One of the most common beefs among writers is that the industry is glutted with bad books.
A common riff of encouragement in writing how-to books and blogs is that unpublished authors should take heart because all they have to do is open a recent bestseller and claim the mantra, I can write better than this! Of course, when these authors remain unpublished, this thinking can eventually wind its way into grumpiness and discouragement: If this is the sort gunk being published, obviously good books like mine stand no chance!
I say this with my tongue tickling my cheek, but the very prevalence of the question makes it a worthwhile one. So why do bad books get published? And what does that mean for unpublished authors who are writing quality stuff? Let’s split this answer into three parts.
“Bad” Books Are Subjective
One person’s doorstop is another’s all-time favorite book. We all have different tastes and expectations. I think Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series is the height of style and brilliance, but several people to whom I’ve recommended the books have loathed them. By the same token, I’ve had others recommend a book to me as being the all-time bomb only have it turn out, in my opinion, to be an all-time dud.
Who’s right? Me, them? How about all of us—including the agents and editors who greenlit all these books in the first place. Agent Jessica Faust says the comment about “bad” books make her mad because it:
…implies that editors and agents, those of us in the business, have no taste and don’t know what makes good writing or a good book, and it implies that readers have no taste, because if we’re catering to them, obviously someone likes these so-called bad books.
Readers Aren’t Writers
That brings us to Point #2. Writers make up a specialized but very small part of the reading public. As specialists of the craft, we’re naturally hyper-aware of technical gaffes and structural problems. The average reader isn’t going to be anywhere near as likely to notice or care about all the little things that drive us (rightfully, if perhaps over-zealously) mad. They just care that they’re given a good story.
As an analogy, I used to have many musician friends whom I enjoyed watching perform. Inevitably, when they came offstage, they would apologize for a wrong note or a missed lyric, and I’m was always, Huh, what? As a non-musician music lover, I hardly ever caught the mistakes they were so worried about. I just knew I enjoyed the show.
All of which is to say that what an author calls a “bad” book may pass the average reader’s test with flags waving.
Sales Are King
Tough to swallow as it may sometimes be, you can’t argue with sales. If a hundred gazillion people loved a book enough to buy it in hardback and write gushing reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, then its technical “badness” just doesn’t matter. It may be shoddy, clichéd writing (or maybe not) with a decided focus on entertainment over quality storycraft (or maybe not), but the very fact that it’s selling means the news isn’t all bad—especially to the publisher, editor, agent, writer, and, yep, the readers.
At the end of the day, it’s the readers who tell the publishing houses what’s good and what’s not—and it’s their money that does the talking. Agent Sarah LaPolla once pointed out:
Big blockbuster novels are like big blockbuster movies…. In the publishing world, “good” doesn’t always mean “well-written.”… Well-written books are well-written books, but “good” books have a broader definition. In publishing terms, “good” means that a book connected with its intended audience, and maybe even crossed over to reach a wider audience.
Don’t Much Like These Answers?
Well, to be honest, neither do I. And you know why? ’Cuz I want everyone to agree with my opinion of what makes a good book. I want all those readers with their talking money to support the kind of stories I write. I want art and quality as I see it to trump grungy ol’ entertainment and commercialism. But, of course, that’s not the way the world or the publishing industry (traditional or independent) works.
So what can you do about it? Well, to begin with, you can write the best book you’re capable of writing. Write a book you know you would be thrilled to read. And, while you’re doing that, it’s also probably worthwhile to consider some wise words from yet another agent, Rachelle Gardner:
If you’re just a reader, someone outside the community of people who produce books, you can complain and criticize all you want. But once you decide to join the club, I think it’s time to take the high road. I think the appropriate thing to do is to try our darnedest to lift other writers up, not put them down. I think it’s best to try and honor the process of other writers, even if we can’t admire their work. And we need to acknowledge that if a “bad book” is selling, there must be people who like it. [T]he truth is, when we put down other writers, it sounds like we’re saying “I can do better than this” and it’s unattractive, no matter how true. If you can do better, then do it.
Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! Why do you think “bad” books get published? Tell me in the comments!
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