I’m sure you’ve heard William Goldman’s statement about movies and what makes them successful: “Nobody knows anything.” I was reminded of it when I read an article by novelist Kwei Quartey in Publishing Perspectives. Here’s part of what he wrote:
“About 10 years ago, I wrote a novel set in Africa. An agent to whom I sent the first pages turned it down and told me, “There are two places on earth that no one has the slightest interest in reading about: Afghanistan and Africa.”
What a difference a decade makes: Khaled Hosseini’s smash hits The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns take place in Afghanistan, and Alexander McCall Smith’s wildly popular and bestselling No.1 Detective Ladies’ Agency series, set in Botswana, blazed a trail for new mystery writers with African protagonists. Michael Stanley’s Detective Kubu solves crimes in Botswana, and Malla Nunn’s Emmanuel Cooper is a detective in 1950’s South Africa. Following close behind is Detective Inspector Darko Dawson of Ghana on the West African coast, introduced to the world in my debut novel, Wife of the Gods.”
What made the difference? Better books? Events in those areas getting more attention from the media? I’m with Goldman—I don’t know. But it goes to show that timing is everything. And if you’ve got a book that isn’t in synch with the market today—wait until tomorrow!
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