We all know the name Steven King. No matter what our opinion is of the man’s vast imagination and always ever-so-different conclusions, when we think of horror we usually think of him. But the genre waned, as far as high sellers are concerned. And in writing circles everywhere discussions loom over the fact that horror was a hot seller only for a short time. But as I keep up with market trends, I’m noticing a come back. What about you, have you noticed a change? What genre is your favorite?
Hi there,
Your poll is a great idea! Yes, there is clearly an increase in people reading and watching horror stories; this might be due to all the vampire and zombie series that have flooded TV lately like Twilight, Walking Dead, Vampire Slayer, True Blood, etc. (Count Dracula on Sesame Street is a favorite among preschoolers! Just kidding.) I write a weekly classic horror short story blog and the increase in hits when I feature a female author (Mary Shelley, Edith Wharton, Amelia Edwards) is remarkably higher than male authors. So I think women are reading more horror now than before. I’ve even gotten some emails from followers saying they love to read a horror story a week. Wow, who knew?
Some of this might be due to the paranormal romances with angels and demons that are so sizzling. And lots of people want to read the classics again too. On Goodreads I find many are reading the traditional horrors again like The Exorcist, The Omen, The Haunting of Hill House. Supernatural thrillers are definitely growing in popularity. Why do we like scary stories? Maybe because fear is such a stimulant and in the end, we know we’re safe. What fun!
Thank you Paula, and thank you for stopping by. I was about to say that I am also going back to read classic horrors, but then I realized I never actually stopped. I just finished Silence of the Lambs, as I am such a Thomas Harris fan. That is so interesting about the activity on your site jumping when it’s a female author. That is exciting (at least for us).
I definitely think horror is on the way back, and about time too if you ask me!!
*like*
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