love and money – what’s love got to do with it? , part 2
“Every eight weeks I get a proposal in the mail outlining all the details my book needs to include -- how many pages, character archetypes, general plots, and so on. I sit down, write the book, then send it back for editing and publication.”
I stared wide-eyed at my new friend. It made sense, but barely anyone talks about writing like that. Not wanting to offend her, but not sure how else to say it other than just come out and say it, I asked, “Don’t you get bored?”
“Sure, like with any job.”
My friend’s job wasn’t all that different from any professional writing gig -- she’s just writing serial historical romances instead of articles about the ten best Midwest cities to retire in.
It’s such a different, even offensive, way to think about writing novels.
But for many writers, writing is a job like any other job. They go to an office, do the work, get a paycheck, and they live their lives. No different than an accountant, waiter, nurse, Uber driver, and so on.
We’ve been raised on the romanticized notion that writing novels is an art form. To make exceptional art, artists need to create not for results (money, number of books sold, fame, etc.), but instead to achieve a higher calling (enlightenment, education, historical significance, etc.).
When a new author asks me, “How is it possible to write novels and make money?”
I say, “You give your audience what they want to buy.”
Yet this very idea makes some authors wrinkle their nose like they’ve lifted the lid on a container of something that’s gone forgotten and fuzzy at the back of the fridge.
But writing for your audience isn’t about being a sellout and writing crap.
It’s about shifting your mindset away from focusing on what YOU want and focusing instead on the RESULTS you want to achieve.
Reasons to write to market
#1 Your audience matters.
When you know who you’re writing for, it’s easier to figure out what they’re reading, and give it to them. This makes it much easier to sell your books and...
#2 You make money.
If writing is your job, or you want it to be your job, getting paid for it will allow you to pay your bills. Are you guaranteed a million dollars a year and a private jet to fly you to your winter home in Key West? No, but neither is being a plumber, and you’d expect to get a paycheck for fixing someone’s toilet.
#3 You become an expert.
When you focus your attention on a specific genre you’ll become an expert of its elements. Being an expert will help…
#4 You save money.
Advertising costs money. Whether it’s newsletter software, printed bookmarks, Amazon ads, traveling to book fairs, or hiring a bunch of actors to dress up like your characters and prance around Comic Con for the weekend, it’s better to know the market you’re writing in so you’re not lighting Benjamin’s on fire in the street.
#5 You save time.
You’re not reinventing the wheel with every book. You don’t have to keep learning the elements of different genres, audiences, and markets. You know who your audience is, what they want to read, and how to write it so you can give it to them better and faster.
And remember from the last newsletter?
#6 We’re all going to die.
So get paid for your writing. Mic drop.
It can be difficult for writers fueled by the passion and love of their stories to imagine money as a driving force of their creativity. But in their heart of hearts, most writers want to make money for their efforts.
When they dream about what being a successful writer looks like, it’s not having twenty-seven finished novels hidden away in a drawer that no one will ever read.
What if writing for money is too mercenary for you? Don’t worry…
Between love and money is an intersection, a sweet spot: writing what you love and the results you want.
Hello!
My name is Jocelyn.
Story warrior, book lover, day dreamer, gardener, and creative. I help serious writers roll up their sleeves, get their novel ready for publishing, and reach readers. When I’m not elbow-deep in the story trenches, I’m outside world-building in my garden and battling weeds with my three criminal mastermind cats.