I spend a lot of time on the Amazon website. One of the things I do at least once a day is to cruise the Kindle Bestsellers List. Primarily I do this to see if any of my Twitter buddies have cracked the glass ceiling. More and more, I’m finding they do. I think it’s great.
Since I look at the list so often, trends are becoming more apparent to me. The trend that is the most interesting is the sheer number of romance novels on both the free and paid bestseller lists. Wow. I had no freakin’ idea these were so popular.
Thinking back to when I worked at the local library, the popularity of romance novels shouldn’t really be that much of a surprise. The library had racks with free to borrow romance novels and folks would take them out 30 at a time in some cases.
I have a confession to make. I’ve never read a romance novel. Never my cup of tea, really. I also have to confess a bit of snobbery on my part, judging them to be just so much drivel. Not really fair, given the fact that I’ve never cracked the spine on one.
So, as an author I should pay attention to the market, no? And if I pay attention it is hard to ignore the popularity of this genre. I can’t help but think that maybe I’m missing out on something as a writer if not a reader. What’s a writer to do?
When this gets condensed down, it really speaks to the most basic of questions: Why do I write? Is it because I enjoy a particular genre with all of my stories blossoming from the same? Or do I write because I want to make money as a successful author? It’s tough because I can’t say that the choice is all that clear. If I’m to be honest with myself then I have to admit that my writing motivations include some combination of both choices.
I do realize that just writing in a specific genre is no guarantee of success. I mean, if your heart isn’t in to what you’re writing, will the writing be the best you are capable of? Maybe, but I bet a lot of folks would say, “No!” I don’t really know the answer.
I do think that there is always the chance that diving into a foreign genre could be successful. If, after many fruitless attempts at writing in a genre I love with little success, could it be because I’m not writing where my true talent lay? Possibly, and who’s to say until an attempt is made.
Scary. It’s like starting from scratch and a little overwhelming. The first step should be to start reading a lot of romance novels. Hold my nose and dive in. At some point, hope for divine inspiration. Maybe a story will blossom.
What do you think? Is writing to a specific market the ultimate sell out for a writer?
Oh, my, that’s a normal question. I would say that as a neighborhood citizen, if I moved into a new neighborhood, I’d better learn to communicate with the residents. That might mean learning some of the customs (a good source of getting-started fodder), some of the ethnics, and some of the slang.
Not really much different in doing a different genre. As a writer, one of our goals is to communicate emotions — generally in a known structure. If the genre looks anywhere near interesting (as a challenge, if nothing else), go for it.
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Excellent response, Bruce. Love the point about communicating emotions. I think you’ve nailed it.
Thanks for coming by
George
No, I don’t think it is. Yes, there are some genres that are more difficult to sell – I hear SciFi comedy is a basssstard! I know, for instance, that the more ‘chick lit ‘ side of women’s fiction (girls eating cupcakes and doing goofy things and eventually getting the man you guess they will get from chapter one, with cover showing said cupcakes and high heels) sells much better than my more gritty, real life sort. I know there is a huge market for the Mills & Boon type romance, as you have observed. But I can’t write like that. I can only write in the way I write.
I tried to write a Mills & Boon novel years ago. It was rejected, and I didn’t enjoy writing it. I wanted to make the characters say REAL things! I’ve seen some chick lit written by people who aren’t that comfortable with the genre, and it’s riddled with cliche. It all depends, Meester Schmorgio, on your reasons for writing.
Hey Terry, I think the motivation does come down to the reasons for writing. When it comes to making it happen I guess I would have an idea based on how easy it comes. If it seems like pushing a rock up a hill the whole time, that might be an indicator I’m not doing what I’m supposed to.
Thanks for commenting, Terry!
George
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Hi, George!
Genrefication is the millstone around a creative writer’s neck. There, I said it, as I say time and again.
Genres were created by Old School publishing houses to typecast and pidgeonhole the work of writers for commercial purposes. They are manmade constructs.
Today, with publishing being freed of its tired constraints, independent writers and e-publishers like me are running against conventionality, against the grain, coloring outside the so-called boundaries of sameness.
Sure, I write short stories, but I try to write with a new and fresh point of view which readers have not come across in their travels. In the over 100 works I have published, I have experimented with all sorts of genres and can even claim to have created a genre of my very own making.
I call them LongShortStories.
No, they’re not extended-play stories nor are they copies of other writers’ traditional short fiction writing. They’re mine and mine alone.
But when you hang your creative ass out like I do, I have no illusions. Discoverability may take a bit longer but hey, that’s OK. For me, writing is a marathon, not a sprint to the finish line.
My advice to new writers (and to those who feel they have hit the genre wall) I offer this:
Write what your soul tells you to and don’t worry if it is commercially viable in the ever-shrinking world of traditional publishing.
Don’t be afraid to be YOU!
Hi Wayne,
Thanks for dropping by and weighing in. Your experience shows in your wisdom and your words. I agree that it is tough enough just trying to be a new writer without all of the extra nuances.
And there is certainly a level of comfort in writing what you are most comfortable with.
George
I once read an article which stated that many successful writers first survey the demand, identify an under-serviced area or genre, and then write for it. The article went on to say that the majority of writers go about it the wrong way. They write something and then go looking for readers, which is putting the cart in front of the oxen. I don’t know if this is true, but I know most writers including myself find it hard to do it this way. What comes naturally is just to write what flows from your mind regardless of the market.
Hi Rolando,
It seems like we are a bit trapped, then. I think most of us do write what we want and what feels right, therefore putting the cart before the horse in terms of possible marketing success.
Interesting.
George
Writing for a specific market doesn’t make an author a sell-out. It only means that author is writing with a clear audience in mind, which can enrich the work at hand.
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