POV - One or Many: What’s Really the Best?

It’s sort of like asking someone what their favorite flavor is or which sports team is better...or religion for that matter. When it comes to POV (point of view) in a novel the modern debate only seems to be intensifying. Should there only be one point of view in the story? Two characters’ points of view? A dozen?

Personally, I’ve always loved multiple points of view in a novel, but I’ve also written with just a single point of view myself. I’ve heard every end of the argument. A speaker at a writer’s conference told me she would never represent a book with more than one point of view (which kind of shocked me). At the same time, I know a lot of readers who adore the multiple viewpoints in a book.

So what’s your preference? And more importantly, why? Do you think one way works better with certain audiences or publishers? Do you just like a single or multiple POV simply because it’s your preference or for another reason? Don’t worry, there’s no right or wrong answer!