What is Writing to Market And Does it Matter?

I struggled with the term “writing to market” not really understanding what it was, so ignored it for years. However, I should have listened; and this post is for you if  you don’t quite understand what writing to market means too. This post addresses the question.

It’s a term that gets thrown around a lot, and the nuances can sometimes be a bit hazy.

In simple terms, writing to market means ‘intentionally writing a book that caters to the existing demand and expectations of a specific genre or subgenre.’ There are a lot of syllables there!

Let’s break it down.

Writing to market basically means you’re not just throwing words at a page and hoping for the best. Think of it like this: you’re trying to bake a cake that people actually want to eat, not a weird concoction of broccoli and glitter.

Writing to Market, or How to Write Books People Will Actually Buy

Let’s try an analogy

Know Your Cake Flavours (Genres and Subgenres):

Imagine you’re opening a bakery in a big town and want to be wildly rich. You need to know if people crave chocolate fudgecake (romance), a magical fruitcake (fantasy), or a suspenseful lemon drizzle with a hint of poison (thriller.) That’s the genre.

And even within those, are they after a gooey double chocolate (enemies-to-lovers romance), a ten-layer enchanted fruitcake (epic high fantasy), or a lemon drizzle that really messes with their heads (psychological thriller?) These are sub-genres. You must know what people want and pay for!

Spy on the Star Bakers (Analysing Bestsellers):

Go peek in the windows of the super successful bakeries. What do their cakes look like (book covers?) What yummy promises do their descriptions make (book blurbs?) How quickly do you get to the frosting (pacing?) What kind of ingredients do they usually use (themes?) What are the customers secretly hoping for in every bite (reader expectations?)

• What your customers crave (Identifying Reader Expectations): If someone orders a chocolate fudge cake, they expect chocolate and fudge, right? Similarly, romance readers want a love story that makes them swoon (eventually!) and mystery fans want to play detective and solve a puzzle. Don’t give them a savory pie when they asked for chocolate eclair!
• Keep an Eye on What’s Hot (Considering Current Trends): Sometimes, everyone suddenly wants salted caramel or rainbow sprinkles. Knowing what’s popular right now can give your cake an extra edge.
• Know Your Sweet Tooth Crowd (Focusing on a Target Audience): Are you baking for kids who love bright colors and lots of sugar? Or sophisticated adults who prefer dark chocolate and subtle flavors? Knowing who you’re baking for helps you choose the right recipe.
• Bake a Cake That Fits the Bill (Crafting a Premise and Story that Fits): Once you know what kind of cake people want, you actually bake that kind of cake. It doesn’t mean you can’t add your own special ingredient, but you’re generally following a recipe that people recognize and enjoy.
• Wrap It Up Nicely (Packaging Your Book Appropriately): Your cake needs to look appealing! The cover is the window display, the blurb is the tempting aroma wafting out, and the keywords are like little signs telling people what kind of deliciousness awaits inside.

Now, here’s what “writing to market” isn’t:

• Blindly Following Every Food Fad (Simply chasing trends blindly): Just because everyone’s eating avocado toast doesn’t mean an avocado toast-flavored romance novel will be a hit. You need to understand the underlying genre, not just chase fleeting trends.
• Being a Total Copycat (Being completely unoriginal): You can still put your own unique twist on a classic recipe! It’s about adding your special sprinkle mix to a cake that people already know and love.
• A Magic Recipe for Success (Guaranteeing success): Even if you bake the most perfect chocolate fudge cake, sometimes the bakery down the street just has a better location. Writing to market helps you get in the right neighborhood, but it’s not a guaranteed ticket to riches.

So, in a nutshell, writing to market is about being smart about what you’re writing and who you’re writing for, so your book has a better chance of finding its happy readers. It’s like being a savvy baker who knows their customers and bakes what they crave!

Think of it like this: instead of writing whatever story pops into your head and then trying to find an audience for it, you FIRST look at what kinds of books are already popular, what readers in those genres seem to enjoy, and then you write your story with those preferences in mind.

Writing to Market Is:

• Understanding Genres and Subgenres: Knowing the established conventions, tropes, themes, and character archetypes that are typical within a specific genre (e.g., romance, fantasy, thriller) and even more specific subgenres (e.g., enemies-to-lovers romance, epic high fantasy, psychological thriller.)
• Analyzing Bestsellers: This involves looking at the top-selling books in your chosen genre. What are their covers like? What are their blurbs promising? What kind of pacing and structure do they have? What are the common themes and reader expectations?
• Identifying Reader Expectations: Each genre has certain things readers anticipate. For example, a romance reader expects a central love story with a satisfying resolution (even if there are obstacles along the way). A mystery reader expects a puzzle to be solved and clues to be revealed. Writing to market means delivering on those core expectations.
• Considering Current Trends: While sticking to genre convention is important, writing to market can also involve being aware of current trends within those genres. Are there popular tropes or themes that are particularly hot right now?
• Focusing on a Target Audience: It’s about having a clear picture of who you are writing for. What are their interests, their reading habits, and what kind of stories do they typically enjoy?
• Crafting a Premise and Story that Fits: Once you understand the market, you develop your story idea in a way that aligns with the established elements and current trends of that genre. This doesn’t mean being completely formulaic, but it does mean understanding the boundaries and expectations.
• Packaging Your Book Appropriately: Writing to market extends beyond just the story itself. It also involves ensuring your cover design, blurb, and keywords accurately reflect the genre and appeal to the target audience.

What is NOT writing to market (don’t do this…)

• Chase trends blindly: While being aware of trends is part of it, just jumping on every fad without understanding the underlying genre can lead to a book that doesn’t satisfy readers.
• Being completely unoriginal: You can still bring your unique voice and perspective to a story that fits within a specific market. It’s about working within a framework rather than being entirely constrained.
• Expect success: Even if you write to market effectively, there’s no guarantee of bestseller status. However, it significantly increases your chances of finding an audience because you’re catering to an existing one.

So, when you’re writing to market as an “impoverished self-publisher,” it means being strategic about where you invest your limited time and resources. By focusing on genres with a proven readership and understanding what those readers want, you can increase your chances of your book finding its audience and generating income.

Further Information

• Writing to Market (book) by Chris Fox – read a summary here

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