what's the most popular trend for...

Third person POV is my favorite since it allows a voice for all the characters.

If I were you, don't follow any trend if it doesn't suit your story. If your novel is primarily based on one character, do the one person angle. If otherose, follow your instincts.

What's been said.

Following a trend is a sure way to second guess yourself to non-publication.

I've been told time and again that I should cease doing 1st person since it's "not the done thing" anymore.

The ones telling me that are not published. I've sold over 20 novels and counting.

Write your passion in whatever POV works best for YOU, and don't fix what ain't broke.

Good luck!

I say work with the voice that is in your writing, not with the voice in other writer's work. You can't jump onto a trend and hope to be accepted as a result; by the time you finish your novel that trend will be dead and buried. Work with your own POV and voice and trust that you're telling the story, YOUR story, to the best of your ability.

Truthfully, POV is not even on my list of criteria when I pick a book off the shelf. As for popularity, I'm seeing about equal parts of first and third these days, but I never really notice the POV if the story has me completely engaged.

I write in first person, but that's because my story dictates it.

Part of it depends on genre. First person is popular in mystery and chick lit (assuming there's still chick lit being sold). Omniscient is popular in literary and humor/parody (Terry Pratchett and whats-his-name Fforde).

Otherwise, third limited is a safe bet. There are significant numbers of readers who dislike first person (and even more who dislike second person), and won't even consider a book written in that POV. I haven't heard of a similar pool of readers who turn up their noses at third person, and while I'm not sure they'd all be able to identify the difference between limited and omniscient, except that they might pick up on the distance in an omniscient POV, and come up with the conclusion that they just didn't bond with the characters, something that tends to be important in popular fiction.

JD

I agree with Jan, I think most genres are using a fairly deep third person as the most common POV.

First person really works well for books about character I find. If a book is about character and character development, third person doesn't really cut it half the time. First person appears to be more popular in short fiction though.

If it works for that story and makes readers happy, that's the POV that's needed.

icerose said:

If it works for that story and makes readers happy, that's the POV that's needed.

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Yup. And I'd add that most good stories drive a certain POV choice as the appropriate one. If you're having trouble deciding on a POV it might mean you're having some conceptual problems with the story itself. I've written in both first and third-limited (I don't have much interest in working in omniscient), and never changed my mind about a given story.

caw.

Gillhoughly said:

Following a trend is a sure way to second guess yourself to non-publication.

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One among many.

caw

Second Person Provisional

Gillhoughly has it write. This sort of "rabbitears" approach... using fads instead of your own gut and esthetic to determine what you write... is disastrous on personal, artistic, and professional grounds. And won't even help you sell.