The Success of First Books by Cheryl Bolen

This month marked 23 years since my first book, A Duke Deceived, showed up on store shelves. Even though it was not a major event in the publishing world, having been published by Harlequin Historical without a huge promotion campaign, the book did very well.

It won one major award, was a finalist for another, and got stellar reviews. Moreover, it sold well—about 70,000 copies that first year and was translated into French, Italian, Japanese, and a few other languages I’ve since forgotten. I’m getting close to 50 published books in now, and I’ve had other books that weren’t as well received as that first one.

There’s a reason for that. According to Dr. Jennifer Barnes, a professor of the psychology of popular fiction at the University of Oklahoma, many authors throw into that first published book all the tropes and qualities they like. She calls it writing to the ID. Yep, that’s exactly what I did in that debut novel. 

Marriage of convenience. Yep. Tortured hero. Yep. Satisfying secondary romance. Yep, times two. Barnes said for a lot of authors there’s a fall-off after that first book because authors want to do something different in the next book. I get this. The idea of all my books being the same horrifies me, so I strive for new plots and characters. This makes me happy but may not be the best thing for commercial success. 

There’s a hugely successful author of contemporary romances about Navy SEALS. I don’t read those kinds of books, but my friends who do say every one of this author’s books is the same, except for character names and slight variations in the plots. I couldn’t do that, but this author is still routinely topping the bestseller lists. Barnes says writing the same old, same old really does give readers what they want.

I understand this to a certain extent. I will want to repeat the experience of reading a book that I enjoyed on several levels. This makes me buy more books from the same author or book similar to that author’s.

Then I get tired of the same old, same old. During these past 23 years my writing style has evolved. As appealing as tortured heroes are, I don’t do those anymore. My writing has lightened up. And I do make a conscious decision to give my readers those lighter books they’ve come to expect for me. Time after time.

—Cheryl Bolen’s last releases were the back-to-back Once Upon a Time in Bath and A Proposal of Marriage. Her next release, Lady Mary’s Dangerous Encounter, will be released in August.