Regular readers know that I am really into sports. I approach the NBA Draft like it’s a holy ritual and I could rattle off the stats of obscure Sacramento Kings players from the 1980s.
So you’d think that I would have leapt at every sports book that came my way when I was a literary agent. But here’s the thing: sports novels for adults are tricky.
All you need to do to see what I mean by that is to look at which sports-related books have been successful.
There are very, very few successful pure commercial sports novels. While I’m sure there are exceptions, the ones that tend to make it are [genre] + sports, whether that’s suspense plus sports (e.g. Harlan Coben’s novels featuring sports agent Myron Bolitar), literary fiction plus sports (e.g. SHOELESS JOE, the basis of the movie “Field of Dreams”, THE ART OF FIELDING), fantasy plus sports (e.g. SUMMERLAND), or John Grisham novel plus sports (e.g. BLEACHERS, PLAYING FOR PIZZA).
On the other hand, there is a thriving market for sports narrative nonfiction, whether it’s MY LOSING SEASON, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, THE BOYS OF SUMMER, etc. etc.
Why would this be?
I think what’s behind the difficulty of pure sports novels is that sports already provides so much human drama and narratives and storylines that a straightforward novel about sports is almost redundant. Sports provides a real life narrative experience that makes novels feel almost hollow in comparison.
Thus, in order to give readers something that they can’t already find just by following the NFL or NBA or curling, an author has to bring something new to the table, whether that’s by introducing suspense or fantasy or literary merit or a real-life behind the scenes look. I also think this is why children’s sports novels are successful – they tend to feature kids as protagonists, which offers something different than the real sports world.
So if you’re thinking of writing a sports novel: verisimilitude isn’t enough or even what you should be aiming for. It’s important to bring something else to the field.
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Art: Out at home by Fletcher Charles
I have just published a sports novel titled 33 Summers. I must admit though that it isn't a pure sports novel as it is more about a relationship between father and son. You can read the first few chapters of my novel at: https://www.darrenpare.com/ Just click on the announcements tab.
Nathan:
Have you read Outside Shooter by Phil Raisor? If not, you should. It's the kind of nonfiction sports narrative that you mention appreciating. I think Raisor should be with your agency. He's a poet-athlete with the heart of a good reporter.
Michael Pearson
author of Dreaming of Columbus and Innocents Abroad Too
Nathan:
Have you read Outside Shooter by Phil Raisor? If not, you should. It's the kind of nonfiction sports narrative that you mention appreciating. I think Raisor should be with your agency. He's a poet-athlete with the heart of a good reporter.
Michael Pearson
author of Dreaming of Columbus and Innocents Abroad Too
Hi i'm newish but i'm completely hooked on your blog. it's useful, entertaining and perfect for procrastination. i love that you mentioned children's sports stories as being a good idea. I've been working on a YA about a young Somali girl on her schools volleyball team. just when she's getting used to her first year of high school she decides she's going to start wearing the hijab (religious headscarf). Her friends at school don't get it and her Somali friends who would don't get why she choose to join the volleyball team anyway. Clearly basketball is the only acceptable sports team.
510Yup, Feb 2013 and I'm just a little late to this conversation but it's an interesting subject and I think a lot of guys remember author John R. Tunis and two fellows with the last name of Archibald and Decker. I used to lie in wait at the library waiting for their next book when I was a young boy and hero-worshipping Mickey Mantle, Bob Cousy and Johnny Unitas. Those authors encouraged me to read and encouraged me to harbor the dream of writing my own sports book some day. I did eventually and it is titled: Devon Loch. It is about a man who has fallen, but with the love of his wife and the encouragement of his eight year old daughter he begins his climb back to the top. I don't care if it sounds corny but I dare anyone to read it (ebook at Lulu.com) and not feel the joy of seeing a man who has been knocked down but refuses to stay down. As he staggers to his feet and begins his journey toward the L.A. Coliseum you will be cheering along with the 100,000 spectators who realize that Jack Coyle is back "in the hunt!"
I just published my first eBook sports book, but from a different take. I joined the all-tough-male dominated boxing thrillers "Fight Card" started by Paul Bishop and Mel Odom, but I did it with a twist. What happens when a bully from a boxing hopeful's past resurrects to cause trouble for the young boxer and his lady love? So now I have a mash-up of boxing, Noir, suspense, mob-action and romance. It is an attempt to bring mesh the boxing realm with the romance dominance and appeal to both hard-core fight fans with lovers of romance. So writing an interesting sports book can be done.
If you like, you can check out "Fight Card Romance: Ladies Night" under the pseudonym of Jill Tunney and all the other "Fight Card" books at https://tinyurl.com/mh4brlz
Thanks for your post.
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Playing for Pizza is the latest in a long line of recent "novellas" released by some of the most commercially successful writers of our time.
I write sports fiction. But I wrap my boxing in a love story combined with a good murder and top it off by setting it in the 1950s L.A. There is a whole series of Boxing pulp fiction emerging these days under the series title "Fight Card." We wanted to bring back the pulp fiction that we grew up with, give it a new twist. So what you said about sports carrying it's own drama is absolutely correct.
I love Myron (and Mickey) Bolitar. Harlan Coben’s series is one of the best in sports mysteries. I’m not much for sports, by Myron is really good at his job, and he’s funny to boot too.