Art v. Commerce

[BWFoster78]

@BWFoster:

Regarding point one, this is also a question you may have to answer if you go with a traditional publisher. I know a fantasy writer who was asked to remove an important death from her book and make a romantic subplot the main plot so the book could be positioned to sell more.

Regarding Twilight, I think that's the reaction the vast majority had, which is why Meyer sold so damn many books.

Steerpike,

That's one reason I'm going with self-publishing. I don't think I consider myself an "artist," but I have a story that I want to tell. I wouldn't mind making some changes, but I'd have a hard time completely altering the plot.

There's a lot of criticism out there for Meyer, but she obviously has some talent. She told the story she wanted to tell, and it resonated with a lot of people.

 

[JBryden88]

I'm writing what I'm into. I'm ultimately gonna write my saga whether or not it gets published, because its a story I feel in my bones. And if it gets published one day when I get my ass moving again on it, and if it ever gets popular, its just a bonus. I feel happy enough telling my story to the computer screen in the first place.

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

I write what I enjoy because while my primary goal is to make a living at this, one of my auxiliary goals is to enjoy my life, and I'm not going to enjoy my life if my job is mostly spent doing things I don't enjoy.

 

[The Dark One]

No doubt I've said this before on other threads...

I used to be completely unconcerned about what 'the market' might be interested in reading. I simply wrote what I wanted to write, and yes, it was turgid, ham-fisted, impenetrable purple prose for the most part. But I gradually relaxed and found my natural voice (the most important thing you can do as a serious writer)...then one day, I realised I had thought up a 'commercial' idea; ie, something that lots of other people might feasibly be interested in reading.

I had submitted previous works to publishers but always been rejected despite some agonisingly close calls. When I submitted my 'commercial' idea, it was snapped up immediately. Later, when people asked me: was it hard to get published? The following blinding flash occurred to me...if you have the right product, it's easy to get published. If you don't, it's impossible.

 

[Anders Ämting]

I approach writing as a craft, and think of myself as less as an artist and more as an artisan.

Of course I would never write something I don't myself enjoy just for the sake of selling books, but striving to figure out the mechanics of popularity and what strikes a chord in the largest number of people is, I think, part of the skill.