Word on the street reports that with all of this downtime, wannabe novelists have turned to the No. 1 topic of conversation as their prompt, and already literary agents and editors are turning off at the first reference to coronavirus.
My take? Besides the fact a reader can devour only so many volumes, even if interested?
I think it’s too early to tell the story. We’re only in the opening round of this affliction, which was supposed to drop off in the face of warmer weather. Only it hasn’t. Let’s see what happens around the corner, likely the real whammer come September.
Though, as one writing buddy suggests, that first book could be the beginning of a series, if you do it right.
Jnana's Red Barn 
I agree that it’s too early. While it might be germane, one should wait until the pandemic truly subsides in order to have all the facts correct, and publish it when it’s not such a… well, pandemic. There’s too much fear or uncertainty; I highly doubt publishers will accept COVID novels so early on in the game right now. It could easily go under historical fiction or non-fiction, though, depending on how one utilizes it in their story (does it progress a plot, is it like an apocalypse dystopia, does it account for what truly happened?)
Truly, what I believe is possible to occur is that writing about COVID will be too frequent. It won’t feel as individualized and may become overused as a prompt, especially with dystopia/sci-fi novels and tropes. If written well, however in the right setting/time, it could be quite an impactful story.
You’re so right. Now, to go check the news for the latest updates. (Just kidding. Life does continue, along with the heat wave we’re having here.)
Agreed. The first movie was pretty good though. If you watch 2011’s “Contagion” you would swear it was about COVID-19.
Thanks for the heads up. I read a couple of sci fi books, too, that now seem prescient, though I’ve lost the titles and authors.
I read two “last days” type novels just before IT got here ~ one by a Pentecostal, the other Catholic ~ now I’m a religious nut… I’m wondering if I was turning into a religious nut anyway. I do have some nutty stages…
And you’re ecumenical, at that. Almost makes me want to look up the kinds of nuts named in the Bible, even before we get to the people …
We are always in the “end times” lol so it’s easy to see this pandemic as something that was foretold by an author but the Bible says no one will know the place or time of when God will come, it will just be obvious that the state of the world will get worse and worse. And people will argue that’s been happening for the past few decades.. in my opinion! Thank you for this post! I’m writing a novel but it’s not about corona hopefully agents are still curious enough to read manuscripts
Best wishes with the drafting and revisions! Finding an agent is a whole other problem, one the prophets and saints never had to deal with … you’ll really have to pray on that one.
Praying endlessly! Ha