe is because the sorting hat took the things characters valued and used that to put them where it knew they could thrive. It then allowed readers to see their own values and priorities in the characters and decide which house they were most suited to. In A Song of Ice and Fire, the reader got to decide which house they stood for. Which words they would adopt as their own. And who they supported for the Iron Throne. It allowed them to become invested. For The Hunger Games, we all learned early on the three-fingered salute used by District 12. On and on we could go. The fact of the matter is, having separate groups allows readers to become even more invested in the story as they try to decide where they belong in it. This leads to greater interaction, heavier debates, and allows new bonds to form. It's a wonderful device. (And it also sells a hell of a lot of merch, if you do it right. JK)
Write it in First Person
This one is only about the popularity, not gonna lie. As a writer and reader, I prefer third person limited in perfect present tense. As someone who raised themselves on fantasy books, it's the one I'm most used to as it allows you inside the character's mind, whilst giving you just enough distance for you to form your own opinions about them and their current situations. That said, I also understand the appeal of first person, perfect present tense. (Perfect present tense means that the narrative is telling you something that just happened, but the wording is technically in past tense.) You get a more visceral experience being inside the main character's head. All of the thoughts and deeds are more intense, because it's as if you're also living them. Of course, that's also the reason I don't like it half the time. (Some characters are really annoying, and I despise being stuck in the mind of someone I deem Too Stupid To Live.) No one, however, will get me to like first person present tense. It makes me feel too anxious having the narrative expressed as something that's happening right now and there's no time to think, only act. In that situation, there isn't even a modicum of space between you and the character, and I don't like it.
Obviously there will be a romance (either EtoL or FtoL. The slightest of all slow burns possible.) Let's break that down, shall we? a. Romance is necessary, yes. Does the book have to be a romance? No. In point of fact, in many successful series, the romance is a subplot and not even always with the MC but rather the loveable side characters. The reason I say it does need to exist is for the feels. Let me explain. If you have a super intense, world-ending plot with an MC who isn't likely to make it out alive, that's a lot of stakes, drama, and depression. Now, the comedic relief character can only do so much to lighten the mood. However, the one thing that actually brings hope to the reader, ups the stakes, and gives us those cute moments that remind the MC what they're fighting for in the first place is a romance. b. For the sake of sales, I've noticed that Enemies-to-Lovers and Friends-to-Lovers seems to work best. Obvioulsy, EtoL works best in fantasy settings. (To paraphrase Book Goblin: If they don't try to kill you, are they even really your enemy?) The fun of EtoL is the amount of passion and banter you can create between the characters. It's new and exciting and intense. FtoL obviously works any and everywhere. It's wholesome, comes with history between the characters, and has that delicious amount of pining before things come together. There are, of course, other types of romance (I think Hallmark has dibs on the small town man, though) but these seem to work best in fantasy and paranormal settings. c. To slow burn or not to slow burn? As long as there's no insta-love, you'll be fine. (Seriously, insta-love crashed face first into a wall and has not yet recovered in the reading community.) What I meant by my initial statement, however, was that it seems that most people like the build-up of witty banter, sly looks, and the half-insult, half-endearment pet names. But readers today don't seem to want that to go on for more than one book (if that). So if you want a slow burn, but want to give readers the ultimate satisfaction, dragging it out until about 3/4 seems to be the best bet. Then they can get together in time for the book's climax, and then there's not much for the aftermath of any of it before you hit the end of the book. Which allows you to keep them hooked for book 2. That said... I grew up watching Bones and House, and I can guarantee that the banter and slow burn were the best part. After the romances became official, it didn't exactly go downhill, but it just wasn't as fun anymore. (Can also be said about Gilmore Girls.) In this area, the writer has absolute discretion and I encourage slow burns more than the average person, probably. But I'm also not opposed to getting some kind of pay-off before the ending of book one.
Very high stakes More or less, there are world (as we know it) ending consequences should the MC fail in their goals. Again, this plays better with fantasy than any other genre because the world, the villains/problems stem entirely from your imagination and can be as formidable or easily-defeatable as you so desire. However, I've noticed the trend that is more or less "the entire world is in danger, not just our corner of it" level of stakes. As someone who grew up reading epic fantasy and its slightly-dumbed-down descendants, I'm here neither for the Great Evil trope nor the Chosen One. I'm just over them both. So when I pick up a book, I like ones with the political intrigue that do, in fact, focus on 'just our little corner of the world' thank you very much. I don't need world-ending stakes. But I need shatter-this-world stakes. As a writer, it's important to find the balance, but it's also fun to figure out what your character would find 'world shattering' ... to then use against them. For the sake of the reader, though, the stakes need to be high and very clearly defined.
Decently fast pace This is my greatest nemesis. I'm what is known as an 'over-writer'. [*squints at entire blog post* obviously] The shortest story I tried to write was still fourteen pages long. I tried writing one short story and accidentally wrote a novel. Words come easy to me, for the most part. Once a scene is in my head, I do my best to get it all out. The facial expressions. The tone of voice. The ticks and pacing around a room. I write it all down because that's what I see in my head. Not only that, but I have enough scenes in my head in relation to a particular story, that learning what to cut has become my greatest accomplishment during editing. (By the way, this is what is meant by the phrase 'kill your darlings'. It has nothing to do with killing off characters, but instead yanking out some of your favorite lines/scenes because they don't serve the overall plot.) What this means for an overwriter like me is that, usually, our pacing is slower. We have all these tiny details to thread throughout the story, either for foreshadowing or just to show off character development, and so it takes longer to get from one dramatic moment to the next. (And training montages are harder to do in a book than they are on screen.) To the authors that know how to not write all the extra stuff and pack in all the important details into perfectly paced out scenes: I salute you. And I'm jealous.
With all of this data gathered, what do you think I should do with it? I should write a book or series utilizing all of this, shouldn't I? And I would love to, except... I DON'T HAVE A PLOT. Or characters. Or a world. Or anything at all that would allow this to become a reality. All I know is that I have roughly 65 other projects that I need to work on. None of which fit this particular criteria. Does that mean I'll never have an idea that goes with this? Of course not. But nothing is sparking at the moment, and I've run out of time to discuss this. If this helps you at all, then this post was worth it. (And I would also like a single line in your Acknowledgments for mapping this out this bestseller formula for you.) You're welcome. Now get to work. I'm looking forward to all the 2026 releases.
