Life can be fun and full of amazement for most. For others, however, life can be full of tension and turmoil, especially in hard times.
Enter escapism, which Encarta defines as the act of indulging in daydreams or fantasies to escape from everyday reality. Such entertainment is often turned to as a release in order to help cope with negative life experiences.
Not unlike sci-fi or romance novels, people are turning their attention to horror and shock novels as the economy has fueled a modern-day movement towards escapism.
Canadian Author J.W Schnarr, who entertains his readers with tailored writings to feed this genre, has released several macabre short stories including "Magpie," "The Pilgrim" and "Song of the Dead."
If you’re into horror escapism and love to read, take a sneak peek at the "Min’s Monster" book trailer above.
Literary Escapism
Economy Drives Readers to Sci-Fi & Horror Books as a Release
Trend Themes
1. Horror Book Escapism - The trend of turning to horror and shock novels for escapism during hard times presents an opportunity for the publishing industry to explore further the demand for this genre.
2. Sci-fi Book Escapism - The trend of turning to sci-fi novels for escapism during hard times provides an opportunity for the publishing industry to expand on this market and create new, innovative sci-fi sub-genres.
3. Escapism Through Fiction - The trend of using fiction as a means of escapism during hard times highlights opportunities for various industries to explore the demand for related products such as movies, TV series, games and merchandise.
Industry Implications
1. Publishing - As the demand for horror and sci-fi novels as a means of escapism increases, the publishing industry can capitalize on this by diversifying their genres and content offerings, both in print and digital formats.
2. Entertainment - The trend of using fiction as a means of escapism presents opportunities for the entertainment industry to create movies and TV shows that cater to the horror and sci-fi genres.
3. Gaming - As more people turn to fiction as a means of escapism, there are opportunities for the gaming industry to create horror and sci-fi games that provide players with immersive and entertaining experiences.