In recent memory Harry Potter and to some extent Twilight, Hunger Games, ASOIAF Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Fifty Shades did become huge hits which captured big audiences worldwide.
But there have been few and far in between. First books had to compare with movies and tv for the attention of audiences. Now with the advent of gaming and lately social media, peoples' interests have become even more diversified.
And with the reports of declining attention spans, I don't think reading books will see a surge any time soon.
Do you feel a book series can come out of the blue and become a big hit akin to the examples listed above?
by Boss452
5 Comments
Yes, Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe.
Three words – dungeon crawler Carl
Yes, Fourth Wing series
Some people may not like romantasy/respect it much, but it’s HUGELY commercially successful and whenever authors like SJM or Yarros drop a new book, it’s a big deal, with midnight release parties just like the old days. They’re also the inspiration for some pretty big book balls, where people dress up in costume like the characters- it very much has the tinge of that kind of fandom culture. So yes, it’s going to keep happening, it just may not happen to genres people like.
I mean SJM and whoever wrote the Fourth Wing series seem to be doing that right now.