What Makes a Big Book?

Our group is moving into a new era, and as we do, we’re thinking “bigger”

One big stack of books! But next time we’re thinking even bigger, and we’re not talking word count.

If you’ve been following The (Writing) Group Chat for awhile, then you likely know that between summer 2023 and fall 2024, all four of us published our first novels. Our debut era was an adrenaline-pumping time of incredible pinch-me moments and a few uncomfortable reality checks. (You can read more about it here.)

But now, we’ve officially entered our “what’s next?” era. So basically, a lot less adrenaline, even more contemplation, and a few “okay, wait, how do we do this again?” reality checks, too.

For me, Lauren, that means my sophomore novel Trust Me On This is out in less than three weeks (woah!), and I’m moving on to a different project. In addition to a new idea Amy is exploring, she has a hard deadline for baby #3 (double woah!!) this spring. And Hadley and Erin are both deep in the weeds of drafting.

At the same time, we’re all thinking bigger. There’s an adage frequently bandied among authors that the goal post is always moving. After you write the book, you set your sights on an agent. Then, once you have an agent, you’re all about the book deal, and the next book deal, and then, the bigger book deal, etc. But the same applies to the books themselves.

As Erin recently said, “When it comes to writing, we’re really just the equivalent of recent college grads.” Now that we as baby writers have matured into newbie authors, we’re talking a lot about how we can push ourselves to write “bigger” books.

But what the heck is a “big book”? The term gets used frequently in the publishing industry but doesn’t seem to have a set definition. Does it just mean super popular, like Kristin Hannah’s The Women? Culturally rich and relevant, a la James by Percival Everett? Unputdownable, which most readers agree describes Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid series? An unusual hook executed in a clever way, like Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt? Or something else entirely?

I think right now a “bigger” book is one that both challenges me as a writer and commands more reader attention. One of the ways I’m trying to achieve this is by focusing on a compelling and pitchable premise, but also using structure and POV to tell the story in an unexpected way. Easier said than done!

But let’s take it to the chat: What do you think makes for a big book? What are the ways you’re thinking “bigger” with your next book?

Buzz is a “big book” factor, but what else elevates a book to the next level?

Erin: A few things make a book “big” for me. The first is featuring a main character so memorable that readers think about and/or analyze them for years to come. Even being able to name them vs. only naming the book is huge. A few of my more recent personal favorites include Demon Copperhead, Margo Millet from Margo's Got Money Troubles, and Patrick O'Hara, aka The Guncle. And of course, there’s Jo March, Elizabeth Bennet, and Harry Potter, characters almost everyone knows.

I’ve also been thinking about books that are really bold and unusual. Speaking of Margo, I love how that book could only have been written by Rufi Thorpe, who is apparently obsessed with wrestling. I’m also friends with the wonderful May Cobb, who has made a career out of writing sultry thrillers often based in East Texas, where she’s from. I LOVED her novel The Hunting Wives, which is being made into a STARZ show, and again, that’s something only May could write. Both those examples are reasons to forget about the trends in book publishing and be bold! Write what you know and are obsessed with, and the readers will come.

Hadley: I’ve been thinking a lot about the definition of a “big book” as I struggle to revise my second novel, and also because I’ve been in somewhat of a reading slump lately. It’s a tall order, but when I finish a book, I want it to mean something, to give me a new perspective or challenge my biases or even change the way I think about my own life.

At the same time, it really bugs me when a book is preachy or hits you over the head with its message. My favorite stories are the ones that are so absorbing and compelling that maybe I don’t even notice the larger significance until I’ve finished reading. Big books stay with you over time, and they’re the ones you just *have* to tell your friends about.

The trick is figuring out how to write that kind of book! I think the deeper meaning that makes a book “big” often evolves over time as you write, and for me it’s a very slow, messy process.

Amy: When I think “big book” I think of a book that you see everywhere. A book that gets all the buzz, lands a notable book club or household name author endorsement, floods Booktok and/or Bookstagram, and secures prime bookstore placement. A book you can’t escape. Wedding People by Alison Espach, for example, was in my mind the buzziest book of last summer. I saw that cover everywhere! (And personally loved it too.)

In regards to my own writing, I’m very process focused. I have big expectations for the next book because I have high expectations for myself. And that means putting the work first, and really not even allowing the outcome to enter my mind when I am in creation mode. If the book is good enough, if I have left everything on the page, the outcome will take care of itself. So I’m always thinking bigger, dreaming bigger, using a growth mindset to create positive beliefs around what is possible. But it starts with the writing, it starts with making the best possible book I can, always.

Readers, we genuinely want to hear from you. We’re taking tips! Please tell us what you think makes a book “big”? Or the kind of book that you just have to tell other people to read?