Should I Write to Market?

Yes, in one sense. Know what readers of your subgenre expect, and write something they will want. No, in the other sense: do not copy the books at the top of the list. A reader who picks a cozy mystery expects a certain kind of cover, blurb and story, and you lose them if you ignore that. They do not want a copy of last month’s best seller either.

What does “writing to market” mean?

It means choosing a book that readers are already buying, and giving them what that kind of reader expects. It does not mean writing something you hate because it sells. I cannot tell you what sells best right now, and I will not guess. What I can show you is how to find out for your own subgenre.

How do I look at my subgenre without copying it?

This is my own method.

1. Open the best-seller list for your subgenre on the store where your readers shop. Use the narrow category, not the broad one.
2. Look at the first ten books. Write down what you see in the covers (colors, fonts, the kind of image), the blurbs (how they open, how long), the length and the price.
3. Note the tropes. What do the stories promise? A second-chance romance, a locked-room mystery, a found family. Readers shop by these.
4. Mark what you would love to write and what you would not. If nothing on the list excites you, the subgenre is probably not yours.
5. Write your own version of the promise, not of the plot.

If you want the beginner’s view of finding your market first, my guide to self-publishing a book in 2023 has a short part on it. This post goes further into what to do with the list.

Where does following a genre end and copying begin?

A cover that fits its genre uses the colors, fonts and kind of image readers expect. A copy matches one particular book. KDP’s metadata guidelines say covers “that may be misleading because they closely resemble another book’s layout, color scheme, fonts and/or images” are not allowed (KDP metadata guidelines). So follow the look of the shelf, not of one book on it.

The same goes for the story. Tropes belong to everyone. A particular plot, character or scene does not.

What about trends? Should I chase them?

My advice: be careful. A trend can be gone by the time a book is finished, because writing and editing take months. A subgenre that readers have loved for years is a safer place to start than whatever is on top this week. If a trend happens to be something you already love, write it. If not, let it pass.

What if book 1 was not written to market, but book 2 will be?

You can still write book 2, but ask who the reader of book 1 is. If book 2 is aimed at a different reader, the series will confuse both. Should I write book 2 if book 1 didn’t sell goes through that case. If the readers are the same, the market research helps you pick the cover, the blurb and the tropes for book 2, and how to market a book series shows how to bring readers from one book to the next.

Want help choosing what to write?

Picking a subgenre and a series plan is easier with someone looking at your own list. In my group coaching we do that work together, book by book.