"Comfort" Books

Written Word Media's 2026 Author Trends article was just published, and unlike its summaries regarding readers and authors, this one didn't rely on a survey, but rather: "We’ve spoken with some of the most respected voices in the indie publishing world to identify the forces shaping 2026—and what authors can do to thrive." Generally, I'd be skeptical, but the site has a reputation for transparency, so I'll go with the "respected voices" (even though they never talked to me, and I'm pretty respectable).

As with all publishing advice, the article really urges authors to "get out there!", meaning doing stupid-ass stuff, such as hosting Zoom calls. How fun! I tried imagining how that would work out, but all I picture is me sitting in front of my screen and talking to myself. Don't authors need fans before they undertake something like this? Unless there's a list somewhere of all upcoming Zoom meetings that random people are able to pop into, which is another scary proposition. I got into writing with the express purpose of not interacting with people! 

This is not a rap on the advice in general, but Zoom meetings and creating fancy special book editions ("Sprayed edges, annotations, maps, character art—special editions are now an experience.") only benefit an author who's already popular. And if he is already popular, what does he need this stuff for?

But I take all this with a grain of salt. Yes, the Zoom meeting thing is new to me, but I've read most of the other tips a thousand times. I will add that articles like this assume that the writer has nothing else to do but spend all day brainstorming and executing marketing tactics. Probably 99% of indie authors have regular jobs.

The section that caught my eye, though, talked about books as "safe places". (Really, really hate that. Grow a pair! Geez.) It does go on to talk about books as immersive experiences, which I always assumed books were, but now authors are supposed to become set designers:

"Give readers reasons to stay in your world: extras like lore docs, playlists, or art prompts can turn fans into superfans." 

Hey, if these are things an author wants to do, there's absolutely no harm in it. I'm a music person, and fortuitously, my novel is about music, so it was natural for me to create a dedicated Spotify playlist. I'm also a visual person, and thus I commissioned (for free) some rudimentary character art and a five-second Canva video of my MC singing. These are all on my website, but again, if a book isn't popular, this is all make-work. Who even visits my site besides scammers?

I do feel that my novel is immersive and therefore "comfortable". There's certainly nothing jarring about the story, unless one is easily jarred.

"...readers turn to fiction for relief, comfort, and connection in an overwhelming world. These books offer more than plots—they offer emotional promises: happy endings, conflict-light pacing, and the sense that everything will turn out okay." 

Running From Herself doesn't actually "promise" anything, other than a good read. The above quote makes it seem that readers today are scaredy-cats. Talk about taking the fun out of writing! I bet they startle easily in real life, too. (BOO!! hahahahaha)

Of course, the trends include a discussion of AI. My opinion is, AI is fine; great---for tangential things that involve marketing. Character art, A+ content---am I supposed to draw this stuff freehand? But anything related to writing? Nope. I believe authenticity will rule the day eventually, and thus I don't worry about AI taking over.

Articles like this one are fun reads....although they hardly offer emotional promises: happy endings, conflict-light pacing, and the sense that everything will turn out okay.  

The reporter really needs to work on that.