Check, check and check. Slightly less terrified. Thank you for the post!

Thank you for that information.  I’m happy to see that I fall into the “commercially viable” category, especially since I’ve sent a requested manuscript to an agent!

Well, Jane, I think I’ll hang up on writing. No wonder I was told “no” in form letters countless times before I decided to self-publish, which hasn’t gone all that well commercially, by the way. And yet… I don’t know how not to do it, so I’ll take these things into onsideration. Thanks for yet another insightful punch.

I read a lot of slush and find that lots of novels have a bad situation, but no story. A lot of beginning novelists don’t seem to know the difference.

Sorry for the bad news! While the work may not be commercially viable in book form, the online world presents many more opportunities to tell a story or share a message. Perhaps another medium is what you’re looking for.

Excellent common sense points. I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been asked why I haven’t wrote a book on platform or social media. My response is that whole its a vastly marketable product the areas I work within evolve within weeks and it takes time to put a good book out. I’m better off blogging.

Plus everyone wants the same thing. The secret, super fast way to platform building and huge book sells.

I don’t have it and I’m not going to pretend.

Romance is pretty broad — do the secondary romance sub-plots that occur in women’s fiction fit here, or is wf  it’s own “long-shot” opportunity?

There was a time when educated editors championed unique point of views on the human condition to make people think. Now it seems the lowest common denominator has the power to rule culture. It’s scary. 

Excellent point.

Commercially viable for a Big Six publisher means turning a profit in the first year and selling thousands of copies. It means publishing a book that Barnes & Noble (and other bricks-and-mortar stores) will be willing to stock nationwide. It means publishing a book that has the power to garner major media attention, bestseller status, and/or significant reviews and awards.

I think ultimately consumers decide what is commercially viable, and that can’t be determined until the books hit the market and actual sell (or don’t!).  But I like this list as a way of priming the pump.  It also prunes us a bit; I’m appreciative for the word count listing, and the warning against short story collections (have that be your second release, Writer!).  It’s smart to write what’s hot now too – the next Hunger Games – but as a literary fiction writer I know I want to stick to what I do best.  Still, who knows what’s going to sell, and the author MUST be original and talented, with a specific vision for their book and their career.  The current market may cater to copycats now, but it’s the unique voices and chance-takers that will last.  Thanks for this!

Thanks for those excellent points. 
 I have been working on a memoir of my first 18 years of life, growing up weird and Mormon in a weird community–Provo, Utah.  I know that there is a “platform” in the formerly-Mormon community and others who want to know what that strange culture is really like, but I don’t know if it is a strong enough platform.  How does one determine the strength of a platform?

I get asked this question quite a lot and I’m always reluctant to warn writers against writing what they want to write, but if you want to be read you really do have to think about these things. 

My novel is coming out later this year. It’s offbeat literary fiction, not impossible to sell but not straightforward either. It’s all about knowing and finding your audience, but if you can have that in mind right from the start, it has to be helpful.

Very true. Publishers wouldn’t ordinarily accept something like 50 Shades of Grey, then they see how it sells, the risk evaporates, and they’re on board.

In short, if publishers see dollar signs, you’re good to go. The tricky part is that most publishers don’t have a direct line to consumers (they go through bookstores/e-retailers), and are trying to please middlemen more than the reader. This is changing, of course … and that’s another post entirely.

If you want more info on determining the strength of a platform, check out these posts:

http://janefriedman.com/2012/03/13/author-platform-definition/
http://janefriedman.com/2012/01/31/3-numbers-that-matter-to-your-platform/
http://janefriedman.com/2011/08/02/platform-worksheets/

100% agreed!

I’m looking to write about my experiences w/ nerve pain and a genetic disorder. I’ve seen many cancer memoirs by non-celebrities make it. Chronic pain patients & invisible illness sufferers constitutes a huge audience when you look at #s. I’m confused b/c I’ve read quite a few medical memoirs published by regular folks w/o a bcgrd in medicine. That’s why I always thought I had a shot. Look at “Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl,” “Pretty is What Changes,” “Sickened” or “Chocolate and Vicodin.” I don’t mean any disrespect. I am just confused. These are what I consider medical memoir & are making the cut along w/ many others I have read. Is this just an example of exceptions to the rule or something else. I feel as though what I am writing would be complimentary to these books (goal: that’s what I’m aiming for). Given what I have said can you elaborate on what you thoughts are on health/medical books. Thank you.

I really liked hearing this. I agree that being unique and not trying to be the “next” Stephen King or the “next” Hunger Games is so important. It’s so important to not lose sight of your own visions while still staying within the guidelines Jane gave us. And thank you for that, Jane. I don’t want to be a sheep in a herd;  I want to stand out just enough for someone to take a second look at least and think to themselves, wow she’s got a truly novel idea (no pun intended) and we are going to take a chance that she can reach a lot of readers who are looking for something different, not just the same old thing.

Sounds like you’ve got a strategy and specific tactics. Good luck!

Thanks for the clarification. I’ve seen it brought up other places & other blogs re: medical/health memoir but at the time I wasn’t as dedicated to the project like I am now. Appreciate your feedback. I do know that if it is not meant to be I have other stories to tell. But I do want to give this one a shot first. –Leslie

Great post as always, Jane!

One point, however, that I find increasingly overlooked in self-publishing concerns the reader. As a professional nonfiction author since 1988, with several Big Six books to my name, my experience has been that publishers are in the business because they love books and although there is no science to any of it, they at least make an attempt to direct authors to write books that other people want to read. That’s the point of the much-avoided proposal process, which really the business plan for your book and helps any thoughtful author determine whether their idea is commercially viable. 

It never ceases to amaze me how many aspiring authors (and I’m talking principally here of my specialism — nonfiction business books) haven’t got a clue who they are writing for or what problem/concern/question those readers might have for which their book might provide a solution or direction. In fact, I met one business coach informally on several occasions who seemed incapable of completing the sentence: “The question I answer with this book is….” without reference to why prospective clients should hire him! Yet he was adamant that he wanted a book, not to write a marketing brochure!

The only point on which I would disagree with you is the final bullet in the “not as commercially viable” list. It’s long frustrated me that publishing houses have been arm-locked by the bricks-and-mortar stores into only accepting books that conform to the stores’ neat but ultimately innovation crushing categories – biography, history, psychology etc. — (read the Intro to Susan Rabiner’s Thinking Like Your Editor for a prime example of this). What I had hoped was to see more innovation around the blending of genres now that we’re not restricted to discovering books in the traditional way. 

Having said that, I guess it’s a chicken-and-egg situation. Truman Capote was able to introduce the new concept of narrative nonfiction with In Cold Blood only, I guess, because he was Truman Capote. 

Thoughts?

Couldn’t agree more about the reader being overlooked in self-publishing. Excellent of you to point that out.

Re: mixed genre, I agree it’s frustrating, and we seem to be on the same page as far as observing how traditional publishers continue to frown on them? 

I’m not sure the genre/category arm lock will disappear any time soon, especially in cases of debut or unknown authors. That said, once you’re freed of the necessity of placing a physical book only on ONE shelf in the store, and books are predominantly sold online—and therefore categorized and tagged in a million different ways for ultimate discoverability—I’d say the situation can only improve.

Great points, Jane! I’m going to hang on to them and use them every time I speak about “evaluating your book for success.” I always stress that publishing houses are in the publishing “business” and they are looking for good “business partners.” Writers are asking them to become their venture capital partners–to invest in their books. It’s about money… That doesn’t mean, however, that a great idea can’t be carried out successfully by an author independently. I suggest to everyone — fiction writers and nonfiction writers alike — that they use what I call the “proposal process” and look at their project through the eyes of an acquisitions editor to see if it is, indeed, marketable. Whether they self-publish or traditionally publish, this is how to best evaluate their idea to see if it will sell. With this information at the onset of the project, they can decide to reangle their concept, change it in some other way, just do it because they feel passionate about it, or trash it.

Hi Jane – the bullet for the “Mixed genre works that can’t be easily categorized” has me concerned. I have a self-published novel that I have categorized as a “genre mash-up” of supernatural fantasy thriller. Should I change the langauge of the pitch and the synopsis to something more conventional and therefore, commercially viable?

The big question: Where would it be shelved in a bookstore? Or, if an agent represented fantasy/scifi, and not thriller, would you still send it to her? Or, who’s your primary, No. 1 audience? Regardless of how innovative you’re being, when it comes time to market, you’re forced to make a few starting decisions about classification. The publisher may ultimately disagree with you and still publish the book in the category it thinks most profitable, but to pitch it and submit it, you’ve got to nail these things down.

All the books I’ve read on publishing in the UK market say novels should be 100-120k words, otherwise the reader feels they are not getting their money’s worth. And if you kook at a lot of best sellers, they tend to be that length. Is the US market different, or are you departing from the standard wisdom?

I’m speaking about U.S. standards, so mileage may vary elsewhere.

I’d recommend you ask an agent who’s actively representing speculative fiction. This would be a pretty specific trend, subject to change on a quarterly or annual basis …

 I couldn’t agree with you more!  I wrote my first novel about five years ago and have rewritten, revised, rewritten…
I also took creative writing courses in order to rewrite, revise…(smile).  I could have gotten back up on the porch, but because I listened and learned, I’ve gotten enough positive feedback from professionals to keep running with the big dogs! 
Finally, after hard work, I’ve caught the interest of a couple of agents.  Does this mean publishing is in the near future?  Maybe, maybe not. 
Realistically what it says to me is…I’ve caught the interest of a couple of agents.
I believe my novel has a definitive target audience and will do well, plus I’m continually expanding my ability to promote my book once it becomes published (positive thinking doesn’t hurt).

I would also add fantasy/science fiction to the list of popular genres – there is still a pretty active buying market for that.

See if you can name more than a handful of bestselling short story collections over the past decade, and there’s your answer. Self-publishing is exactly the right path for the work, because no NY publisher will likely contract it.

Not at all, appreciate the link to something helpful!