Should I Write to Market?
When I woke up this morning I sat for a while thinking, what do I write about this week? I then remember a Note I read by a Substack author that resonated with me, particularly advising writers not to ask, what others want to read, but what do You want to read. She’s a seasoned writer with many years of experience. Quite often authors are under the impression that the only way to succeed is to write to market. This could be true for some, but not for all. Writing to market has the potential to be lucrative if you tap into the right market. However, there are caveats. In many instances, WTM is formulaic; of course, there is nothing wrong with writing and reading formulaic stories. It’s tried and tested, and comfortable and reassuring for those who don’t wish to take the path less travelled.
I have considered WTM, but each and every time I do I realise that it’s not for me. Even though I’m not a big risk taker, I really do wish to take the path less travelled. I have seen for myself that there is a big risk of burnout when you feel obliged to do something you think you should be doing, rather than what you want to do. There’s nothing worse for creativity than jumping onto the hamster wheel of churn. If I am writing something, I have no passion for I call it churn.
Indeed, I do want to write what I want to read, even if it’s not mainstream. For me, mainstream is overrated. That is not to say that I don’t take into consideration my readers preferences or tastes. After all, it’s not just about me.
Book News
Dawn-wolf is now with my ARC team. I am still aiming for a release date of April 30th. If you would like to join my team you can do so by filling out my Advance Readers Team form. Click on the button link below.
