I think there might be a little more wisdom here than first meets the eye if we do a little digging: "the story with the emotional woman as the star" = a story with a protagonist that conforms to socially-sanctioned gender roles "good light comedies" = comedies that reflect the comedic sensibilities of the day "satires upon society" = stories that tip the currently in-vogue sacred cows "plots dealing with the wave of mysticism now sweeping over the world (new thought, spiritualism or the power of the human will)" = stories that give people hope, and/or stories that threaten the status quo; stories that build on the Zeitgeist "American business stories" = stories about the economic and employment sectors that hold the most interest to the public (e.g., the rise in sports stories) "small town tales with plenty of local color" = stories that reflect the "real America", which then was rural, for some time has been urban, and going forward, may yet under the influence of the Tea Party movement's rhetoric skew back towards small town and rural (at least in some US domestic markets) "wholesome tales of adventure and romance" = tales of adventure and romance framed in the mores and values of the day The short version: know the age and time you live in and write for that audience.