BOOK TRENDS THAT NEED TO DIE 🔪 AND ONES THAT NEED TO STAY 🏠 2024 trend deep dive

[@nightleopard13]

I teach middle school and I have girls who have told me that they want clean romance books but the covers are cutesy in both clean and extremely spicy books. I can't remember which one it was, but a couple of them freaked out because they're 14 and accidently got a book with BDSM in the first chapter of what they thought was going to be a cute clean romance. It had an adorable cartoon-esq cover and I totally understand their mistake. Now they're half-afraid to read new books and I hate that their spark to read is being smothered by spicy books.

[@robertawalsh2995]

Many of us share their problem. When I saw those cutesy covers, I assumed that those books were intended for teens and avoided them. Then I realized that those covers are everywhere. The online description or back cover synopsis don't necessarily tell you what goes on between the covers either. I find myself avoiding new authors unless they are recommended to me.

[@Xoxo_gaming5000]

I think that’s just a problem of them reading in the wrong age range. At age fourteen they shouldn’t be reading books for adults, even if they have no spice.

[@nightleopard13]

​@Xoxo_gaming5000 how do you expect a student to improve their reading level? In 7th grade I had a college graduate reading level. The average adult book in most genres is a 10th grade reading level which is only 1-2 years above their required reading level in Virginia for a 14 year old. That is what they're taught to do, but how do you tell a student that their favorite genre is too trashy for them to be allowed to read? Classics bore them, known clean books after often too old and so they can't connect with them.

[@Xoxo_gaming5000]

@@nightleopard13 if they want to improve reading levels, spicy romance books are not the way to do it..

[@nightleopard13]

@@Xoxo_gaming5000 thank you for agreeing with me. As appealing as an Ali Hazelwood cover may be (among many other authors in this cover trend), they are misleading. Fanfiction has been using maturity ratings for years and I don't see why publishing cannot do the same by adding a rating at the end of the book's blurb. As most know, reading level and maturity level are not the same thing and should be treated as separate factors by the publishing industry for the continued enjoyment of the reading community.

[@Avalanti]

In my head, fae are dangerous and scheming, but enchanting and addictive to be around (which makes them 'sexy' but also quite creepy) I want more books that have fae be alluring but terrifying

[@isobeltotten4402]

true to mythology. victorians did some weird toning down of how we see faeries

[@alvafairchild13]

Emily wilde's encyclopaedia of faeries has accurate and to me perfect rep for different kinds of fae it is so good and well written

[@xiimorals]

I'm sick of things being called "retellings" when they're more like "reimagining". To me, a retelling should follow the same basic story, while giving different perspectives or adding depth to it, like Circe. A reimagining is using an older story/myth as a jumping off point, and doing your own things with it, like Juniper and Thorn. It can be very disappointing to think you're going in for a retelling and getting a reimagining.

[@emmatfink]

Omg yes! Especially when you don't realize the book is super smutty. I went into a book thinking it would be a Hades and Persephone retelling with political intrigue, but it was literally just Hades holding Persephone hostage so they could do it constantly 🙃

[@kiczcock]

I wish ppl would write Egyptian myth retellings or ancient Egypt inspired fantasy. I loved ancient Egypt as a kid and would looove to read books about it 😢

[@hayleya.439]

YESSSSSS. I think the only one I've read is A Master of Djinn which didn't quite work for me :( I want mooooore

[@gray_mara]

There was a fun book called Aida's Ghost I read years ago, based on the opera and partly set in ancient Egypt.

[@aquaabouttogetfunky]

I’m iffy on it because some people have already butchered a bunch of Greek myth. Idk how it would be with Egyptian myth writing, especially by more amateur writers. Some have a habit to exoticize the mythos. Though, I do recommend Enned for that. It’s a mangwa with bl elements. Though it has a lot of violence (both physical and sexual)

[@mirandaluckie123]

Have you read S A Chakraborty’s Daevabad series? So good!

[@hayleya.439]

@@mirandaluckie123 That's one of my fave series of all time. They spend such little time in actual Egypt though that I'm not sure if it counts 😅

[@Srbthmlnsmth]

Agree with you about the lack of maturity for 12-18 year olds. It reflects the lack of maturity of readers and this has really annoyed me on Goodreads for some recent books I loved that had realistic teenagers but then actual legit reviewers rates them low because the characters are naive or gullible like hello they’re kids?!?!

[@resoketswem.manenzhe157]

have to strongly disagree with the historical fantasy "hate." that seems more like personal taste. it's a sub-genre, not a trend per se. but maybe it's because i've always been aware of historical motifs in other genres, for example, historical romance is its own thing, but that doesn't mean no one is writing contemporary romance. you're just reading books outside your preferred genre and complaining about the key world-building staples of that genre (in this case, historical fantasy). it seems to me like reading YA and complaining that characters are juvenile, immature, etc.

[@Anna-bm3oe]

It really depends on preference, I love historical fantasy and HATE urban fantasy, the ties to the modern world kills the vibe for me

[@gracie9658]

​@@Anna-bm3oesame for me

[@ellyra412]

I agree, historical fantasy is a subgenre not a trend. I have a weird taste when it comes to historical fantasy : I only like it when the fantasy is INSPIRED by history like The Poppy War or Guy Gavriel Kay books. However if it set in our world, I feel put off by the liberties taken with history like She Who Became the Sun or Noami Novik's His Majesty Dragon. Magical Realism or Folklore retellings is fine with me in Historical Fantasy as well.

[@josie2412]

I agree

[@violaivy]

Yes historical fantasy has been around for ages. It's fine for someone to want modern, sci-fi leaning fantasy to be more popular, but calling an existing sub-genre a trend isn't entirely accurate.

[@Ichithix]

Neil Gaiman's 'Norse Mythology" isn't so much a re-telling, as it's a telling. It's a collection of myths, not a novel or a story "based on...".

[@cbpd89]

True! It is also excellent 😁

[@jamicassidy7955]

Just have to predict the future, as a writer. "What will be trendy 5 years from now when I actually finish a book?" 😅

[@NonAnonD]

Cycles always come back, so you can try what worked 10 years before now to predict the future (vampires and dystopian are on the rise, for example)

[@jamicassidy7955]

@@NonAnonD - Ah, a nice idea. I am a risky man, though, so I just write whatever feels best at the time. Eventually something good will happen... probably.

[@JeantheSecond-ip7qm]

I’d say write what moves *you* and if you capture that feeling in writing then maybe you’ll start the trend. But what the hell do I know. I never managed to write a book and I tried.

[@jamicassidy7955]

@@JeantheSecond-ip7qm - Good advice, though. If you always write what moves you, you'll always be proud of what you created.

[@gray_mara]

Don't worry, if it takes you 5 years to finish a book, you'll never be trendy. You might be great, but to follow trends pretty much requires you to pop out a book in a month. On the plus side, writing gets faster the more you actually sit in the chair and write. I've yet to meet anyone who took 5 years to write a book who was sitting down for an hour a day actually writing.

[@TheKatBite]

I agree with you about big authors being under-edited. I’ve also unfortunately seen this with smaller and debut authors recently. I’ve read multiple books in the past year where there were clear problems that would have been picked up by a proper developmental edit. And I think that the publishers figured that either the author was big enough or the book was anticipated enough (for smaller authors) that it would sell anyway, so they didn’t bother giving it the attention it needed to make the actual content good. And that sucks both for readers and authors and future sales because then those books get poorly reviewed. I think publishers just don’t want to pay for editing 😂

[@sparrowhawkerdesigns]

Ah, where to start. First of all, having worked as a bookseller, librarian, and for a book wholesaler, my opinion is publishers are going to publish what they think will sell. So, it's sort of like voting, if a reader doesn't buy what it is they want to see published, their opinion doesn't really count in the grand scheme of things, and they just have to deal with whatever the trend is, unfortunately. In other words, sales dictate the trend. 2) I'm not sure they stop editing big authors so much as for a time factor (they generally do not publish more than one book a year for the big authors no matter what) as it is that the Big Author becomes more confident that they don't need as much editing. If a publisher decides to buy a book, they do so knowing that they cannot force an author to make changes to their manuscript if the author doesn't want to. Most newbie authors defer to the editor's suggestions, then as they get bigger and more confident, they start rejecting more editorial advice. (I've talked to several authors about this. When they learned they could just say no, it was empowering.) So, if an author says, "no, I don't want to make that change" the editor just sort of has to deal with that. I knew of an author once who said she'd gone over her sentences a hundred times, so there was no need for an editor to touch her manuscript (I won't name her.) Trends are fascinating. I knew of a romance author one time who got a five book deal because her first book was similar to a movie that was popular. Publishing is a business and in order to stay afloat they're going to do whatever they can to "cash in." However, at the same time they'll tell you "not to write for the trend" because it changes so quickly. You have to time riding that wave just perfectly. You are always so balanced and so fair with your videos and always have such interesting things to say. Thanks for the good work.

[@martialartess]

I would love to see your video on the fae, as you've outlined in this video. I'm currently writing a retold fairy tale and the fae in it are scary and dangerous, so you video would be really helpful.

[@JJsims5504]

Kaikeyi was such a refreshing retelling, and therefore a book I immediately picked up! There are huge untapped audiences interested in mythologies other than Greek who would gobble up more diverse retellings, but publishing clearly wants to play it safe. I will say the silence of the girls was a retelling of the Iliad well worth people’s time.

[@christeascozycorner]

i find that for the fantasy/fantasy romance thing, if a book's synopsis is written in first person, it's most often ~romantasy~ and then i'm like nope, i know that's not for me speaking of taylor swift, one trend i need to go away is the number of taylor swift references that are in contemporary romances 😭

[@MykkiOnTheCusp]

That's a good point, romantasy seems to be primarily written in first person, whereas a lot of other fantasy tends to be third person. It's not a hard and fast rule, but it seems a pretty good indicator.

[@veronica1972]

Laughing so hard bc my grimdark fantasy with hardly a drop of romance is 100% in 1st person

[@SomaSoy87]

With retellings it’s not just a lot of European focused, it’s focused on a few select groups of stories that a lot more people would know of or be aware of is a thing (Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rumplestiltskin, etc.). More focused on some German, French, maybe English fairytales, and Greek and Norse mythology. Haven’t read it yet, but Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid takes a lesser well known story from the Grimm collection (the Juniper tree), Robin McKinley has an older retelling of Deerskin (French version of Allerleirauh, which is also a lesser well known story in the Grimm collection), and these are the kinds of stories and versions that would be amazing if they could see the day of light, because there are just. So. Many. Fairytales and myths out there! (Or weird but really fitting mashups, like The Shadow in the Glass that’s a Faustian Cinderella, and it works pretty well.) But yeah, if it’s the same versions or the same stories regurgitated over and over again and get loads more attention, I’m not surprised there’s some who are getting tired.

[@ItPutsTheBookUponTheShelf]

I agree. I'm just sick of the same super well known being "retold". I'd love to read stories I've never heard of or you rarely hear about.

[@Merdragoon]

Speaking on the Fae aspect and how they can be dangerous- The other trend I've seen done *so many times* is people call the creature a fae but it ends up being straight up demon without actually exploring the fae aspect. This makes me DNF a book so quickly because that's not what I'm looking for (it's what ultimately got me to DNF Kingdom of Sweets which I was actually intrested when I started to see how the author would do the Nutcracker Retelling as horror. The only good thing she did was actually think the Clown doll as creepy and that's it, but I was done when the Sugar Plum Fairy was a demon and she had such a great set up for a dangerous Fae until it wasn't.) But I think you would actually *really* like Gwenhyfar: the White Spirit by Mercades Lackey. It handles Fae as both helpful but also dangerous in subtle ways and it also talks a bit more of the speculation of King Arthur Lore with a historical spin to it. It's an older book, so if you can get it from the Library it may actually scratch that itch you've been craving from Historical Fantasy and Fae being more mysterious and not romantic. (And this is one of the few books that are NOT part of the Valdamar Series and is an standalone so you can read this at the same time as your romp into Valdamar.) It's not exactly perfect as there may be some parts that feel like a little long stretches but I feel like it was on purpous in some places. A lot of the "older" fantasy books was getting the buff man or just the pretty woman face treatment for a while and still going through it unfortantly. The Mage Wars covers within the Valdamar Series (modern) look nothing like the old school covers that fit the vibe a bit better and the Rowan by Anne McCaffery (along with all the books after it within the Hive and the Tower series) just plaster a woman's face that sometimes doesn't even look like the main charater and they do the summery as if it's a romance novel when it's not a romance..... it's a Scifi with romance elements about halfway through. I have seen people actually give it 1 stars because they were given the impression that it was a Romance Scifi. And with the Length discussion, I think you can build a really good fantasy world in certian word counts, but it's a *skill* that have to be mastered and not forced upon the author in question without giving them direction. I have read really good short story that does the job of building the world, make it work and while I may want more of the world, could just go to the next short story to build upon that and be satified. One book I'm reading right now between my Buddy Read (Bringer of the Scourge) is only 255 pages but the world building is GREAT! But Sword and Sorcery is built around shorter stories origonally, so I think that's why people try to develop the craft of that first, and the author herself is coming out with a second book as a continuation of the book, but also going to be on the shorter side but build out more of that world she built.

[@RainCraver]

love the video but... I kept getting distracted cause I've been trying to figure out how you styled your hair 😍 is it one of those curly hairbands? just individual clips? is you hair just naturally curly and has volume??? I need a hair turorial, yours looks so incredibly pretty 🥹💕

[@ginnyhixon5422]

Vampire tales always rise in a bad economy, so not surprising we are seeing more.

[@brief402]

Vampire books from like 15 years ago were amazing. I struggle to find the same type of thing in current releases

[@okasart]

This comment genuinely cracked me up

[@agohl85]

Oh Gosh - your point to publishers not editing bigger names - I thought this so much about Tress of the Emerald Sea. I feel like that book did not get the editing it needed because it was a Sanderson book and that story needed someone giving the feedback that more editing to focus that story a bit was really needed..... And the book covers and synopses not reflecting the book. It's gotten to the point where I don/t buy a book until I've either read the ebook or taken it out of the library because I get so tired of buying books, opening it up, and then feeling like I was just cheated out of my money and its annoying. On the other hand, I actually appreciate that more fantasy series that don't involve 800 page books are getting more popular because while I don't mind a good epic fantasy series, I don't want every book I read being that long. Especially when these books don't need to be that long and would most likely be better if the books were cut down (I'm thinking of Keepers of Lost Cities series specifically here. I like the series but I find myself skimming over the middle few hundred pages of the last few books that I feel could have been cut down - to the point where I am just really ready for the series to be over because it is dragging on so long).

[@michaelmasiello6752]

Elle, fae stories aren’t (generally) my thing-Spenser’s Faerie Queene excepted-but if you make a two-hour video on the subject, I promise I’ll watch every second of it. Your takes on these things are always balanced and interesting and anything you put out is worth watching.

[@souei9289]

I’m a new subscriber and really love your content! Also want to say I really appreciate you mentioning that a lot of genres (epic fantasy, retellings, historical fantasy) focus mainly on European cultures and many readers don’t give books based on other cultures a chance. I do think publishers are mainly to blame for this for not pushing diverse stories out, but I also think people should be branching out and trying new perspectives. Oh, and on the Fae topic, I would love to see how John Gwynne would write them!

[@gabriellewade2724]

Agreed. I think it's the same European cultures too. Each country has such diverse traditions. East isn't like west, and the north is nothing like the south. Yet it seems to focus on the most "popular" countries.

[@Abyrae]

I mostly read fantasy and fantasy sub-genres myself, and I try to add books that are based on non-European settings. Our world has so many beautiful cultures (sometime multiple ones within the same country); it's a shame that so many are overshadowed by the mostly western European-inspired settings.

[@northrh2309]

Personally, I am always down for a Fae story if the romance isn't the entire focus (and yeah, the dark vibes and violent Faeries are excellent) - love Holly Black's fae world, Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely, Emily Wilde... I'd be down for a whole video talking about Fae tropes. Would also love a whole video about self publishing and the struggles authors face.

[@tinyprettymoon]

Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology was really good but I wouldn’t say it necessarily counts as a retelling with it being nonfiction. The thing I hate about retellings of mythology is how authors will take snippets of Greek or Norse mythology (examples I’ve read this year) and completely change things around or get things wrong to the point that it feels like they butchered it or are making a mockery of it. The Greek inspired book I read a few months ago, The Night Hunt, felt she was making a mockery of Greek mythology. It was like she was trying to use details from Greek mythology to make her own mythology and it just wasn’t working for me. And maybe that’s just me, but being a big Assassin’s Creed Odyssey fan and Greek mythology in general, her choices really bothered me. The Norse inspired book I read, Children of Ragnarok, also wasn’t great with certain details, like how she made the Vanir the gods of the dead or the spirit realm which just isn’t even correct

[@Edidin]

Guys, you're all sleeping on "The Innkeeper Chronicles" series by Ilona Andrews. It's truly brilliant mix of magic and sci-fi, love plot is very (very) much in the background. There are military space werewolves, vampire kingdom (not a word about them drinking blood, fr), there are monsters, philosopher chicken, sneaky foxes, lost people, political intrigue, other worlds, there's humor, there are hard-hitting moments and intense, high-stakes action. And still, with all that, it's a pretty cozy read.. Seriously, you need to check it out. :)

[@mikouf9691]

I love that series! Every time I think about the philosopher chickens, I can't help but smile. 🐓

[@Edidin]

@@mikouf9691 I re-read it a couple of months back and how did I forget Arland getting drunk on coffee? :D

[@netogrof]

I read the first book and loved it. Very much gives Mercy Thompson vibes (which I’ve read all of that’s released).

[@Edidin]

@@netogrof Next Innkeeper books are equally as fun and engaging, promise. :) And Mercy is another one of my favorites. Love her as much as I love Kate Daniels series. I guess kickass heroines are my vibe. :)

[@Meg_Sprite]

I liked the Fox Wife, it feels like a lot of people are only looking for euro-centric view of fantasy. So it’s nice for cultures outside of that get more popular.

[@ukchanak]

Thank you for suggesting it, I've read the sample and it really great! I'm going to buy this

[@catsandbats77]

I absolutely adore historic fantasy. I read fantasy before, but what really made me adore fantasy was reading Juliet Marillier's books. I didn't realize people consider it a trend as it's been a subgenre of fantasy pretty much forever. People have been telling tales about magical people, creatures, abilities, etc.. that take place in the past for thousands of years.

[@astevenswrites]

Thanks for highlighting the "hurdles" for self-pub authors! After thinking about it and watching people like Ryan Cahill, who've done it right, I decided to self-pub myself. And yes, it's a LOT to learn and take in. And if authors want to do it right, they shouldn't rush the process and need to do their research. There are a lot of interviews with Ryan that can give you some ideas. I ended up hiring an editor I follow on KZbin, who I've been watching for over a year. And I found my cover artist on Upwork after thoroughly looking through their artwork (and making sure it wasn't AI art). Aside from all that, it's nice to see that TBB and some of the other printers are doing their part to support indie authors. There are many who will try to prey on us, but there are also many others who genuinely want to help!

[@guidancelight57]

Omgg please do thriller genres! Would love to see u dip ur toes into that genre and ur opinion on it. I would recommend 'pretty girls' and 'rock paper scissors' if u haven't read those!

[@TheBookHerm]

I 100% agree on the Taylor Swift thing... I feel like the fandom borders, and for some, goes straight over to the unhealthy. It has unfortunately (imo) had somewhat of a negative impact on booktube. I think that coupled with the "girly" trend makes booktube feel very exclusive and for anyone that isn't a girl and an obsessive fan of T.S. it can feel quite alienating.

[@insilencea4599]

I don't think the scarcity of world building is necessarily connected to shorter word counts. I've read plenty of short books and novellas which paint a satisfying picture of the world for their story. I imagine it's more a matter of where the author's interest lies, and sometimes their level of experience and craft. I have read a series of novels which also exist as manga, and sometimes it reads like the author forgot the novel wasn't going to be illustrated and could use descriptions of places. Not to say that trimming a work down never impacts the world building, of course.

[@xiimorals]

I don't agree that the historic fantasy trend is a bad thing. A) It's always been a thing. B) We're getting these stories from unrepresented folks now, which is important.

[@abundleofrandomissues]

Definitely the sneaking romance into a book. I am not a huge fan of romance books, but don't mind a subplot. But when it turns out to be the whole story and not in the blurb I get annoyed.

[@rural_girl555]

same. and exactly

[@julianwalker9668]

Have you read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke? Or Little Big by John Crowley? Or Lud in the Mist by Hope Mirlees? Those are three awesome, otherwordly takes on faeries that are very refreshing. Strongly recommend!

[@josephscarfone9740]

I really liked SC’s Piranesi book so will give JS&MR a try this summer!

[@theLore2000]

Really need to read Little, Big because I love the other two you've named

[@katherinep1010]

​@@josephscarfone9740 They are VERY different from each other, but both are excellent.

[@edamamame4U]

Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrell has to be one of the most eerily beautiful and haunting books I've read in the fantasy genre. For some reason people either seem to love it or loathe it. It's like gothic horror, a satire on upper-class British society, and traditional fairy tales all wrapped up in one book. I thought that 900+ pages wasn't enough and wanted more.

[@julianwalker9668]

Man, I'm always recommending that book to someone. If you loved Jonathan Strange, I'd strongly recommend John Crowley's Little Big. Its every bit as amazing if not even more so. Its strange when we look into our favorite author's influences. Susanna Clarke was definitely influenced by Little Big, but now that I'm reading Little Big I'm even more impressed with what Crowley is able to do with fairies in mid 20th century America. Its a staggering work!

[@VEL52]

Unpopular opinion: I can’t stand “Six of Crows” and DNF’d it quite quickly.

[@j.gillette5411]

A Fantasy Reader Reads Sci-Fi sounds like a fun concept for a video! Comparing Winter's Orbit and Ocean's Echo to their romantacy counterparts, for example, could be very interesting! Or comparing/contrasting Sanderson's Skyward series to his other works.

[@asrgelpi_author]

I agree with the Eurocentric aspect in fantasy, especially in retellings, and also with the cookie-cutter approach to fae and dragons in current fantasy. I look to Asian-inspired fantasy, and if anyone knows of an African author doing African-inspired fantasy, please let me know. In fact, fantasy-inspired anything NOT European, Greek, or Viking/Norse.

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

Yes, could never be done with dragons 😤

[@Abyrae]

12:04 I know which book you are referring to, and it ended up being one of my most disappointing read last year. I was super excited for it and it turned out not even being a retelling of the myth it was supposedly a retelling of. Now, I'm not sure if it was actually the author hyping it up as a retelling or their publisher's doing, but... Yeah.

[@AspenKilgore]

Thank you so much for your support of us indies! It's true, there are so many people trying to take advantage. I'm cheap, so I've been able to avoid the vanity presses, but I've heard so many heartbreaking stories from other new authors who got taken. And on the subject of the covers, I can't tell you how many of my readers were thrilled to find that my covers reflect the content, exactly. I'm very picky with my cover art, and I have a clear vision for what it needs to tell the reader before they even get to a read.

[@Srbthmlnsmth]

I’m sorry YT is punishing you!!!!! You deserve everything yours is the most positive channel I’ve seen. I try to engage with the videos even I don’t like just for the algorithm but I will try to do more

[@haakonts]

This act their age stuff is exactly why I hated every character in Jade City

[@theLore2000]

I'm a bookseller and a big Taylor fan and I have an ongoing photo album of 1. books about Taylor Swift which released because she's coming to our country (I think it's up to 10+ now in the last three weeks, like seperate titles); and 2. romance books with Taylor Swift titles, they've been quite obvious in netgalley romance books but I feel its not actually that many. It more annoys me because it feels like the way people title fanfics than because its a Taylor thing

[@Meg_Sprite]

They do!! Drives me nuts (as a non-fan)

[@theshannaeilishshow]

I agree with the comment section here about historical fiction, and not the Patreon member (although they are welcome to their opinion, and I respect that). I feel like historical fiction as a whole genre on its own and as a sub-genre or add-on to another genre - historical fantasy, historical romance, etc. - is something that's never really been super popular or trending. I do think that there are certain time periods that are overdone within the historical fiction genre (I'm thinking WWII, but more recently we've been flooded regency...) and that other time periods and locations could be explored more. If we're thinking Eurocentric historical fiction, then I would agree somewhat with the Patreon member. But we need more non-Eurocentric/non-WWII historical fiction. The Fox Wife was honestly a breath of fresh air because I personally haven't seen too many books set in that time period in China/Manchuria.

[@Sharpclaw2000]

its not a trend to have limited word count, that's the normal in publishing that always existed - especially for less known authors and debutants.

[@micktravel3285]

Still the best Fae I read of are in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I would love more like that...

[@kylereads]

Thank you for clarifying on the YT algorithm thing! Because I have been noticing I only get certain videos recommended now and most are videos I've already watched. I only see things from you, and some other booktubers I follow, because of the notification bell! 😢

[@Meg_Sprite]

It definitely seems like AI is being used for self-published works and it’s very frustrating. I know it’s hard for self-published authors to get their work noticed, but they’re writing their own story so why are they using AI to make stolen art??

[@LisaMarieFord]

It’s used by some, not all and not really most. I definitely think generative AI should be used by none; neither for writing, nor artwork, nor covers, nor narration.

[@byronsalem]

Would absolutely love in depth on fae because I agree with what you said about fae and dragons

[@mecahhannah]

Couldn't agree more!

[@byronsalem]

@@mecahhannah I'm a huge fantasy fan and love dragon and fae but the darker the better for me so I normally get disappointed by so many of the books these days

[@kohlibri22]

This video idea of yours about fae sounds so interesting! Would love to see it in the future! Also, witches are for me what fae are apparently for so many others: just tiresome and overdone when they follow the same old archetype

[@VaggelisIosifidis]

Well, I recently started watching this series (also, I discovered your channel very recently) and I have to say that this video has touched me very much. Well, the BookTube community (especially for a fantasy reader/author) is as you describe it. Anyway, keep up the good work!

[@lucypeace6132]

The reason publishing houses are asking authors to cut their word counts is because of the cost of paper. Publishing paperback and hardback books has become super expensive and in order to make the books viable to buy, they've had to cut into their profits. So now they're asking authors to cut the word counts so that they can offer slimmer books at higher prices and preserve their profit margin. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Remember that author's only earn between 8-15% of a NET profit. That means after everyone else is paid an author earns 8-15 cents on what is left over. You can cut things like unnecessary repetition, some repetition is required to keep things fresh in the readers mind, and unnecessary details. That's where I would focus my initial cuts and then look at what's left over to abide by the word count constraints.

[@karatekoala4270]

6:00 I love the fey, but my favorite is what they are like in Dresden. I'm own book I'm incorporating the Aziza, which are African fairies

[@B00kMaidenMandy]

Hmmm, I agree with some of these and disagree with others, but it always concerns me when we talk about doing away with things in books. As readers, we can choose not to read something that isn't for us, but please don't take away things we love just because others don't 💜

[@rural_girl555]

as a writer, I personally don't write fantasy settings, but I love writing magic powers that are in modern, contemporary settings or in a recent historical setting like the 1970s to 2010s is where I normally set my stories.

[@motherofdogs593]

My favorite historical fiction series is Clash of Eagles by Alan Smale--it's essentially a thought experiment about what may have happened in the Roman Empire expanded into the Americas instead of getting stuck in their Eastern expansion.

[@bonniestevens4329]

In reference to the Fae statement, I would like to recommend Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series. The Fae in her books are tricksy and dangerous. There are also werewolves, vampires, and other creatures. These books would be urban fantasy and have no spice.

[@ItPutsTheBookUponTheShelf]

Yessss, I would love a brutal or creepy fae story written by Jay Kristoff, George R.R., Gaiman, King, T. Kingfisher, Catriona Ward...

[@justanothergirl225-l7u]

if you want dangerous fae, you have the read The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín - super cool story with dangerous / horrific fae

[@bugsby4663]

People don't have to buy special editions. I used to love getting Folio Books but I can't afford them now so get Kindle books. If someone wants to buy a fancy book then go for it. It's no different from Beatles or Pink Floyd fans buying endless vinyls and box sets.

[@AngHemenway]

I can help answer the word count, description question, at least in part. Totally not wrong on what's in the video but to add to that, there's a whole host of things that contribute to the length and why established authors can get away with more and more over time. It's an expensive gamble to release a book with a long word count because the longer the book, the more it costs to print said book. So if they are a new author traditionally publishing, then editors are less enthusiastic about getting something that's well over 100,000 words for an epic fantasy. Someone like Brandon Sanderson who is an established best seller with a huge following, they know they will recoup the costs if he makes the books longer. Also he has more sway in what is cut vs not cut. Also writing has changed over time. Authors have learned to use better words to describe things rather than ramble on and on. Some people enjoy rambling descriptions, but most readers don't, so it's an evolution of the craft as a whole too.

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

I know we're talking publishing, but I think film companies also latch onto trends and stick to it, because they know it will work and guarantee success. As someone who has a grandmother who is Filipino I would like to see more books based on the mythology of the Philippines. Before Spain came they had their own beliefs and Gods/Goddesses. I also just want to see more literature in general about Filipino characters. I enjoyed Arsenic and Adobo.

[@pauieeepau]

5:27 I learned about fae reading about them in dark manga and some whimsical anime, and I learned some more about different fae on my own. So I miss those times when fae where presented as dangerous and creepy. I'm sure there are still creepy fae media around, just overwhelmed by the sexy fae content online. Btw there is a kelpie in Not Even Bones/Market of Monsters series, which features some monsters from different myths.

[@Kellas_Kat]

I love ancient historical fiction that creates an imagined story based on well researched history. The Tiger Queens by Stephanie Thornton (about the women around Genghis Khan in ancient Mongolia) and The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran (about Nefertari who married King Ramses in ancient Egypt) were two that have really stuck with me.

[@heidiklynn]

as for the Fay could we get more things like the Labyrinth?

[@isobeltotten4402]

ooh i have recs. look up the triggers though i tend not to read light things. if you read historical fiction please do "pillars of the earth", "the true and splendid history of the harristown sisters" or bernard cornwell's "warlord" series. for historical queer romance try "fingersmith" or "affinity" by sarah waters. for nonfiction try "midnight in the garden of good and evil". for horror try "suture", "lapvona" (my all time favourite book), and if you have a particularly strong stomach, "tender is the flesh". for scifi try "venomous lumpsucker". for post-apocalyptic/speculative try "moon of the crusted snow" and "manhunt". for contemporary/litfic try "convenience store woman" and "milk fed". love your videos and also your hair and makeup always looks really good.

[@angelamccollister]

Some authors who write historical fantasy that isn't greek or roman are Judith Tarr, KJ Parker, Katherine Kerr, Katharine Kurtz, Shawna Lawless, Guy Gavriel Kay, some are actually set in our world others are based on historical times (mostly european).

[@Frogface91]

Something that makes me a little sad about people being bored of Greek retellings is that the market has been so oversaturated by non-Greeks from richer countries. It just feels a bit crappy.

[@mecahhannah]

Agreed

[@taliadavidovsky4569]

Debut authors are generally asked to keep their word count down. Once an author has proved themselves, they're allowed to write a doorstopper.

[@imjustvi6279]

YEAH I'D WATCH A VIDEO ON WHAT WE COULD DO WITH FAE IN WRITING THAT SOUNDS INTERESTING

[@bronzeplayergaming2244]

Dangerous Fae reminded me of Holly Black's Modern Faerie Tales Trilogy. The main girl's friend gets killed and another gets abused in the first book. Oh, and she almost gets sacrificed without her knowing

[@discoverybg31]

One "trope" that drives me crazy in fantasy is the tomes that seem to be the norm. I make the conscious decision for my books to be 90,000 to 100,000 words, which feels more than adequate to give me good characterization and a rich world, particularly if it's going to be a series. So many of these books feel padded to meet the expectation of the fantasy tome.

[@Andrea-po8th]

Can you do a video of modern fantasy recommendations? More technology / modern world based?

[@jezzibelle]

I am so tired of Taylor Swift popping up in novels for no reason. It's becoming an instant DNF.

[@Meg_Sprite]

Also like EVERYTHING on AO3 is her-centric or “coded.” So over it.

[@nuggetdoja871]

​@@Meg_Sprite What's AO3?

[@nuggetdoja871]

​@@Meg_Sprite What's AO3?

[@stevenstewart782]

She's a part of popular culture she's gonna turn up just like I'm Sure Madonna Mariah Carey and Britney spears did during their hey days.

[@lindsaydentonsfringe4934]

Sw*ft*e authors are on my NEVER READ list. I’m sick of TS being inserted in every little thing.

[@BestSharkis]

The tricky thing with the retellings is that all Western civilization originates from Europe, so they're familiar. The problem with taking tales from other cultures is that it won't be understood my the mass (western) market. Westerners don't understand Asian tales because we weren't brought up with them. Without going out of our way, we don't know about all the weird Oni of Japanese folklore, we don't know about cultivation or the Wuxia lore from Chinese mythology. This stuff does exist but people need to be directed toward it. I would suggest readers read Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Song of the Stone. I doubt Africa developed the written word until relatively recently so there's a problem, and western readers would freak out and call it cultural appropriation or something, and the Middle East folklore is almost entirely swept up in religion, and showing a lot of that will also cause problems. The world isn't ready for folklore from other cultures and is only just beginning to accept Asian folklore into the mainstream.

[@darbs2680]

I would love to see you switch genres! I don't know if Science - fantasy is different enough, but I really love the Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport.

[@gracie9658]

I do agree with the too much focus on romance in fantasy books. I recently read Godkiller and The Book That Wouldn't Burn and I was not expecting a romance in either of them so I was incredibly annoyed when there turned out to be one. I am sick and tired of romance and it's cool if people like it but I wish some authors would simply not include any.

[@OmnivorousReader]

Recommendation for Historical cross fantasy, I can do that! You mentioned Valdemar, well the Valdemar series author, Mercedes Lackey collaborated with historical author Roberta Gellis to write the Doubled Edge series starting with This Scepter'd Isle. The concept is, that during the life of Tudor family; Henry VIII, Mary I and Elizabeth I, Seelie and Unseelie Sidhe (Faries) were very much the powers behind the politics of the Tudor English throne. So this also crosses over with the 'nice fairy' debate because none of these Sidhe are 'nice fairies' not even the Seelie court. I personally really loved these books, the combination of History and Fantasy was fascinating to me. As Elizabeth is a very small child at the start of the first book, probably not suited to people who need romance in their story.

[@MsJaytee1975]

They put fae into English history… English history. The one country with little or no mythology regarding fae. If anyone is going to counter that by mentioning Morgan le Fay in the King Arthur tales, that’s Welsh mythology.

[@OmnivorousReader]

@@MsJaytee1975 Um.... I am a bit astonished tbh. First; it does not claim the Seelie ARE from England, they are merely interested in the political outcomes. Second... no fae? Tuatha Dé Danann pre-Christian in the British Isles? Yes, Irish, I know. But 'English' is a conglomerate of dozens of different nations anyway, few of them native.

[@OmnivorousReader]

@@MsJaytee1975 Wait. I am on the internet debating where fairies are 'really from' in the world... walking away now.... Still astonished.....

[@MsJaytee1975]

@@OmnivorousReader Ireland is not in the British Isles, and it is certainly not a part of England. It was colonised by England and later Britain, part of it still is. That does not make Irish mythology English. That was my point Irish, Scots and Welsh mythology all contain stories of fae, its strange to set a story in a neighbouring nation where that’s not part of the mythology

[@OmnivorousReader]

@@MsJaytee1975 You are, of course, welcome to your own view point. The majority of the world count Ireland as the second largest of the British Isles in the same way they count Wales as part of England (and I have my own views about that too). If you read the novels you will find that the Seelie in question are NOT from England, merely interested in England.

[@bennim1984]

I actually never had a „fae book“ (or does the Wise Man’s Fear“ count?) But if there would be a fae in the next Joe Abercrombie book, I wouldn’t been offended…

[@Yudit346]

While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell is a historical fiction that is also sort of a retellinng of Sleeping Beauty. I thought by the title and cover that it would be a fantasy novel, but it is not at all fantasy and I found that fascinating.

[@Sharpclaw2000]

I feel like modern fantasy that incorporates modern technology - it is just dark academia and I really am not impressed by most dark academia right now.

[@mecahhannah]

Please do the fae video I'm doing a fae fantasy novel and I'd love more opinions ❤ mines based fae legends from around the world

[@Murderface666]

Funny thing, my book that I'm in the final stage of editing is bucking the norm, taking a more fresh approach, incorporating more than just "Greek" and "Roman."

[@gabriellewade2724]

About the fae comments - have you played Bramble! I finished it months ago and the Nacken, Pesta, the Karrahaxxan etc... are still lingering in my brain, freaking me out. Scandinavian folklore is spooky as hell. I'd love to read more books with these creatures in. If anyone has an recommendations that would be great!?

[@Srbthmlnsmth]

I think how you feel about KZbin is about how author feels about books 🤣 like the ones who wrote trendy things like typical romantasy with enemies to lovers will get toooons of hype. The ones who try more unique things get less hype. Also are you open to fantasy recommendations lol. I want to recommend a few things but all the genres you asked for are ones I don’t know

[@amyjones25]

I prefer modern fantasy so I definitely would like to see more of that. More futuristic fantasy would be cool too just because I feel like it hasn't been explored enough.

[@okasart]

I’ve been watching all of her videos and I’m so proud of myself I’m already following most the stuff people wanna see with the book I’m writing! It’s taking me years to get through tho, been writing the same script since I was in middle school

[@CR-qg4xz]

While it is true that people are kind of done with Greek mythology retellings, there have only been two Greek authors who were picked up for Greek myth retellings. If the trend dies, then the Greek authors are not being given a chance to have a say in how their stories are being told and I think that's a really key part to the Greek retellings and will further happen with Norse and Celtic retellings, where Irish/Scottish/Welsh authors and Swedish/Danish/Norwegian/Icelandic/Greenlandic/Finnish authors are not being handed the microphone as often as they could be. In an increasingly globalized market, we do need to push for authors born and raised in a culture to be given the space to do the retellings of the stories that are part of the cultures they are raised in.

[@mirenda1427]

A sci fi series with a extraodinary worldbuilding and Magic system : The firebird chronicles by T.A White ( on going 5 books released) one of my favorite of all times

[@soonahasoona]

To the person who wanted characters with responsibility/duty, I highly recommend The Haidren Legacy series. The characters are all beholden to cultural expectations and have a great sense of duty, which makes the romantic subplot very difficult to navigate. Highly recommend. Also an indie author who really put a lot of heart into her story.

[@andrewannotates]

Love the idea of reading non fantasy and sharing your perspective on how other genres shine/focus on other stuff. If you do thrillers I’d suggest the one by John Marrs as a good one!

[@nataliebaker918]

I am reading Fourth Wing right now. It is okay. I'm half way through and need to put it down...may be a soft DNF. I can see middle grade and young YA readers loving it....

[@josie2412]

I am not done with Fea at all i enjoy it sometimes depend on the writing all together truly...

[@michaelsommers2356]

All authors have always had length limits put on them. Famously, Thomas Wolfe's original manuscript for _Look Homeward, Angel_ was several feet tall (or so the story goes), and had to be cut drastically with the help of legendary editor Maxwell Perkins to a publishable length.

[@mischarowe]

Regarding the fey stuff, I'd love if you did that video. I don't read much fey stories - mostly because they're all the same - and would love a discussion about it. Have you read Spiderwick Chronicles? I haven't. Yet. But I've seen the movie, and the depiction of fey in that is brilliant, imo. The fey can be good or bad and the fey are the antagonists (as well as allies to the human main characters) in Spiderwick Chronicles. I think more stories like that are where the future of fey fiction needs to go. And I googled the Taylor Swift song one and yeah it's a thing. YA romance (pure) by the looks of things. Also, with the "characters acting their age" part, I fully agree. Also, I think people need to be okay with characters making dumb decisions no matter their age.

[@VacuousCat]

I read the fourth wing's synopsis and immediately knew there are gonna be lots of hot dudes. Is this my special ability as a straight man?

[@ehdrake]

Wait, wait, hold up. You just told this new vampire author they are coming back🥳😁 I needed to hear that. P.S. I've loved vamps since I was twelve and hated that I could only find them in romances and monster books. Wasn't trend hopping

[@83croissant]

This used to be more commonly understood but “Fantasy Romance” and “Romantic Fantasy” are slightly different. A romantic fantasy is a fantasy with romantic elements and not necessarily a romance novel, whereas a ‘fantasy romance’ is a romance novel in a fantasy setting

[@kueri440]

Hey Elliot I love your hair style on video.

[@laurenschenck5355]

Excellent video Elliot and love it and thanks for sharing and loving this so much 💓📚🩷🩷🩷📚💓📖📖💓💞💜💜💛🌺🌾🌹💚💚❣️🫶🏻📙📙💛💛📖💓📚🩷🩷🩷🩷🩵📚📚🩵🩵🩵📚💓💛💛💘❤️🌈🌈🌈🌸❤️💘💘💜💞💛💛💙💙🌹🌹🌞🌞🌾🦋🫶🏻🫶🏻🦋🦋🧡💙💙

[@quinn0517]

Wow, you absolutely nailed that pattern. Fabulous observation

[@NonAnonD]

the knife in the title 😂

[@麗麗-k2h]

Lol at 10 years old I read a sexual vampire book by accident… gotta say I loved that shit no complaints

[@Abyrae]

My best friend and I read some of her mother's romance books when we were 10-11. Some were pretty steamy, but kinda vanilla (no bdsm, for example). Others were cutesy romance novels. I think her mom kept the very explicit ones hidden from us. 😂