Are these two things mutually exclusive?

No, they don’t have to be.

I want to preface this article with the reminder that I use this space to talk about my experiences as a writer, which I hope will entertain readers and offer insight to those who are just getting started or are still in the dreaming phase. My experiences might not be your experience, just as my opinions might not align with yours. Who is wrong? Neither of us because we all see and react to things differently, which is the human experience.

Supply and Demand

The first thing I want to say is that I do not believe writers need to starve for their art. There is nothing wrong with being proud of the work you created and *gasp* expect to get paid for it. I’d also like to mention that I have two decades of experience in the corporate world and fully understand the laws of supply and demand. We’ve all seen this happen when a product becomes popular. We blink our eyes and the next thing we know every company is making the “next best thing” that everyone must have. Companies are moving to meet demand and claim a piece of the pie for themselves, using different gimmicks to gain the consumer’s attention. Is that practice wrong? Does anyone blame the companies for taking advantage of a market that can’t get enough of this item? If you were running a company, would you find a way to manufacture and market a product you know is in demand, or continue to miss out on revenue day in and day out? I think most CEO’s would make that product, even if they’re not passionate about it.

Why Are Authors Held to a Higher Standard?

Indie authors are CEO’s of their publishing business, so why don’t the same rules apply to them? That’s a fair question, and here’s my reply. Books are supposed to be individual works of art and not mass produced on an assembly line. I don’t believe there is room for gimmicks in book publishing. An author shouldn’t be able to just slap new names on the characters, change the name of the town, swap out a billionaire for a shifter, and keep on releasing books. That is not art, and I will argue until I’m blue in the face that writing is an art form. Writing a book from the images dancing around in our mind is no different than painting, writing music, or acting in a play. Art is about passion, and I fervently believe you don’t write a book that you’re not passionate about just to cash in on a hot trope. Fans of that trope will know that you’re just dialing it in, and they’ll eat you alive. They’ll be insulted you didn’t do your research and infuriated you don’t care about the subject you’re tackling. That’s a reputation no author wants.

Following Your Passion

Who among us hasn’t read a genre, sub-genre, or even a trope that stole our breath away?  We wonder how we made it our entire lives without knowing this type of book was out there waiting for us. A story immediately begins to unfold. Characters introduce themselves and scenes play out in our heads. We see our couple’s first meet, their first kiss, their first overnight stay, and perhaps their first fight. We feel every bit of what they show us deep down in our bones. They’re sometimes the first thing we think about in the morning and the last thing we think about before we sleep. More often then not, our characters invade our dreams. We just know if we don’t write this damn book something important and precious withers and dies inside us. Our hearts will explode, or we’ll choke on the words we didn’t write. Folks, please hear me. This isn’t an example of writing to meet market demands. This is grab-you-by-the-throat passion.

There is a huge difference between someone who’s discovered a part of themselves they didn’t know existed and someone who just wants to cash in. Please don’t assume every person writing the next best trope is only in it for the money.

How Do You Set Yourself Apart?

You set yourself apart by releasing books only you can write. You give your characters a unique voice even if there are ten books with the same trope as yours releasing every day. How? That’s something only you can decide because only you know your heart and your characters. Do you add an element of snark? Do you add a taboo twist? Do you give them memorable sidekicks? If you’re passionate and honest about your work, you will find a way to make your books standout, feeding both your soul and your family.

Passion vs. Market Awareness

One of my dear friends wanted to write a horror/thriller story after publishing a variety of contemporary and romantic suspense novels. She was proud of those books, but she wasn’t passionate about writing them anymore. Unfamiliar with the market, she asked some of her author friends what she should do. The responses she received ranged from “follow your heart” to “there’s no money in it.”

While its true contemporary romance generates the lion’s share of income, is it wise to tell an author to write something they’re not passionate about because they could make more money? What happens when readers see this author is just going through the motions? I promise you they will. That author will lose readers they probably won’t win back, which is a permanent loss of income. Or they take a chance and follow their heart.

There is a market for every type of book. Yes, some sub-genres have a bigger fan base than others, but you will find your fan base if you’re passionate about what you do and dedicate your time to doing it right. It requires patience and a lack of expectations. If you’re writing urban fantasy, make sure you’re getting betas who are fans of that genre. If you’re writing detective and mystery series, make sure CSI isn’t your go-to source for processing crime scenes. No one is saying only vampires can write books about vampires, but we are saying you need to be passionate about the supernatural world if you’re going to publish vampire books.

What happened to my friend? She bled her passion onto the page, and it showed with every word she wrote. The feedback from her readers even acknowledged she’d found her calling. It’s her highest-rated book and is neck-and-neck with her highest-selling book. Why? Because readers felt and responded to the passion she had for the book.

My advice to anyone afraid to step outside their comfort zone is: write what you’re most passionate about but understand that some markets aren’t as profitable as others. If you’re a multi-genre author, that means you sometimes alternate genre releases to make sure you’re feeding both your soul and your family. It takes time, effort, and patience, but nothing worth having comes easy.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my monthly ramblings. Next month, I’m going to talk about collaborations. If you want to post some collab questions in the comment section, I will ask my writing partners to help me answer them. Until then…happy reading!

XOXO