BQTP #7: Should You Write for the Market?

Is your writing in, or out? That's always the big question in a world where every publishing house is looking for the next big blockbuster. Often company execs think they want one type of book, and by happenstance, publish another that shoots to the top because readers are captivated by writing they've never seen before — or not in a long time, anyway — or by beguiling characters. Publishers immediately start looking for another such bestseller, with thousands of writers attempting to copy that success.

The question becomes, should you write for the market, or, as countless writing instructors suggest, write what you love?

This question is worth contemplating, because the answer can help you address your anxiety level as well as your attempts to get your work published.

Writing for the Market: The Pros and Cons
If you write for the market, you might have a better chance at getting published. You're also much more likely to 1. read that type of literature and know the key elements and/or formulas for success, 2. know who publishes what you write, and 3. be able to compare your book to bestsellers. Then again, you might be competing with hundreds or thousands of other writers who are attempting to cash in on the trend. That and if you don't write quickly enough, the trend may pass before you've had a chance to jump in.

Not Writing for the Market: The Pros and Cons
Deciding to write what you want is a decidedly noble gesture. You're going to buck the system, strike out on your own, earn your success on your own terms. Who could not find such an exertion of individuality stimulating? Besides having the satisfaction of passion about what you're writing, you're also much more likely to be innovative. The downside, however, is that you're less likely to get your work published. In a perfect world, creating something new would be rewarded. But alas, publishers often don't buy work they don't know how to market.

Rather than choosing one or the other, you could do as my friend Martha Alderson, author of Blockbuster Plots, Pure & Simple, suggests and determine what you want to write, then incorporate key elements that appeal to the current market.

What do you think? How do you decide what to write?

Need some help? Here are a few resources:

Deciding What to Write in an Editorial

Article Writing: Deciding What to Write About, Quickly and Easily

How to Write a Resume That Gets the Job Done (very applicable to query letter writing)

WW #8: Know Your Strengths

Writers are constantly told how they're writing is deficient. Their characters are one-dimensional, they don't include enough description of setting, the action is never-ending or nonexistent.

Knowing such things is important if we want to improve. But knowing what we do well is equally important for two reasons: 1) we don't want to cut what's good, and 2) our strengths are the point from which we can begin to make our writing better. After all, which is more exhilarating, trying to climb from beneath a long list of don'ts, or being lifted by already does, and does well?

So for this writing exercise, take five to ten minutes to evaluate what you consistently do well based on feedback from other people. If you haven't opened your work to critique, write down what you think you're good at, such as character descriptions, then test your theory by comparing a few pertinent passages of your writing to that of writing you admire.

What are your strengths? I'd love to know.

IE #7: Independent Publishers

I was impressed by your argument that small publishers (where one does not necessarily need to get in the door) offer the best opportunity for the unpublished writer... Can you suggest any small publishers that I ought to explore?

This question came from a participant of an editing workshop I taught last Saturday at Book Passage in Corte Madera. We'd talked about the likelihood of having a novel accepted by a major publisher, given there are only six huge publishing conglomerates with maybe a few applicable imprints for the type of novel we've written. That means we've got six to fifteen shots at having our novel bought by a bigwig. That's not many, considering how much time and effort is necessary to write a book.

Therefore, rather than give up, writers should consider submitting to mid-sized and smaller publishers, of which there are over 300 and several thousand, respectively. Here are three good reasons why:

1. You don't need an agent to submit to most mid-sized publishers or any small publishers. That's because these publishing houses often don't offer a big enough advance or plan a big enough run for an agent to earn his/her money.

2. Yes, working with a smaller publisher means you'll have to do most of the marketing. But you'll have to do that, anyway, if your book is bought by a big publishing house. Small publishers will at least know their niche markets well and do all they can to help your marketing plan succeed.

3. A small publisher is much more likely to keep your book in print for longer.

But where do you find these mid-sized and small publishers? Writer's Market is a great place to start, but here are some other sites that will help you find the right publisher:

NewPages.com

Independent Publisher Online (They list their annual book award winners, which is a great place to find the top publishers in the type of book you write.)

Four Small Publishers That Accept Romance Novels

Thriller Press

Literary Small Press Publishers, Yahoo Directory

The SF Site: Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishers

Small Publishers Book Big Rewards

If you have any experience with a small publisher, write in to share your views on the subject.