How to Write for the Market?

Writing is a passion for many, and landing a publishing deal is the dream for newbie writers. Often, budding writers are confronted with many problems on how to break into the market, build a name, and hopefully, develop a brand and image.

But obviously, things that are worth having are not easy to get, and writing is no exception. Not all books that land in the bookshelves sell enough copies, not everything are translated into different languages and exported, and the New York Times Best Sellers List are too crowded to even have a comfortable seat.

As a new writer, there is nothing you can offer for the readers yet, but your book cover, your title, your blurb, and the plot itself. Or maybe your characters, too. Your job is to find that niche so that readers will hopefully pick it up and give you a chance and hopefully create a decent following from there.

But that is not an easy job, neither. Avid readers are already loyal customers of their favorite authors, and the more famous those writers are, the more they command the sales. And that is not all. Aside from the books of bestselling authors that newbie authors are trying to avoid in their book launch, there is a trend in the market, a sort of a theme that readers are currently immersed with. Often times, these stories are explored to the full extent and there are no stones left unturned. 

To begin a query stage, writers must present letters and hooks that would be of interest to literary agents. As the market behavior continues to change as you embark on the publishing process, trends might suddenly disappear, and the theme of the book might lose its promise for literary agents to request for full submission. It is easy to get lost in the tedious process.

But presumably voracious readers themselves, newbie writers should know exactly how trends change and how stories shift from one best selling idea to the next. They must know exactly what was happening, and what was selling or no. Writers should not just write well and be passionate, but they must also be clever enough to break into the business.

So now it is evidently clear. How to write for the market has no definite answer. But as a reader himself, the writer is part of the market. So he must rather write for himself by being inspired with the books he wanted to read. His interest may be outdated but he can tweak his plot to incorporate market trends. And as these elements are exploited, new idea evolves and the market dynamics begin to change. 

And so is the writer.

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