By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about why fiction is so popular.
Fiction is centuries old. It has been a constant form of entertainment for us as human beings. From the stories told way back when before television, before the New York Times Best-Seller List, before Publishers Weekly magazine and before anybody even knew what a book was, adults were telling stories to entertain and enlighten others in their community, tribe and region.
Today, fiction is a business. Writing a novel is something you work at and work on. It requires discipline and commitment. More than anything, it demands your desire to do it.
Wikipedia defines “fiction” as “any form of narrative which deals, in part or in whole, with events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary and invented by its author(s). Although fiction often describes a major branch of literary work, it is also applied to theatrical, cinematic, documental, and musical work.”
There is even a magazine solely dedicated to fiction – aptly entitled Fiction – which was started in the 1970s and continues to publish today. Even with its meager start, it is still continuing its desire to bring fiction to the forefront nearly 40 years later.
And to the forefront fiction has continued to hold fast!
Fiction is a genre many love to write in and even more love to read. With the millions of copies sold by bestsellers as well as those not so well-known, we as writers are still creating stories to tell and penning them more prolifically than ever in more 
genres than you can imagine.
The nice part of this business is that there are plenty of readers who are hungry for that next romance suspense novel from today’s guest, Carla Neggers, or that heartwarming story from Debbie Macomber (whom we’ll be talking with on next week’s show), and that new sci-fi thriller or mystery from Clive Cussler or the next legal thriller from John Grisham.
That’s why we write fiction…because we use our imaginations to tantalize and indulge the imaginations of others. With so much stimulation these days online and off, it’s still comforting to know that people everywhere look forward to curling up with a great book and feeling compelled to stay up all night just to find out what happens at the end.
Fiction continues to delight our every sense and subsequently those of our readers. As a business, fiction has expanded into websites, podcasts, ways to follow a reader’s favorite author, opportunities to tweet with you, post on your Facebook page and even meet you in person at conferences and events. Interacting with you as an author has never been easier for a reader.
Cheers to those who continue to write fiction and those who venture forth as new writers into the genre of your choice. It is a mighty craft that yields incredible benefits for you and every life you touch – for it is your imagination that inspires others to open up and use theirs.
What a wonderful way to use your book as your hook!
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.