Will My Novel Even Have an Audience?

I'm not sure how the general public feels about country music these days. I think a certain segment of people may be drawn to it now because it's really "pop", not country. But let's just say I'm out of the loop.

When I first decided that my main character would be a band singer, there was never any question that she would sing country ~ what other kind of band plays local bars, especially in small towns? Then, when she got her big break, of course it would take her to Nashville, which in my mind has a small-town feel to it, even though it's a big city. And though I've never been there, I at least have a rudimentary understanding of the music business as it relates to country. 

But maybe I'm taking for granted that readers will find that interesting. When I first got into country music as a young teen, it had a reputation of being grandma's music; definitely uncool. A teenager like me had to disavow any acquaintance with it. Is that still true? Or is everyone so in love with Taylor Swift that they would never deign to listen to anything else? Surely everyone can't feel that way, right?

It's not even that I've excessively played up the country music angle in the story. It's more the foundation for the things that happen to the MC. I've only name-dropped a couple of real song titles, and that was only in the course of the MC's local stage performances. 99.9% of bar bands only play covers. I might go back and change those titles to made-up ones; not that it matters, really. My point is, the music itself isn't the focus of the story.

I wonder, though, if a reader opens the book and finds out (quickly) that the main character is a country singer, will they have the same reaction as my peers did all those years ago? Ooh, uncool!

That's just the chance I'll have to take. I'm fairly certain my novel won't find an audience, regardless of the subtext anyway. But I'll be sure to make it clear in the blurb what the setting of the story is, so potential readers can wrinkle their noses before they lay down money for the book, instead of after. 

A writer has to write the story she wants to tell. If I was forced to write to trend, I would quit. Although since romance is so wildly popular, I've briefly considered trying to write one simply as a moneymaker. Of course, I'd first need to read a couple to get the format down. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad? 

In the meantime, I'm writing what interests me. I probably won't make any money, but I also won't lose any, so this writing gig may as well be fun.