Whose book is it anyway?
Friday, May 14, 2010 at 10:13AM Here’s another thought on how you might better evaluate a book project before you embark upon it and, potentially, waste vast amounts of time that could have been better spent on something worthwhile.
Who are you really writing this book for? Yourself? Or the person you think may want to buy it?
Commercial fiction – which is the only kind of fiction I know – works on a spirit of compromise. As a writer I try to produce something original and intelligent but I’m always aware it has to have the potential to be popular too. That’s not just because I earn my living this way. I like being read. I don’t want to write niche fiction, aimed at a tiny sliver of the public. Other people do, and that’s their prerogative – good luck to them. But I’m aiming at the more general audience of ‘people who like interesting books’.
So I’m always aware that there are areas I can’t go. I need to try to have a strong narrative to keep the reader engaged. I can’t go off into deeply esoteric corners and start quoting passages in Greek. Like most popular authors I’m an entertainer at heart. I need to keep the audience engaged.
There is, though, one huge pothole in this particular road. Where do you draw the line between chasing an audience and allowing them – or rather your expectations of them -- to dictate what you write?
The Cemetery of Secrets is one of my most original pieces of work, still the favourite for some people. As I discussed here, it came about in unusual circumstances – effectively when I was out of contract, writing for no one but myself.
If you’re an unpublished author you probably think that’s the worst place in the world. In some ways it may be. But in others… Take it from me, when you sign multiple book contracts, as I’ve done in the past, your focus narrows. You try to deliver what you think your publisher and readers want. Maybe you do that. Maybe you fail. Either way you’re not that lone hunter out on the plains, chasing down some unseen, unrecognised prey. You’re the guy who’s been paid a retainer and told, ‘Go fetch me one like the last one.’
This may work. But it is decidedly different.
So if you’re sitting there, an unpublished author or one who’s out of contract, thinking about a book-to-come here’s something to consider. Are you going to get the best book by chasing the market? Or by finding what it is that you really want to write?
I think you know what my answer would be. Some readers, God love them, always think they know what you should be writing. Occasionally they’ll squawk when you do something different. Do not listen to them.
The way it runs is this.
When you write your first book they’ll say, ‘Love it – but can you do it again?’
When you write your second they’ll say, ‘You can! Well done. But the third’s always difficult…’
When you write your third they’ll say, ‘Right. You are… er, consistent.’
And when you write your fourth they’ll mutter under their breath, ‘When is this guy going to get a life and do something new?’
I’m not sure about the old saw that a writer should write for himself. That’s too narrow. We need a defined horizon. But it has to be our horizon, not someone else’s. If yours is being fixed by someone else’s expectations you could be heading for stormy waters.
Reader Comments (4)
Love this post!
I don't have too much constructive to say in my comment, but it provided me with a good morning chuckle. I think that the heart of the post is very important though, especially for the vast swath of the unclean unpublished. Staying true to our own stories, and not giving into angle/vampire/wizard trends is important and lends itself to a -- what's the word? -- honesty about our made-up worlds.
Great post. Timely and effective. Thank you.
-Ken
OT,
Here is a link to macosxhints.com about adding word count to programs like TextEdit.
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20100504062201437
The iPad doesn't have Apple Script...yet...but this might change.
I agree. I love your ruminations, David.
As hard as it was for me to believe this before I got published, being contracted to write a book based on a paragraph or two or a chapter or so (I've done both) can be kind of a pain, which I think is what you're getting at here. It's nice to have the publisher's commitment (such as it is), but it can sometimes feel like you're writing with a straightjacket on. The security might feel nice, but I'm not always sure it produces the best work.