Writers are told to “study the market.” For freelance writers, Jenna Glatzer, editor-in-chief of AbsoluteWrite, explains it well in her book Make a Real Living As a Freelance Writer.  But how do I do it if I’m writing a novel?  I’ve found two answers so far:

1. A technique called “mapping.”  I don’t know who came up with this method, but I’m learning how to do it in an online course conducted by author/editor Suzanne James.  Mapping helps you identify the patterns common to a specific genre, such as:

• What drives the story: the situation or the character?

• What is the main plot?
• When are the key characters introduced? (i.e. how many pages into the book?)
• When is the first conflict introduced? How many pages until it’s resolved?
• How many scenes are there? Are they “action” or what renown writing teacher Dwight Swain calls “sequels”?
• Are there sub plots? How Many? Can you follow the introduction of each sub plot through to its resolution?  How many pages are devoted to sub plots versus the main plot?

You can break down virtually any other detail of the book. Keep track of page numbers so you can see where things occur in each novel. In many romance novels, for instance, the hero and heroine generally meet by page 5.  If you map a few books from your target publisher, you can get an in-depth view of exactly what type of novel they prefer – and that’s a big leg up over what you generally find in a publisher’s “writers’ guidelines.” 

2. A short article on studying a novel that offers some specific areas to consider.

If you have other methods of studying novels, please post a comment and share your experience.

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