Walk into any big box store or small-town indie book shop from May to the last embers of August and you’ll find displays dedicated to the Beach Read, Reader. But what the frisbee IS a Beach Read?
Well, the designator was first used as a marketing tool by publishers in the early 90s. Now it’s become so commonplace that, come May, the “Beach Read” is featured on the new release lists of every magazine and book site.
Beach Reads are usually light, escapist fiction in one of 2 genre categories, Romance and Thriller.
For Romance, they can be anything from cute and quirky light RomComs, to second chance Romances, to stories about the power of sisterhood, or even light murder mysteries.
When it comes to Thrillers, historically, the most popular authors for Beach Reads have been Tom Clancy and John Grisham because of their writing style.
Though it’s true that Romance and Thrillers have traditionally been the main choices for Beach Reads, yours don’t have to be either, Reader. In fact, here’s the main criteria readers look for in a Beach Read, according to Reddit, Book Riot, and numerous other sources:
1) Carefree Fun in the Sun
A Beach Read should be fun and uplifting to provide a break from the seriousness of the life you must return to once your vacation is over.
Relevant genres: Inspirational Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Slice-of-life, Historical Fiction (as long as it’s not too dark)
2) Bingeable Read
A Beach Read should be an all-consuming page-turner you absolutely devour. The sort of thing that, if it were a streaming show, you’d look up from it and realize you’d burned through an entire Sunday lying on your couch.
Relevant genres: Thrillers (Espionage, Legal & Political), Romantic Light Novels or Danmei as long as it’s not too dark), Murder Mysteries
3) A Light & Fluffy Distraction
A Beach Read should never be described as “dense.” They should require minimal mental effort to consume, making them ideal vacation reads. The sort of thing you could read while kids screech and splash in a pool, dogs bark on a scorching hot day, and fireworks explode in the near distance.
Relevant genres: Romantic Light Novels or Danmei, RomComs, Slice-of-life, Cozy Fantasy
4) Summertime Vibes
Trips to the beach, stories set at the seashore, tropical island adventures. If a trip somewhere exciting is nowhere in sight, a Beach Read might be the perfect summer escape substitute.
Relevant genres: Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Slice-of-life
Now that you have a better idea of what a Beach Read actually IS, Reader, want to guess why my Marked Ones Trilogy qualifies? Because they’re fast-paced, easy-to-read Contemporary Thriller novels with romantic elements.
Back before the pandemic, when I used to exhibit at 10 live events a year, I’d often have attendees purchase book 1 on Friday or Saturday. They’d blow through half of it in a day, then return the next for the rest of the series. And mind you, these books were about 100K words each!
So, Reader, if you’ve always wanted to write the summer’s hottest book, now you know how. 😉
Well, until next time, this is your friendly neighborhood storytelling Kat wishing you a wonderfully creative week.
Your cohort in storytelling,
Kat Vancil
🐱
PS 👉 What are you reading this summer, Reader? Hit REPLY and share. I’m reading Love at Second Sight by F.T. Lukens.
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Theresa Nellis
I'm an author who loves talking about content creation, writing & storytelling, and fiction. Subscribe and join over 11,000+ newsletter readers every week! |
