Quote:
Originally Posted by VydorScope
IMO, The answer to any question like this is "depends on the story and the author."
For example - Hunger Games - First Person Present - I think we can all say it did well in the market. I doubt you will find a combination more claimed to be hated the "First person present" - and yet Hunger Games did well. 
If the book is good, you should not notice the tense. |
I think you're right, but it's harder to write well enough that readers don't notice it in present than in past. It's unforgiving, and when it fails, it fails spectacularly. There's also the argument that many YA best sellers thrive on something other than the strength of the prose.
Twilight is probably the standout exemplar of that theory. The vast majority of writing professionals don't think much of the writing at all. It succeeded, not because it was well-written, but because it captured the hearts of a particular demographic. It was the story a lot of people wanted to read, and in the end, that mattered more than the author's technical skill.
(I used it as an example because I've looked at the Twilight books, but never even cracked a copy of any of the Hunger Games series so I can't speak to them other than to to say they're successful.)