I visited the Purple Hearts blog a few days ago, and Nancy Haddock was their special guest. Nancy’s post was about the road she’s traveled to become published. BTW - Nancy’s new release La Vida Vampire looks like a fun read.
The last part of her post made me think about writing the book of your heart and following the market. There’s no doubt about it - the road to publication and the subsequent hard work to stay published isn’t an easy one. We, as writers, need to write the very best book we can, yet it must be marketable. Sometimes the market is difficult to read. The books that editors are buying now won’t hit the shops for a while, and by the time they do, often the market is saturated with that particular genre of romance. Historicals are becoming more popular now, and I’ve heard murmuring that sci-fi is the new paranormal. Other people are saying erotic romance has done its dash.
I have an idea. I know it’s probably not a marketable story because it’s sci-fi, it’s light rather than the currently popular darker paranormals, and I have a yearning to write this story in first person. Three strikes, and I’m out. But the thing is - this story is calling me. I’ve been thinking about this story for three years, and after all that time, I still love the idea.
So my question to you is: do you write the book of your heart, even though you know it might not be your breakout book, or do you play it safe and write the story you know you have a good chance of selling?
Always, always go from the heart.
Which is exactly my problem.
by Susan Helene Gottfried May 7th, 2008 at 4:57 amgreat question!! Not that I know the answer, but certianly something to ponder.
wishfull thinking that they would be one and the same I suppose.
by December May 7th, 2008 at 5:38 amI think it’s easy to say and hard to do. As professional writers, we want to see our names in print. So we study the market. We read the genre. Then we try to write what sells.
One day, we realize we don’t actually ENJOY what we are writing and start working on that other book… that one that is truly from the heart (hey that would make a great name for a romance writing group… From The Heart.. hee).
You are a good writer, Shelly! I’m reading the “condom” book on my ereader and really enjoying it!
by Marilu Mann May 7th, 2008 at 9:12 amSusan, but you’ve written some great characters and have a unique story. There’s nothing wrong with that!
December - yes! It would be great if both the market and the book of your heart turned out to be the same thing.
Marilu - thanks very much. I’m glad you’re enjoying Fancy Free.
LOL - It’s a wonder someone hasn’t thought of using that for the name of a group.
by Shelley Munro May 7th, 2008 at 12:38 pmGo with your heart!
by Estella May 7th, 2008 at 12:53 pmI have no illusions about ever being able to make a living off my writing, and since I’ll have to keep a day job anyway, I write what I want. Where’d be the fun in it, else?
But I know it’s not a career decision. I doubt an epic Sword and Sorcery Alternate Historical Fantasy will sell.
by Gabriele May 7th, 2008 at 1:41 pmChoosing to write from the heart is easier said than done. You still have the desire to be published and make money. The writer has to make a decision on whether to compromise how much or not at all.
by Jane May 7th, 2008 at 2:22 pmI have written the book of my heart. It won’t sell because its a historical set outside of England.
So yes, I wrote the book of my heart. Hopefully one day it will sell. Do it, write the book you want.
If you don’t it will eat up your creativity and your muse with it’s demands to be written. Hence what happened to me. LOL!! Write he book of your heart, try to sell it, you never know …
I was told the book of my heart won’t ever sell as a first in NY … maybe a second. :D One can hope. Just got to get first done. LOL!
by Amy Ruttan May 7th, 2008 at 2:43 pmI began writing as a stress relief in the middle of a demanding career and wrote only what I enjoyed writing, largely speculative fiction and sea stories. An early retirement opportunity dropped into my lap and I took it and writing became my new career.
Realizing I had to learn a new set of skills and hone them before I could earn the freedom of choice to write what I wanted, I chose romantic fiction and blended what I saw as market demand with what I could write, ofen inhabiting the outer fringes of the genre. This gave me the services of publlishers and editors to sharpen my craft and make my writing publishable.
So far, I’ve enjoyed writing the nine published romances and there are two more already contracted, but this leads me to add a third selection criteria to the choice of what we chose to write:-
(1) Will it sell?
(2) Do I want to write it? and
(3) Can I write it?
Amy
by Amy Gallow May 7th, 2008 at 4:36 pmEstella - I think I’ve pretty much decided to do that.
Gabriele - yes, unfortunately we pretty much need money to survive. On the plus side I write quickly, and I’ll have a time deadline looming as well to help me on my way, since I need to finish by the time I leave for conference.
Jane - exactly. Luckily, I have a very supportive husband to discuss this with as well.
Amy R - I just hope I can do justice to my idea. That’s the scary part.
Amy G - sometimes I think #3 is the hardest thing - capturing the idea and putting it in readable form on paper.
by Shelley Munro May 7th, 2008 at 8:28 pmI always end up writing from the heart. If ever I try to write to a market or a “theme” as put out by a publisher, my mind goes blank.
by Jenyfer Matthews May 7th, 2008 at 10:38 pm