Write to Market
“Deliver a Book that Sells”
Chris Fox’s “Write to Market” is that book authors don’t want to think they have to read. Maybe they don’t. If they don’t want to sell books or they don’t want to dig their way out of the Amazon 7-figure-ranking doldrums, then they don’t need to read it.
But let an author write a book she thinks is “just really awesome, truly” and have it not sell quite up to expectations and they might want to read Chris’s book.
“Once I’ve paid my dues, once I’ve written twenty books, then and only then will I embark on that fantasy epic. I’ll have a readership, and I’ll have the skill to write the books I have dreamed about since I was a little kid. Patience and practice are what will get me there.” — Chris Fox
Did you catch that part? He’s going to first write to market, first practice writing what people want to read and then–and only then–will he allow himself the “luxury” of writing what he wants to write.
You/we/I don’t have to believe this or follow it but I happen to think it’s good advice. Again, if you:
- Are writing for fun,
- Don’t care about book sales,
- Own a castle in the south of France,
then you don’t really need all of this stuff. But if on the other hand, you:
- Aren’t selling as many books as you feel your work deserves,
- Want to sell more of your past, current, and future books,
- Would like to actually find that halfway point between what readers want to read and you’d like to write,
then Chris’s book is a good one to read.
Try a Pen Name
If that just sounds like too much, here’s a bonus tip he offers:
Bonus: Brainstorm a pen name for the first novel you write to market.
Give it all a go under a pen name. If then–and only then–you’re still happy with The Way Things Were, then go back to writing whatever you like to write and ask the butler to bring around some crumpets with tea around 4.
