I’m pensive due to listening to the excellent Surviving Mars soundtrack, and still turning over the recent experience with the publisher in my head and it has been exceptionally useful to codify my understanding of something I gleaned from David Morrell’s The Successful Novelist, in which he cautions about writing to an existing market, or developing a niche to fill.
I think one of the reasons that I was turned down – and it’s an understandable business reason, is that my book wasn’t going to make mega-money for a publisher who needs money. It’s quite costly to print and push out a book, as Indie authors and self-publishers know, especially if you take the time and effort to hire editors, cover creators, etc.
The two most recent signings for the publisher I was querying were about football (soccer to our cousins across the pond), namely the Liverpool Football Club under Jurgen Klopp, and a book about self-help with mental illness, with the tagline: “This book will save your life.”
Now both of those subjects have markets. Massive, massive markets. I’m not going to get into a debate about mental health, because that is not the purpose of this channel, and I’ve had a breakdown – so I think I understand my own small corner, but I will touch on it as a topic wholesale.
Both of these books have been written for/to market and both are non-fiction. The thing about that kind of market is that it never changes – fortunes of the football club wax and wane, naturally, but fans will always want those type of books. You can keep bringing them out, just like FIFA video games. You’ll be in money forever.
Self-help is a little bit of a different story, in the fact that the subject’s popularity DOES change, so there’s a bit more of a risk there. Another problem with this is the same that fiction authors face – the market is saturated very quickly when the subject does become popular.
Not everyone likes football, but the following is huge and largely stable. Everyone wants to be well, but advice changes constantly and certain health fads shift, but this allows for the release of another book.
They are both ‘dead certs’.
Contrast this now with a niche slice of genre called Science Fiction. You expected that, right? 😉 Agents for this are hard to come by, as not everyone reads it. If you break into it though, there is more chance of acquiring a cult following (it seems to me anyway) which will give you years of value.
For my ha’penny, writing to market limits the books you want to write, unless you really want to write them, and if so – good for you. However, it strikes me that when an idea comes to me, the story needs me to write it and it can be anything. Orson Scott Card says a writer should have up to six ideas a day. I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of six football stories that would interest my readers.
Writing to market puts you at the mercy of the market, which is why I think non-fiction does so well at it, because it doesn’t have to be inventive and readers are already looking for it. There is a wealth of information to help you get those books out. There’s a reader waiting. The good news is, if your fiction stories are good, they will find readers.
There ARE exceptions in fiction (although to me, they are breakouts, after which the author goes on to do what they want once they’re noticed and have a loyal following).
Or, I could just be a cynic. How atrocious.
It’s also something I came across in a conversation with a professional editor and independent small press owner. When Querying, have your comparison titles ready, at least three. One to say what genre, one to say who buys it and finally one to demonstrate how well it will sell. I missed the last trick.
It’s not just you who wants to make money from it, Publishers want ‘get-rich quick’ too.
Well, that’s all I have today, Adventurers. Leave a comment if you feel I’ve got it wrong or if you found my ramble thought-provoking – and as always, have a great day. 🙂
Mightier Is The Pen 