Excellent read! I think if you are really passionate about your story, message, characters, keep going. Even if there are similarities: Your own book could still evoke completely different feelings. The other is deep, philosophical or tragic? Yours can be light & humorous (targeting another audience).
A few examples, including movies:
"Pope Johanna" (the Female Pope), I think there are at least 3 different novels out there. But as we know so little about her, the only thing in common are the protagonist & the historical setting. Everything else is pure fiction. It's up to the reader which one is most entertaining. There's even a movie, I think that one is based on Donna Cross's version.
47 Ronin (or 47 Samurai), based on a real historic event from Japan: A story about loyalty, dedication & revenge. There must be dozens of novels, theatre plays, poems, comics, history analysis (maybe even PhD dissertations), and of course movies out there. Including the Hollywood version starring Keanu Reeves, which added Fantasy elements to it, and is clearly targeting the U.S. & European audience. In spite of all these works, I'm sure there is still room for a new novel or play: It can focus on different aspects, or be narrated from someone else's perspective.
"The Seven Samurai", another story from Japan. The plot from the original Japanese historical drama film (1954) was remade several times, most notably as a Western movie, "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), and as a Science Fiction movie, "Battle Beyond the Stars" (1980). Same story, differnt settings & genres.
The movies "Planet of the Apes" (1968) & "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" (1970). This is a really odd one. The 1st movie, "Planet of the Apes", is based on a novel (published in 1963) by French author Pierre Boulle. The movie deviates from the novel, but still captures the message. The big twist at the end is the climax and doesn't require any sequels. The movie is very philosophical and conveys a strong message, wrapped in a Science Fiction setting. The movie was big success, so the studio execs decided to make a sequel (because $$$, why not). They first wanted to hire Pierre Boulle (the original novel's author himself) to write a sequel. But they didn't like any of his ideas (which is kinda odd). So they hired someone else to write the sequel. And now comes the really odd part: When you start watching "Beneath the Planet of the Apes", for a long time you keep wondering, what the hell am I watching here: The 1st half of this movie is almost identical to its predecessor, "Planet of the Apes". The same premise, the same events, happening almost in the same order. Only little deviation from the 1st movie. The 2 movies are so simlar at the start, it's kinda uncanny. Even the actor playing the protagonist resembles Charlton Heston (who played the protagonist in the 1st movie). And the other characters are the same from the 1st movie, doing & saying almost the same things!! And then, about half way through the movie, comes a similar plot twist as in the 1st movie (but not exactly the same). And you think: Wow, is this it? So what's the point of all this, I already knew! But then the story continues, turning into a wild mix of SF, Fantasy, Body Horror, action & drama. So in the end, it takes a totally different turn, even if it started out very similarly.
"Beverly Hills Cop" (1984) and "Cobra" (1986). We all know Axel Foley, the reckless, funny, but competent & experienced cop who doesn't take anything or anyone too seriously. The original script was written to be a staight up action movie without much humour. But the studio wanted a comedy, so they had it rewritten. At some point, Sylvester Stallone was supposed to play the part. He didn't like the script though, and rewrote it from action comedy back to a serious action movie (with excessive violence). When he presented it to the studio, they rejected it: Stallone's version would be too expensive because of all the over-the-top action scenes. Stallone left the project, 2 weeks before principal shooting was supposed to start. The studio recast Eddie Murphy and rewrote the script AGAIN back to comedy. And they could finally produce "Beverly Hills Cop". Stallone took his darker, more brutal version of the script and produced "Cobra". Both movies were box office successes.
So... Even If you THINK there's another one out there, that is very similar to yours: There's still a lot of room, the market is big enough, and the audience is diverse enough for both of you. Just do your thing, give it your all, and miracles might happen.
These are all great examples! I recently read Before And After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum (highly recommended!!) and she gets into this, too -- some contemporary scenarios where similar(ish) books have come out around the same time and it serves to uplift the authors because there's an opportunity for built-in cross promotion and support. Everyone takes their stories in their own direction, and as you say, there's plenty of room for everyone.
Great advice! I think you write it because you “have to write it.” If you have passion for the premise that’s what really matters, markets be dammed. And, you can never tell exactly where your strong goes until you get there.
So glad the advice resonated! I do really think we’re drawn to certain projects, sometimes for reasons we don’t even know, and we inevitably tell our stories our own way.
Excellent read! I think if you are really passionate about your story, message, characters, keep going. Even if there are similarities: Your own book could still evoke completely different feelings. The other is deep, philosophical or tragic? Yours can be light & humorous (targeting another audience).
A few examples, including movies:
"Pope Johanna" (the Female Pope), I think there are at least 3 different novels out there. But as we know so little about her, the only thing in common are the protagonist & the historical setting. Everything else is pure fiction. It's up to the reader which one is most entertaining. There's even a movie, I think that one is based on Donna Cross's version.
47 Ronin (or 47 Samurai), based on a real historic event from Japan: A story about loyalty, dedication & revenge. There must be dozens of novels, theatre plays, poems, comics, history analysis (maybe even PhD dissertations), and of course movies out there. Including the Hollywood version starring Keanu Reeves, which added Fantasy elements to it, and is clearly targeting the U.S. & European audience. In spite of all these works, I'm sure there is still room for a new novel or play: It can focus on different aspects, or be narrated from someone else's perspective.
"The Seven Samurai", another story from Japan. The plot from the original Japanese historical drama film (1954) was remade several times, most notably as a Western movie, "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), and as a Science Fiction movie, "Battle Beyond the Stars" (1980). Same story, differnt settings & genres.
The movies "Planet of the Apes" (1968) & "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" (1970). This is a really odd one. The 1st movie, "Planet of the Apes", is based on a novel (published in 1963) by French author Pierre Boulle. The movie deviates from the novel, but still captures the message. The big twist at the end is the climax and doesn't require any sequels. The movie is very philosophical and conveys a strong message, wrapped in a Science Fiction setting. The movie was big success, so the studio execs decided to make a sequel (because $$$, why not). They first wanted to hire Pierre Boulle (the original novel's author himself) to write a sequel. But they didn't like any of his ideas (which is kinda odd). So they hired someone else to write the sequel. And now comes the really odd part: When you start watching "Beneath the Planet of the Apes", for a long time you keep wondering, what the hell am I watching here: The 1st half of this movie is almost identical to its predecessor, "Planet of the Apes". The same premise, the same events, happening almost in the same order. Only little deviation from the 1st movie. The 2 movies are so simlar at the start, it's kinda uncanny. Even the actor playing the protagonist resembles Charlton Heston (who played the protagonist in the 1st movie). And the other characters are the same from the 1st movie, doing & saying almost the same things!! And then, about half way through the movie, comes a similar plot twist as in the 1st movie (but not exactly the same). And you think: Wow, is this it? So what's the point of all this, I already knew! But then the story continues, turning into a wild mix of SF, Fantasy, Body Horror, action & drama. So in the end, it takes a totally different turn, even if it started out very similarly.
"Beverly Hills Cop" (1984) and "Cobra" (1986). We all know Axel Foley, the reckless, funny, but competent & experienced cop who doesn't take anything or anyone too seriously. The original script was written to be a staight up action movie without much humour. But the studio wanted a comedy, so they had it rewritten. At some point, Sylvester Stallone was supposed to play the part. He didn't like the script though, and rewrote it from action comedy back to a serious action movie (with excessive violence). When he presented it to the studio, they rejected it: Stallone's version would be too expensive because of all the over-the-top action scenes. Stallone left the project, 2 weeks before principal shooting was supposed to start. The studio recast Eddie Murphy and rewrote the script AGAIN back to comedy. And they could finally produce "Beverly Hills Cop". Stallone took his darker, more brutal version of the script and produced "Cobra". Both movies were box office successes.
So... Even If you THINK there's another one out there, that is very similar to yours: There's still a lot of room, the market is big enough, and the audience is diverse enough for both of you. Just do your thing, give it your all, and miracles might happen.
These are all great examples! I recently read Before And After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum (highly recommended!!) and she gets into this, too -- some contemporary scenarios where similar(ish) books have come out around the same time and it serves to uplift the authors because there's an opportunity for built-in cross promotion and support. Everyone takes their stories in their own direction, and as you say, there's plenty of room for everyone.
Great advice! I think you write it because you “have to write it.” If you have passion for the premise that’s what really matters, markets be dammed. And, you can never tell exactly where your strong goes until you get there.
So glad the advice resonated! I do really think we’re drawn to certain projects, sometimes for reasons we don’t even know, and we inevitably tell our stories our own way.