Find Fertile Ground

On writing to market

I'm going to talk about Writing to Market, and I'm going to begin with a metaphor. Ahem…

As writers, we all have stories we’re passionate about, seeds of ideas we want to plant and nurture. But have you ever considered WHERE you’re planting those seeds? Writing a great story is only part of the equation—finding fertile ground where your story can thrive is just as important.

Imagine trying to grow a plant in the desert. No matter how much effort you put into watering and nurturing it, if the soil isn’t right or there’s no one there to appreciate the result, it won’t flourish. Why not find the most fertile soil for your stories—the places where readers are actively searching for their next favorite book.

THAT IS THE MARKET.

The Market is where the people, the readers, are. Some markets are bigger than others. Some markets are filled with readers with a lot of money to spend. Some markets have heavy foot traffic, others don't. But if you're shouting into the void, you are not in the marketplace.

So where do I find a fertile market with a lot of people who read?

Where to Start: The Bestsellers Lists

Readers leave clues about what they want in the form of bestsellers lists. These lists highlight the stories that are resonating with readers right now. By studying what's on these lists, you can aim to align your passion with the current market demand.

The New York Times Bestsellers List… is not my go to. It's not always reflective of what individual readers are actually buying.

USA Today Best-Sellers List … I'm not even gonna go there with the changes that have been made.

Instead, I'm headed over to the Amazon Top 100. Now look, I have all the hangups that most folks do about Amazon. But you can't deny the fact that they are the number 1 (the dot com store) and number 2 (Kindle Unlimited subscription store) bookstores in the world, as well as one of the most robust search engines on the internet. The Amazon Top 100 lists are updated every 15 minutes or so, and they offer a real-time snapshot of what readers are downloading and buying across every genre imaginable.

So you've found the market. Huzzah! Now what? Should you write a dark bully romance with a tentacled monster? Or maybe a hockey romance in a small town featuring a single dad goalie?

You could. If that's your passion. If it's not, then don't. Instead, go back to the Amazon Bestseller Charts and find the category or subcategory that lists your passion.

Paranormal Romance with Shifters and Werewolves or Angels and Demons? Both subcategories are there.

Smalltown Romance with Fire Fighters or Police? You get a choice.

Amish Romance with Mystery and Suspense -totally a thing.

The more readers look for the specific kind of book they want to read, the more sub-sub-sub categories Amazon makes to help them find what they want. Take a look and see if what you're passionate about writing is there.

When I first got started, I wrote a Dystopian MMF set in a library that also had a little bit of magical realism. Suffice it to say that category was not on the charts. That entire three book series barely made $100 a month as very few people were looking for it and fewer found it in the infertile desert that was it's marketplace.

I then took that Dystopian MMF romance and asked a blogger friend of mine, who had thousands of followers, to allow me to post about my book on her page. Her page was all about Black women getting their finances together. You'd expect me to get huge sales, right? Nope. I didn't get a single sale that day. But why? I'd found fertile ground. I tried to plant a seed in incompatible soil. Translation: I tried to sell a product to people who were not interested. They wanted to talk about their finances not two guys' swords crossing in the apocalypse.

It's not just finding a thriving market, you also have to make sure that you're selling what readers want to buy at that market.

Writing to market is two-pronged; fertile ground and people who want what's on your plate.

You can go to a smaller market and make an absolute killing because you are selling exactly what the people want to buy.

You could go to the biggest market and barely get by because it's so crowded and too loud for readers to hear how amazing your story is.

I don't think that big or small is the question, I think it's all about do you know where you belong and do the people there look like your tribe? If so, plant your seed and start shining a light on your story.

I like to write marriage of convenience romances featuring Wounded Warriors. So my Shanae Johnson pen name is set up in the Clean and Wholesome Romance subcategory along with the Small Town Romance and Military Romance sub categories of Romance on the Amazon lists.

For my Ines Johnson pen name, I've finally corralled her into the Fantasy Romance subcategories, but she still dips her toes in the Erotic Romance dirtiness every so often 🤷‍♀️

Passion Meets Opportunity

We all want to write the stories that speak to our hearts. When those stories align with what readers are actively searching for, you’ve hit the sweet spot. By planting your seeds in fertile ground, you’re giving your books the best chance to flourish and reach the readers who are waiting for them.

So, take a moment to explore these lists. Find the intersection of what you love to write and what readers are clamoring for. If you join me in my Page Turner Pacing Kickstarter. There's a whole module on how to read the bestsellers charts plus a worksheet -have you figured out how much I love worksheets yet?!?!?