: Re: What makes a bestseller - Writing or Setting? Note: I define 'setting' as where and when a novel takes place, as well as what the genre entails. It is the background to the picture of the

@Samaraweera193

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It seems you're using the term setting in a non-standard way to mean genre conventions. Given that, I would say that a mastery of genre, including the fulfillment of the expectations of the core audience, can bring short-term popularity, but that only good writing will endure over the long term.

It's also worth noting that the most popular works typically draw on a given genre, but subvert it or transcend it by taking it in unexpected-but-satisfying new directions (that way they not only pick up the core audience, they expand upon it) --and it takes excellent writing to manage that task.

As @what noted, however, the impact of selling can outweigh both quality and genre appeal, at least in the short term.

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