I've never written to market - I just write what I'm excited about, sometimes even a mix of genres... so I'm not sure about all of this! lol! Thanks for clarifying the skills - that does help, and I think seeing how they work together is helpful for any writer to know. I'm not good at identifying them, but I know what I like and what I don't. So for me, identifying all of the intricate details just makes my eyes glaze over. Is that normal? lol! It's scary to just admit this instead of deleting my comment. Anyway, I'm hoping this all seeps into my brain so I can apply it intuitively - because I'm not good at being intentional on an intentional level...if that makes sense.
This was a great episode-clarified a few things for me about writing to market (or not). I look forward to the episode exploring the flip side of the story!
I've been moving away more and more from writing to market because it's caused me a lot of pain, and after hearing these seven skills, I think it's definitely in my best interest to write intuitively. I have NONE of these skills, and I'm tired of trying to write books I THINK people will like only to end up missing the mark. Thanks for your insight!
Terry Schott (one of our coaches) talks about writing novels as basically a succession of "episodes" where there's resolution and surprise in each 10K.... I wonder if that would work? For longer stuff. Interesting thought. :)
How does collaborating and working with co-writers factor into this? The reason I ask is because a few years back I watched my genre (paranormal cozy mystery) shift (maybe shift is the wrong word) to paranormal women's fiction with mystery elements and the authors who grouped together and collaborated and built strong publishing cohorts seemed to knock it out of the park together.
That would be a great shortcut to doing it because you'd essentially be using "support" as the skill to get you into the places where you weren't able to do it yourself. (Or where you don't have the skill to do it.) And you'd also be having someone else involved in the process with you at every step, so they can catch when you (royal you, btw) veer off track. Great idea. (Assuming the "to market" person will win out in the discussions.) :)
Hey there Becca! Thanks for this. One additional question I would have is Strengths-related. Are there certain strengths that tend to be present in people with these skills? I’m curious because as a 1. Strategic 2. Learner I often think about launching a new series more written to market; currently I’m writing the series of my heart (mostly an intuitive, character-driven writer).
It would be easier for Strat/Lear to "learn" about writing to market if they could get people to teach them the specific skills. And it might be easy for Strat/Lear to find interest. The question is, when you actually get into the writing, does it make you write better books than you would have if you'd let your intuition be in charge.... that's, I think, where my primary question would be. (In that Strengths alone couldn't predict it for me. But. The skills of learning would definitely be more likely with Learner. If they can get the right kinds of teachers, etc.) :) Great question!
I want to write what sells, but what is currently selling is not something I enjoy or want to write. How can I turn this into something in my favor and still be able to sell?
Are you able to tell what parts of your book(s) aren't lining up with what's currently selling? (Like, can you see, "oh, my X-character isn't 'blank' enough" or "I have too much gore" or "not enough," etc.)
@@BeccaSyme I write Reverse Harem books featuring POC main characters. I write steamy, but I don't write 'taboo' which is something that a lot of readers like based on my research in booktok. My female characters don't act like stereotypical females I have seen in other books, but that is a reflection of me because that is all I know, and I am writing what I know. I don't know how to find an intersection on what I like and what readers like.
@@takaramitsumi7070 There should be several different types of emotional resonance inside a market. And there are definitely people who are selling non-taboo in RH/whychoose. Are you familiar with Kindle Power Search? Can you take a look at the books that are ranking decently in RH and look at placement? (Just to see if there are pockets you could hit?) And are your books paced similarly to the books that are selling? (Even if the FMCs are not exactly like those in the books that are on the top?)
@@takaramitsumi7070 Happy to help! I will ask Nat if he can do an infographic for Reverse Harem (because there's not a "category" on Amazon, infographics can be harder. But I'll ask!) :)
I do think so, yes. I would be tempted to say that it depends on which ones you don't have, and can you compensate for the ones you don't have? (Sort of like, if you can't tell what's important to pay attention to and what isn't, can you find someone to help you close that gap? etc.) (Or if you can't tell what in your books doesn't meet the market demand, can you get a book coach to work with you at each step?) Support is likely the faster route, rather than trying to "learn" them. Although I also wouldn't be deterred from learning them if you're excited about learning them. :)
@@BeccaSymeit's #7 (the ability to write whether or not you're inspired). I have some challenge with #5 (the ability to change a story you're excited about into one that you're not excited about / the ability to get excited about any story no matter what it is) but I've dabbled with it before and had some fun with it. With #7, if life is chaotic, I can't write
@@waterpookable If you have deadlines, can you write whether or not you're inspired? If you have people around you who are interested in what you're writing, can you get excited about the book? And do you know your CliftonStrengths, by any chance?
@@BeccaSyme no to both. I like to give myself deadlines because I like the challenge of them, but I don't always hit them. My strengths are: strategic, intellection, input, empathy, activator, positivity, context, adaptability, learner, maximizer, developer, belief
@@waterpookable The learning about developing interest in something you aren't already excited about can be hard with Strategic and Learner (both of which are governed by "your attention goes where your interest already is"), but there's always a possibility that creating more space will create more interest. (Just because you have Empathy, Positivity, and Adaptability all high... I would see if you can focus on creating more space for the writing and see if you're able to prioritize it, what you get generate interest in. Especially if the "chaos" of life is part of what's draining you. I would seek out some author groups or some courses or podcasts where they're talking a lot about the thing you want to write, and see if you can engage Strat/Lear in getting excited about the thing, the more you hear about it. Give yourself multiple different hooks in. (Maybe follow some TikTok creators, etc, or BookTokers, just to see if you can self-generate interest.) :)
I've never written to market - I just write what I'm excited about, sometimes even a mix of genres... so I'm not sure about all of this! lol! Thanks for clarifying the skills - that does help, and I think seeing how they work together is helpful for any writer to know. I'm not good at identifying them, but I know what I like and what I don't. So for me, identifying all of the intricate details just makes my eyes glaze over. Is that normal? lol! It's scary to just admit this instead of deleting my comment. Anyway, I'm hoping this all seeps into my brain so I can apply it intuitively - because I'm not good at being intentional on an intentional level...if that makes sense.
Completely normal. :) I would keep being intuitive. :)
This was a great episode-clarified a few things for me about writing to market (or not). I look forward to the episode exploring the flip side of the story!
I'm so glad to hear that, Sarah! And I'm very excited for the next one, as well! :)
I totally write intuitively and not intentionally to market
This is definitely the right video to watch. :)
I've been moving away more and more from writing to market because it's caused me a lot of pain, and after hearing these seven skills, I think it's definitely in my best interest to write intuitively. I have NONE of these skills, and I'm tired of trying to write books I THINK people will like only to end up missing the mark. Thanks for your insight!
I'm so glad to hear this was helpful. It's so important to trust our intuition.
Great hair, Becca. And terrific information.
Awww, thank you! This is one of my favorite hairdos. :)
Listening to this confirms my Islandness 🏝🙂
I'm glad to hear that! :)
Interesting. I think maintaining interest in my own stories is behind why I only write short stories. That might be the hardest skill for me.
Terry Schott (one of our coaches) talks about writing novels as basically a succession of "episodes" where there's resolution and surprise in each 10K.... I wonder if that would work? For longer stuff. Interesting thought. :)
@@BeccaSyme Possibly. It's worth a try.
@@silvanam8152 It could be an interesting experiment. And also ok if not. :)
How does collaborating and working with co-writers factor into this? The reason I ask is because a few years back I watched my genre (paranormal cozy mystery) shift (maybe shift is the wrong word) to paranormal women's fiction with mystery elements and the authors who grouped together and collaborated and built strong publishing cohorts seemed to knock it out of the park together.
That would be a great shortcut to doing it because you'd essentially be using "support" as the skill to get you into the places where you weren't able to do it yourself. (Or where you don't have the skill to do it.) And you'd also be having someone else involved in the process with you at every step, so they can catch when you (royal you, btw) veer off track. Great idea. (Assuming the "to market" person will win out in the discussions.) :)
@@BeccaSyme Good points. Thanks!
Hey there Becca! Thanks for this. One additional question I would have is Strengths-related. Are there certain strengths that tend to be present in people with these skills? I’m curious because as a 1. Strategic 2. Learner I often think about launching a new series more written to market; currently I’m writing the series of my heart (mostly an intuitive, character-driven writer).
It would be easier for Strat/Lear to "learn" about writing to market if they could get people to teach them the specific skills. And it might be easy for Strat/Lear to find interest. The question is, when you actually get into the writing, does it make you write better books than you would have if you'd let your intuition be in charge.... that's, I think, where my primary question would be. (In that Strengths alone couldn't predict it for me. But. The skills of learning would definitely be more likely with Learner. If they can get the right kinds of teachers, etc.) :) Great question!
I want to write what sells, but what is currently selling is not something I enjoy or want to write. How can I turn this into something in my favor and still be able to sell?
Are you able to tell what parts of your book(s) aren't lining up with what's currently selling? (Like, can you see, "oh, my X-character isn't 'blank' enough" or "I have too much gore" or "not enough," etc.)
@@BeccaSyme I write Reverse Harem books featuring POC main characters. I write steamy, but I don't write 'taboo' which is something that a lot of readers like based on my research in booktok. My female characters don't act like stereotypical females I have seen in other books, but that is a reflection of me because that is all I know, and I am writing what I know. I don't know how to find an intersection on what I like and what readers like.
@@takaramitsumi7070 There should be several different types of emotional resonance inside a market. And there are definitely people who are selling non-taboo in RH/whychoose. Are you familiar with Kindle Power Search? Can you take a look at the books that are ranking decently in RH and look at placement? (Just to see if there are pockets you could hit?)
And are your books paced similarly to the books that are selling? (Even if the FMCs are not exactly like those in the books that are on the top?)
@@BeccaSyme I will check this out! Thanks!
@@takaramitsumi7070 Happy to help! I will ask Nat if he can do an infographic for Reverse Harem (because there's not a "category" on Amazon, infographics can be harder. But I'll ask!) :)
can you write to market if you have some of the skills but not all?
I do think so, yes. I would be tempted to say that it depends on which ones you don't have, and can you compensate for the ones you don't have? (Sort of like, if you can't tell what's important to pay attention to and what isn't, can you find someone to help you close that gap? etc.) (Or if you can't tell what in your books doesn't meet the market demand, can you get a book coach to work with you at each step?) Support is likely the faster route, rather than trying to "learn" them. Although I also wouldn't be deterred from learning them if you're excited about learning them. :)
@@BeccaSymeit's #7 (the ability to write whether or not you're inspired). I have some challenge with #5 (the ability to change a story you're excited about into one that you're not excited about / the ability to get excited about any story no matter what it is) but I've dabbled with it before and had some fun with it. With #7, if life is chaotic, I can't write
@@waterpookable If you have deadlines, can you write whether or not you're inspired?
If you have people around you who are interested in what you're writing, can you get excited about the book?
And do you know your CliftonStrengths, by any chance?
@@BeccaSyme no to both. I like to give myself deadlines because I like the challenge of them, but I don't always hit them. My strengths are: strategic, intellection, input, empathy, activator, positivity, context, adaptability, learner, maximizer, developer, belief
@@waterpookable The learning about developing interest in something you aren't already excited about can be hard with Strategic and Learner (both of which are governed by "your attention goes where your interest already is"), but there's always a possibility that creating more space will create more interest. (Just because you have Empathy, Positivity, and Adaptability all high... I would see if you can focus on creating more space for the writing and see if you're able to prioritize it, what you get generate interest in. Especially if the "chaos" of life is part of what's draining you. I would seek out some author groups or some courses or podcasts where they're talking a lot about the thing you want to write, and see if you can engage Strat/Lear in getting excited about the thing, the more you hear about it. Give yourself multiple different hooks in. (Maybe follow some TikTok creators, etc, or BookTokers, just to see if you can self-generate interest.) :)