A confession: Until three or four months ago, I had never heard of Emma M. Lion. But oh, does that ever change. From the moment I read the first book, aptly titled The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1I was stuck. Emma is a delightful character—she’s funny, charming, and strong-willed. Of course, the rest of the series wasn’t far behind.
I’m not the only one to fall victim to Emma’s charms. Although it was first published in 2019, the series has been steadily gaining popularity over the past year. But why? What happened to make the self-published series a publishing phenomenon?
Who is Emma M. Lion?
Simply put, she is the main character of the best-selling series The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, which consists of eight (so far) cozy historical stories that describe four years of a young woman’s life, dealing with, in no particular order: her hateful uncle, the loss of her inheritance, the social scene in Victorian London, the groom, and her grief over losing her parents and the boy she loved.
Nobody said being Emma M. Lion was easy.
Author Beth Browder has said that each year in Emma’s life will be a “season”, like a season on a TV show. Each is composed of an average of three segments, although the exact number may vary. And each section takes two months. As the title indicates, the story is told in a magazine format.
Why are they having a moment?
This is a good question. Many self-published series, especially those that have already been available for seven years, have not seen such an increase in popularity. Turns out, there are several factors behind this.
past tense
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At first, it appears that it first became popular due to good old-fashioned word of mouth. It was picked up by some book clubs in Utah, where Bower lives, and its reputation grew from there. Then, in March this year, they announced that the books were to be republished by Bloomsbury, which is a surefire way to promote any author. Then It got picked up by social media: BookTok, Bookstagram, etc. started raving about these books, so naturally, more people picked them up.
Why are they so cute?
Okay, so by now you know that books are popular. But why should you care? Glad you asked!
Cast of Characters: Look, I’m just going to come right out and say it. These characters remind me a lot of Jane Austen. Oh, not because they share specific traits, but because this is a huge group of larger-than-life personalities who charmed me from the first page. Well, except Cousin Archibald. But we don’t talk about that.
Life Story: Because you follow Emma for so long, you really get to know her, along with the friends she makes along the way. That doesn’t mean there aren’t clearly defined narrative arcs, but the way they’re structured means you feel as if you’re talking to a friend about her life.
Journal Format: This is huge for me. I’m a big fan of stories told through journals or letters, because they give you a glimpse into the protagonist’s inner life that you don’t get any other way, even in more traditional first-person narratives.
Emma herself: I told you Emma is attractive, didn’t I? She has a fresh voice, she strikes a great balance between wit and seriousness, and she’s smart and quick-witted and hilarious. Don’t be surprised, but from the first page of the first volume she reminded me of Anne Shirley.
So there you have it. Now you know who Emma M. Lion is and why her popularity has increased so much. Will you give him a chance?
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