Stories belonging to the thriller and suspense categories have always been considered a safe bet. After all, readers never seem to tire of reading stuff that gives an edge-of-the-seat feeling. No wonder such works of literary art have always been among the bestsellers in the US though things seem to have taken a different turn this year. For according to The NPD Group, sales of the suspense and thriller category of books and eBooks have dropped 6 percent this year till the end of May 2021.
In stark contrast, the entire adult fiction market has grown by a decent 15 percent, which includes sales of both books as well as eBooks taken together for the same period. It’s not that the overall thriller market has witnessed a huge slump though what has come to be a matter of concern is that growth is definitely missing. Otherwise, the segment has still managed to emerge as the third largest with 14.1 million unit sales comprising of both eBooks and paper books.
As the Benzinga website mentioned, one of the reasons that could have contributed to the decline is that the usual stuff that made the thriller stories special are now being included in stories that have come to be categorized in other segments such as general fiction, young adult fiction, women’s contemporary fiction, and so on. Interestingly, these segments have been witnessing positive growth in recent times.
Another reason demand for thriller stories is waning is likely because readers perhaps want something different. Interestingly, women authors are making a mark in greater numbers than any time before. While the top authors in the thriller segment comprise of both experienced and new entrants, almost three-fourth of the new authors are women. This when the segment has traditionally been a male-dominated bastion though things seem set for a change this time. Maybe with the infusion of fresh blood, there will be greater demand for thrillers in the future.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
