Writing to Market: a Definition

In a nutshell, “writing to market” simply means:

1. Invest time researching what’s “hot” (selling lots) in the current market (e.g., vampires, werewolves, and/or zombies).
2. If you value your career, write your next novel about vampires, werewolves, and/or zombies.

Ironically, your research may reveal that vampires, werewolves, and/or zombies have become a stench in the nostrils of agents and publishers. If so, wait a few months — this particular genre acts like a pendulum. The same agents and editors will be begging for new manuscripts before you know it.

In the meantime, keep researching until you discover what IS currently selling like hand sanitizer, and get to work on your next novel.

Insider Tip: The best-selling genre, bar none, is ROMANCE. If you want to write to market in a hot genre, that’s your ticket.

Yeah, but …

A common counter-question many writers ask is: “What if my books aren’t about [insert genre here], and I’m not interested in writing in [said genre]?” Or its cousin: “What if I’m not a romance writer, and I don’t want to be?”

If you’re going to voice those questions, I’d advise wearing several layers of Kevlar body armor. Writing-to-Market advocates are not typically shy about responding. From my experience, the rebuttal usually sounds something like this:

If you’re not writing to market, you’re not writing books anyone wants to read. Ergo, you’re wasting everyone’s time. You will die penniless and be buried in a pauper’s grave.

Or …

Amateurs insist on writing what they want, but professionals write to market. (Some have suggested that any author who doesn’t write to market is a narcissistic diva.)

Writer, Beware …

If you’re a market-skeptical writer, whatever you do — for the love of all that’s right and good in the universe — do not reply with anything like: “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Writing to market sounds like I’d be selling my soul …”

Unless, of course, you want to see your fellow writer’s head spin in a three-sixty rotation while they bazooka-barf ectoplasm all over the furniture (cue Ghostbusters theme song).

Full Disclosure: I’ve yet to see a fellow writer spew ectoplasm. But seriously, don’t mention “selling your soul” if you want to keep things civil. Well, okay … say it if you must, but offer to buy the next round of drinks as a peace offering.

Pulling Back the Curtain

I’d like to suggest there’s another way of looking at writing to market. An approach that involves neither slavish adherence to imitating what’s already out there nor selling one’s soul to the marketing spirits of the underworld.

If you’ve ever read Stephen King’s On Writing, you’re familiar with the quote: “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all else: read a lot and write a lot.” That’s just common sense — the more we read, the more we absorb about writing.

The more we read in our favorite genre, the more we absorb about writing in our favorite genre. “More is caught than taught.”

For writers, that means conferences, seminars, workshops — however genuinely helpful they are (and they are!) — will always pale in comparison to saturating ourselves in the works of our favorite writers in our favorite genres.

So Here’s the “Writing to Market” Question:

IF we’re saturating ourselves in the best authors of our favorite genre,

AND we’re writing our own novels in the same genre …

Aren’t we “writing to market” already?

Let’s use Stephen King as an example. If we’re reading his books, it’s because (a) he’s a famous author, and (b) his genre sells (or we wouldn’t be reading his books). If we’re writing in the same genre (because it’s both what we love to read and love to write), we may not be the next Stephen King, but we’re writing to market — without changing who we are or the stories we’re compelled to tell.

I’d still recommend doing market research, but not as an attempt to shoe-horn your creative writing into a genre you aren’t interested in. The best use of market research is to discover where your finished novel fits best. Many indie authors (myself included) do a fair bit of cross-genre writing, and market research is invaluable for deciding how — and where — to list our stories. Market research will show you:

• Which categories similar books/authors are listed in;
• Keywords you should take advantage of;
• Cover designs (including fonts) that clearly convey your genre (e.g., unless you’re writing “Cowboys and Aliens,” don’t use a barnyard font on a sci-fi book cover);
• The best approach to enticing back-cover blurbs. Synopses that give away most of the storyline are a bad idea. Treat your blurb like a movie trailer: offer tantalizing hints of the adventure to be found inside your book.

Bottom Line

Don’t let market research tell you what to write. Use market research to skillfully place and promote your writing where it fits best.