*By Madison Alworth* Nicholas Sparks, author of tear-jerker "The Notebook," has a heart for romance and ー perhaps, to the surprise of his fans ー a head for business. “I think that the best books not only have to have the good writing and a certain level of style ー and in my particular books you have to generate authenticity ー but I also think there’s some elements of business that come into play," Sparks said Monday in an interview on Cheddar. Before he gained fame as a bestselling author, Sparks majored in Business Finance in college, and his more pragmatic past continues to shape his career. "For instance, my readers range from, let’s say, 15 - 90, so if I’ve written a book about someone in their thirties, and the previous book was someone in their fifties, I might say to myself, ‘You know, I need to hit that younger age demographic because it’s now time.' So it’s almost a business sense of, here’s my market, and I definitely want to write a book that appeals to them,” he said. The strategy seems to be working: every single one of Sparks's books has made the New York Times bestseller list, and 14 of them have reached the #1 spot. Sparks is set to release his first book in two years, "Every Breath," on Tuesday. “Anyone who’s read the 'Notebook' knows there’s gonna be a love story, it’s very intense," Sparks said of his latest work. Like classic Sparks fare, the book revolves around a relationship. "A couple meet at the beach. Well he’s from Africa, he’s a safari guide, he’s coming from Zimbabwe to meet his biological father for the first time, he ends up in North Carolina, meets a young lady, she’s there for a friend’s wedding, sparks fly, and of course like 'the Notebook' it's a two-part story ー so we kind of explore the question of how long can true love really last?" "It’s a couple where the timing isn’t right at first ー so what happens, and how does that play out in love?” For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-next-notebook-nicholas-sparks-new-book).
