Commercial appeal

First of all, in regards to my last post, I think patience is highly overrated. Waiting just prolongs the agony.

Now to the main point of this entry… I completely understand what commercial appeal is. In writing, there are numerous authors who have this treasure: Nora Roberts, Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, and many others. These authors have something– a certain way to tell a story, a way to tap into the perfect alpha male psyche, a way to get a reader to connect to the heroine on a personal level. It’s an art form.

And as an art form, it’s subjective. Most readers have their list of favorite “keeper” authors. I know I have mine. While this is true, so is the opposite. There are authors that I haven’t read simply because their storylines or writing style didn’t appeal to whatever I was looking for at that particular moment.

A reader like me develops brand loyalty, like a preference for A&W Root Beer over IBC. As an author, I want to have the commercial appeal that draws brand loyalty from my readers. But how do I do that?