Today, It's a Crime! welcomes Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of forensic scientist schools. In the following article she considers why crime fiction always sells. Over to Adrienne:
There are varying forms of crime fiction – some focus on the crime, others on the main characters; some are violent and gory, others do not refer to the crime other than in passing; some are series featuring recurring characters while others are standalone novels, each of which is complete in itself. Crime fiction is a genre that will always find readers; it has been selling from the time books began to be published and will be around even though other new genres come about. And the reasons why crime fiction sells are:
• The author is good: When you know and love an author, you don’t think twice about buying his or her books, even when you don’t know the storyline or the plot. You know you love the author’s style of writing and that’s all that matters. A good crime writer can hold readers’ attention and keep them coming back for more, even after a long break.
• There is a series: Some crime stories are written as a series, with one or more books being linked together in terms of characters and plot. This makes you want to know what happens next, and you end up waiting avidly for the next book in the series.
• People are attracted to crime: in a very strange and compelling way. They don’t want to be at the center of the crime or even related to it in any way, but they do have voyeuristic tendencies that make them crowd around crime scenes, read crime news in the paper, and of course, buy crime fiction. Also, a good whodunit is an entertainer for all seasons and makes for light reading at any time.
• Readers are curious: They love to find out how the crime is solved and how the criminal is brought to book by the protagonist. They are curious about the method used to solve the murder or rape, and this makes them continue to buy crime fiction even though they have never read the author before.
• Some people want the thrill: If you’ve ever read a good crime thriller, you’ll know what I mean when I say that you tend to feel a sort of anticlimax when you reach the end of the book. It’s like you build up to a crescendo during the closing pages, the ones that lead to the capture of the criminal. And once the end has come and the last page has been read, your adrenaline levels drop down drastically, leaving you wanting another fix. This makes people buy crime fiction books repeatedly.
Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions, including at her email address: adrienne DOT carlson83 AT yahoo DOT com. Many thanks to Adrienne.
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