Regardless of whether an author is writing to cater to the needs of an existing audience or to carve out a niche for himself, he is bound to have many questions. Authors have a hard time understanding genres and sub genres. When agents change their minds overnight about what kind of books they want also doesn’t help. The literary world changes so fast that things like fickle fandoms and weekly best sellers are the norm rather than the exception. Authors get confused about whether they should write for the market or to try to change it altogether. There are several questions that can help authors to figure it out.

Should I write for the market if all I want is to get published?

A brief answer to this question would be no. However, it is not a decisive no because it depends on what type of book an author wants to publish. If an author writes in commercial genres such as mysteries, romances, and Westerns, he can create a book that will become instantly popular only if he understands the conventions of the genre. However, authors of literary fiction have more leeway to experiment as they like.

Will writing for the market improve my chances of getting published?

There is also no clear cut answer to this question. Literary agents do not work free of charge – they have to get paid at some point. Because of this fact, authors (including not-so-good ones) are in luck. There are many agents who push for books to get published even when they know the books will not sell very well. Agents are usually willing to take risks on book projects because they are going to get paid. Some unlikely books also become smash hits and agents like to be the ones to discover best-sellers that take everybody by surprise.

There is a certain degree of safety when an author decides to stick with what has been proven to work time and again. The question that such authors ask themselves is whether or not it makes them happy to do that. Often the answer is no so the author has to make a decision on whether or not to go with his gut feeling. Sometimes it is evident in an author’s work if he did not have authentic passion when writing a book.

Should I write novels for a genre I don’t like because they seem to do well?

This is a common dilemma for authors and the answer lies in an author’s ability. How far can the author step out of his comfort zone and how well does he do it? It takes a lot of effort for an author to write about something that doesn’t interest him. Authors often abandon projects halfway due to lack of motivation.

Are there disadvantages to tapping into popular trends?

The answer is definitely yes. Trying to tap into popular trends creates a high-risk, high reward situation. An author can either write a great book or his/her book project could crash and burn. Authors should remember that popular trends come with a lot of competition and if they are not confident that they can write great books, they should avoid popular and short lived trends.