With so many authors writing books there are many books to be read and to be appreciated. With the likes of J. K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, Stephen King and J. R. R. Tolkien, there is great variety to choose from. Personally, I love a great romantic read that’s soppy and pulls at the heartstrings but I know many find those books ‘trashy’ which I strongly disagree with. Sometimes you need a good read like this so you can zone out of reality and many romance novels are very greatly written.
Authors such as Nicholas Sparks and Sophie Kinsella are two of the biggest writers of the romance genre. Their books are well-written and greatly thought out with brilliant characters. Also, their novels contain similar storylines so their readers know what to expect and the authors know their readers would enjoy reading their latest venture. Their books have been made into excellent films starring well-known celebrities like Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus, Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. You’ve got to love a Nicholas Sparks novel as many have been made into exquisite films that are loved by many, including myself. All contain similarities but with fantastic plot twists it’s definitely worth your while. My new favourite author is Giovanna Fletcher who I’d recommend to anyone and everyone. She is the wife to McFly’s Tom Fletcher for whom she has written two novels Billy and Me and You’re The One That I Want and writes a blog for OK online, she’s an extraordinary author and her writing is effortless!
Many books nowadays have franchises after the popularity they brought having sold millions of copies and achieving fantastic reviews. With such a variety of genres in books, authors can tailor for more than one audience. With Harry Potter, there’s adventure, romance and mystery all-in-one for the readers, which, even the male audience enjoys as it creates an all-round story. This famous J. K. Rowling’s book is one of the largest franchises in the world after the first book, Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone was released in 1997. Since then, all of the novels in the Harry Potter series have been turned into films starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grinch, along with merchandise of virtually everything: replicas of the wands, clothing, food and drink and much more.
For me, I think the Harry Potter kick started the literary franchise world we know today. The continuation of the comics, such as Marvel, has raked in millions of dollars with new films still being made. Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight is still talked about and the question of ‘Team Edward or Team Jacob?’ is frequently asked. Both Harry Potter and Twilight had the last books made into two films to drag out the franchise with many believing it was done to get more money from the fans. The Lord of The Rings trilogy is one of the franchises still currently going after the success of the first film and contracts have been signed of more to come.
However, it seems many authors create novels to get the fame and money some novelists achieved. But, there is no formula to the success of a book since not all novels that have franchises are greatly written but, they do have a great plot which could be made into a film that people would ultimately pay to see.
Classics are still very much read by both the younger generation as well as the older. With many being turned into television programmes and films with known actors this draws people in to read the nation’s favourite books. Novels like Pride and Prejudice and Oliver Twist are still alive in today’s culture after Colin Firth starred in the film version and Oliver Twist was turned from book to film to musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. However, the traditional classics may be set to change as times are changing with the new variation from Mills and Boon novels, Fifty shades of Grey, having taken the nation by storm. The books are very popular even though people don’t like to admit they’ve read them. The novel is being made into a film which is going to be released on 14th February (Valentine’s Day) 2015. In a few generations’ time, the Harry Potter series is bound to be in the classics section after its global success and popularity and the hold the UK has over the series.
Many celebrities write their life stories after just one year of fame. Particularly with the upcoming boy bands in the spotlight, One Direction and Union J have books out, autobiographical and biographical as well as magazines just for them. Many reality TV stars have autobiographies about how ordinary their lives are and then the story of how they got whizzed into fame and fortune. Literally, the whole of The Only Way Is Essex cast, past and present, have autobiographies; from Sam Faiers, Joey Essex, Lauren Goodger, Lauren Pope to Chloe Sims, Nanny Pat, Gemma Collins and James ‘Arg’ Argent.
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