Creating for the Market vs Creating for the Sake of Making Art

The constant push and pull of an artist trying to make a living in a late-stage capitalist nightmare...

The fantasy book world is an extremely saturated market at the moment, and now that I’m a represented writer (yay!), I’ve been having a lot of conversations about the commerciality and marketability of my book.

These are important conversations — necessary interrogations, even. But lately, I keep asking myself: am I serving the story, or am I serving the market?

Pleasing the Elusive Market

Trying to predict the “market” as an author feels like trying to catch smoke. In a world where books and films are being produced faster than we can consume them, it’s impossible to capture exactly what readers are searching for. By the time you write the damn book, the market will have changed.

I also, perhaps controversially, think trying to predict the market as an author is an act of arrogance. It assumes a level of intelligence above your readers, which is simply untrue.

All this overanalysis doesn’t just drive you mad; it kills your creative engine. When you get too bogged down in pleasing a faceless mass market, the muse that sparked your creativity suffocates.

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But It’s Still Important…

That being said, we still need to honour and respect the business side of creating. It’s what allows us to keep creating.

So here lies the ultimate question: how do you strike the balance?

I don’t have an answer. I struggle with this constantly. It’s something I’ve finally learned to navigate in the acting world, but when it comes to writing, I still feel lost.

I find myself dissecting popular book tropes, comparing (and despairing) over the careers of authors I admire, and analysing statistics and publishing trends.

Hell, I even started this Substack and a TikTok at my agent’s request, to begin marketing myself early. All important business considerations, but they drive me mad. Somewhere in all that strategising, the story gets lost.

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The Impact on My Rewrite

When I look back at my replotted draft, I keep having to interrogate whether the changes I made were genuinely improving the story. Is this the story I want to tell? Or is it something I’ve wedged in because I think it might make the novel more commercial?

Annoyingly, it got so convoluted that at points I wasn’t even sure anymore.

So now, I’m going off vibes. Does this feel right? Yes or no. The Marie Kondo approach to writing…?

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Ew, You Want to Get Paid?

There’s still a weird stigma around artists who admit they want to get paid. I have no idea why, but it’s there.

Of course, I want this book to sell. I’ve poured thousands of hours into it. Obviously, I want it to be a commercial success, because that’s what allows me to keep creating.

So my business brain needs to stay in conversation with my creative self but they need to keep a respectful distance. Too close, and the delicate creative muse I’m trying to protect will vanish.

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A Snippet of the World

A little slice of the language I wrote for you this week, because something in this phrase feels like it honours calling out to the creative muses!

Dalukim zuthar tharae serath siran.

Translation: The Shadow Gods sang the song of light

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My Underwhelming Conclusion

Right now, the only thing I have to go on is a feeling. Does this feel aligned with the story I want to tell? Is the Muse smiling over my shoulder, or has she disappeared?

I’m trying to learn to trust that feeling, to trust the journey of it all. But I also need to learn to trust my future readers. I love this story. Surely someone else will too.

My acting coach always challenges us to assume the best, a surprisingly difficult thing to do when our brains are hardwired to do the opposite. But that is what I am going to try and do.

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Your Turn

Do you think true inspiration comes from discipline? A purposefully vague question. I want to hear what you guys make of it ✨

Thank you for being here. Until next time, Angels 🪽

Yours,
Jazz 🩸