"Write to Market"

Believe me, if I could write to market, I would. I'm all in favor of making money. While I'm a natural contrarian, I certainly don't set out to repel readers. It's just that I can't write a paint by numbers book. Not that there's anything wrong with them.

Many writers write to market organically. They love a certain genre, and they don't set out to write specific tropes or specific story beats; it just happens. In a small way, maybe I do that, too. For example, none of my stories have an unhappy ending or even an ambivalent one. That's a personal preference, not me thinking my readers expect a happy ending. (I don't have readers, but you get my point.)

Other than the endings, though, all bets are off. Running From Herself is written cockeyed, because that's how the story flowed for me. That's not ideal, but it is original.

What brought this topic to mind was an essay I read about podcasters who've suddenly flipped all their long-held beliefs in order to chase a certain demographic; to chase a trend. To make money. Maybe it's easier for me to stay true to myself because I'm used to not making money, so my lack of book sales doesn't sting (anymore).

Marketing experts tell authors to not try fitting a square peg into a round hole, but to write a round peg in the first place. I hate being told what to write and not write. What is the point of writing if I can't write what I want? I can find other things to do that are more interesting.

Writing to market isn't necessarily bad unless it's done purposely. There should be no room in fiction for cynicism. I follow the self-publish sub on Reddit, not as much as I used to, because it's become repetitive, but I still look. And I see lots of questions about how to make big bucks with a book. "Write to market" is the common response. That makes me cringe.

"How do I bake bread?"

"Go to the store, buy Rhodes frozen bread dough. Thaw it out, let it raise, pop it in the oven. Voila!"

I've come to the realization that my work isn't for everyone...or barely for anyone. I didn't set out to write main characters who were in their mid-thirties. It was just a natural starting point for a woman on her life journey, and that's what my stories are about. I naively assumed that my books would appeal to that demographic. I was wrong. A quick analysis of my readers shows that they're mostly either elderly or creeping up on old age. I'm okay with that now. It's better to know than to not know. I also know that I can never write to the younger demo.

If you're the market, if your story is one you would definitely read, great. That's being true to yourself. If you're trying to be cool, that's not great. That's pandering.

I'll never understand writing simply to make money. I love money, too, maybe because it's a scarce commodity, but I guess I love writing more. 

I'm just weird that way.