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This question may have already been answered, but I'm just making sure.

So, I'm just making a silly book for fun. It's short (compared to other books) but I'd say it's decent. However, let's say I wanted to publish it. Would it be too weird to publish?

The book I've been writing is about a boy who wakes up one day and finds out he is a fruit-loop (not sure if correct spelling, as my country doesn't have them). He is transported to a land of alive foods. Part of it has been overrun by an evil spork (spoon-fork) and the boy, with new fruit-loop friends, must save "Fruitloopia".

I think this is an original idea, but, as I said, it may just be too weird to be published. It's kind of like with Harry Potter: J.K. Rowling had to go through quite a few publishers to get her book published (or so I've been told). The only difference is it's about a piece of alive food.

If someone could answer this, it would be a great help (just in case I actually do want to send it to the world).

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  • Welcome to Writing.SE TPOP. I'm not sure this is on topic, since it's about your specific book and not a more generally applicable question. I will say that "Fruit Loops" are almost certainly a registered trademark. But yes, silly books in general are fine.
    – Cyn
    Commented Apr 29, 2019 at 17:07
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    As Cyn pointed out Fruit Loops are probably trademarked, you'll probably have to rename it (something like fruity O's would do fine). Anyways, I doubt there is any such thing as a book too weird to be published, the real question is whether its too weird to sell. I doubt it too weird to sell if its advertised towards younger audiences
    – Levi C. Olson
    Commented Apr 29, 2019 at 17:10
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    There is nothing that is too weird to publish. Just look at what is out there.
    – Chenmunka
    Commented Apr 29, 2019 at 17:16
  • Do you mean "fruit loop" or "Froot Loop"? One is a crazy person and the other is a breakfast cereal.
    – Laurel ♦
    Commented Apr 29, 2019 at 21:26
  • @Cyn Apparently 'Fruity O's' was too easy, Trader Joe's have that one sewn up! I only mention that as an example to the OP that they might have to go through quite a lot of variations if they want to come up with a name that alludes to a certain type of snack without someone having got to the name first.
    – Spagirl
    Commented Apr 30, 2019 at 16:10

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I'd say, for a short book, pitch it as a young children's book. Imaginative and silly are great for that. Get rid of your trademark issue with Fruit Loops, come up with some other name that doesn't infringe. e.g "Flavor Rings" or "RingaDings" or something (and Google whatever you come up with to ensure it isn't trademarked also).

Edit your story to exclude anything inappropriate to young children, and you might even pitch it as a story that could benefit from illustrations. (Don't worry, illustrations are almost always done by artists the publishers hire).

The plots of such stories are usually simple hero stories with minor setbacks and fairly easily defeated villains.

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There are some very odd writers with passionate fans, and sometimes critical acclaim or even fame and fortune. Daniel Pinkwater, Samuel Delany, Steven Hall, Francesca Block, Haruki Murakami, Lewis Carroll, Dav Pikey and Walter Moers are just a few of the very idiosyncratic writers who might make that list.

But most of them are also extraordinarily good writers, and/or have other qualities that make them successful. Being odd isn't enough.

To put it another way --every kid on every playground writes parodies of popular music. But there's only one Weird Al Yankovic.

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Nothing is too weird to be published. Truly, nothing. But plenty of works will not interest any of the publishers that currently exist. Even many works that are totally mainstream don't get published because nobody the author submitted to wants to publish them.

Assuming you fix the problem of using a trademarked phrase (Fruit Loops), your silly story could find a home. Any silly or weird or odd story can. If it's well written. No guarantees in the publishing business, but weird isn't a dealbreaker.

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doesn't matter how weird you are ... there are 7 billion people on the planet... if 0.01% of the people enjoy your brand of weird... that's 700,000 people!

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  • I did answer the question.. that's just my way of saying: Nothing is too weird. The question isn't.. would my book be acceptable to the general audience.... the bar is really low.. is it too weird to publish.. nothing is too weird to publish.
    – ashleylee
    Commented May 1, 2019 at 15:28
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Sounds like a kids book. You can self publish it you might want to have some pictures in it but no there have been worse things written remember the attack of the 50 foot chickens?

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