I Don’t Write to the Market - Here's Why

 

Lately, I’ve seen many of those in the literary world (authors, agents, editors, etc.) advise up-and-coming writers to write to the market. But what does that mean? Writing to the market means producing the types of books that are known to sell well, and what author wouldn’t want their books to fly off the shelves?

Any author that tells you they don’t care about sales is lying – at least a little. While financial gain may not (and shouldn’t) be the primary reason to write, it’s a fact that people want to get paid for doing things they enjoy. As the saying goes, do something you love and you never have to work a day in your life. The keyword  is love.

In my opinion, writing to market is one of the most inauthentic things an author can do. It’s one thing to explore different ideas and trends that interests you, but to write something simply for a quick sale cheapens the craft.

I choose not write to market because it’s important for me to write things I actually like. I write the stories I want to read and believe that if I enjoy it, chances are someone else will too. I’ve always been the type of chick to march to the beat of her own drum, so studying trends and trying to hop on whatever is popular at the moment isn’t the route for me.

I don’t believe it’s wise to build your career around the whims of others. Yes, authors want to write stories their audiences enjoy, but I believe that's best achieved by staying true to who you are. Trends come and go. The market will continue to change. And while you don’t want to become stagnant, there is a fine line between keeping your stories inline with the current trend and remaining true to who you are as a creator.

Good writing will always be good writing. No one snubs their noses at the classics. Some of the most loved stories were created well over one-hundred years ago. Could I write about being in love with a dope boy or pregnant with the billionaire's baby? Probably. But I don't because I wouldn't like it.

It’s important to note that writing to market and writing by formula are two different things. For example, in a romance novel, there is always a period of attraction, falling in love, something coming between the union, and then ultimately, the lovers finding their happy ending – this is a formula. Certain things are just expected out of certain genres.

In the end, it all boils down to personal opinion. Some writers might like the challenge of researching what’s hot at the moment and dabbling in different areas. Perhaps they’ve even mastered the delicate balance of writing to market AND being authentically themselves. For me, that sounds like a lot like of work. Perhaps I'm a lazy writer. While I definitely seek to grow and expand my range, I'll keep plugging away on ideas I gather organically rather than following the latest craze of the market. 

It's the write path for me.