Just another love story?
by Amalie
(Copenhagen)
Question: I am a first time writer and I have an idea for a novel I want to write. But I am afraid that it will just disappear in the crowd of the other books there is. It is about a girl who meets a boy and then everything turns up side down. Of course there is happening a lot of other things such as her mother having a disease which also will be a big part of the story. The thing that I am afraid of is that it has been written too many times. What can I do to make my story stand out from the crowd? And not just being another dumb love story but to actually convince the readers that this is also a good love story with different twists?
Answer: Two thoughts...
If you want to convince readers that your story has different twists, make sure that it does. Then put those twists into the description of your book that will appear in any query letter, pitch paragraph, or synopsis that you send to an agent or editor.
In marketing, you might call these twists your unique sales proposition. The USP would also appear on the jacket cover and in any promotional literature.
The other thing to keep in mind is that many stories are similar. With a million titles published each year (including self-published), that shouldn't be surprising.
One thing that can make your book stand out is if you write in a unique and authentic style and voice. These are not necessarily easy to develop, but they are the hallmark of literary fiction.
Best of luck.
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