Should you write your next book(s) in keeping with the latest trend? I’m not going to pretend that I fully understand the book market, nor would I ever presume to tell another writer what’s best for them. However, I know that sometimes it can be helpful, when trying to make a decision, to lay out the pros and cons of the situation in a simple, clear way. That way, you can put a plus or a minus in each column and that can sometimes help clarify what you want – or don’t want.
Pros to Writing on Trend
-The biggest plus to writing what’s currently popular is that it’s…popular. Readers are looking for the type of thing that you write. You can easily find similar books/authors to namedrop for comps for your books. There are probably lots of groups, newsletters, and promotional opportunities for your particular type of book.
-Finding educational materials for writing popular genres or tropes is easier than for a more esoteric style or topic. Many writers who successfully write and sell trending books provide classes, conferences, books, videos, or blog posts about how to write or market in that genre.
-Other support materials specific to popular trends are abundant. Editors who specialize in certain trends, genre-specific marketing packages, pre-made covers – all of those are available for any type of book, but shopping around by trends may give you more options.
Cons to Writing on Trend
(I am deeply qualified to give pointers for this side of coin, because I do not write on trend at all, lol.)
-Writing what’s popular gives you potential access to the largest group of readers – but also the largest group of competition. While you should never think of other authors or books as your direct competition, a saturated market can make it harder to break into.
-Trends can change. Fast. In today’s world of social media and instant gratification, the hottest thing a month ago may be old and dead by this week. That trendy book you started writing four months ago may be old and out by the time it’s ready for publication.
-Writing to trend might make you feel frustrated, burnt out, or trapped. I believe that for a pursuit like writing, you should first and foremost enjoy it. If you’re looking to make money, writing to trends probably has more profit potential than something super niche or completely unpopular. But if you want big money fast, then you probably should do something besides write books. (And if you hate writing, you definitely shouldn’t do it, trendy or not.)
I personally have chosen not to try to write on trend for multiple reasons, and one of those reasons is my subtle resistance to being told what to do. I write based on my personal interests, which usually do not coincide with whatever is popular at the moment. I knew that if I tried to write trendy books, I could probably do so successfully and make more money. But I also knew that I would quickly get frustrated, bored, or feel trapped by the “rules” and expectations of whatever trend or niche I’d chosen. So for me, I decided that I’d just keep writing slowly and writing books that would probably never be popular – but I would enjoy writing them.
In the end, keeping up with book trends or not is up to you. And it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing thing, either. You can pick and choose some trendy stuff if you want. It’s all about your reasons for writing. Hop on a trend, or don’t – just enjoy the journey and keep writing.
Like what you’re reading? Buy me a lemonade!
