Aside from genre expectations, I also see a lot of discussion on writing forums about how they want to write what is popular “or else they’ll never sell any books.”
I’m not sure that is wise. For example, with musicians, about 1 in 5 million make a living with their music. Assuming it’s something similar to that with creative writing—does it really make sense to try to tailor your writing to particular audience tastes?
I think maybe, instead, I’ll try this Marketing two-step:
i) Focus on getting good, telling stories that I enjoy and resonate with me;
and then
ii) Hope that gets noticed?
The traditional approach of: i) getting in good with someone in the industry and then ii) writing to spec (which is definitely a worthy skill) is perfectly valid, too. But, if I’m honest with myself, that way isn’t consistent with my personality and current stage of life. Maybe that can happen, eventually, too, though.
Hello Mark,
Another Mark here… yes, there are genres and tropes, and it’s good to be aware of them… and then just write the book you want to read, and have fun doing so.
Chasing the market is a crap shoot and a sure fire way to burn out.
Hey Mark,
Thanks for your comment. You sound like some brokers I’ve spoken with, too. 😉
So, I take it we’ve interacted on the Chrons? Nice. “Belfast born,” eh? I’ve got a son who wants to visit Ireland…when the time comes maybe I can hit you up for some recommendations?
Let’s talk soon!
Best,
:-{D]
_Mark