Back when I started writing, I remember listening to the more established writers, both published and unpublished, speaking with such confidence about market trends and editor preferences, which agents were acquiring new writers, what was hot on the shelves and I couldn’t wait to learn this secret language. I didn’t only want to write books, I wanted to understand the world in which it happened. Knowledge is power.
It’s been more than 25 years and I still don’t understand the market trends or know whose acquiring what for whom. I couldn’t tell you which lines are publishing which genres and what line belongs to what house. Frankly, it came down to a choice between studying the market and studying writing. I chose writing.
I chose to study the market by reading what was being published. It gave me some insight into what was selling but the problem with this method of learning that, at the time, you were sitting behind the curve. Books hitting the shelves had been written and acquired two to three years before I got my hot little hands on them. What had happened in that time? What had changed?
With today’s instant gratification of self-publishing and e-books, the market moves a little faster and we’re able to see trends almost instantaneously thanks to Amazon algorithms and social media influencers. We can watch the success of a book like 50 Shades of Gray turn into a flood of BDSM erotica overnight. Literally. Today’s blog post. Tomorrow’s bestseller.
I am not a risk taker. I was told early on by someone I trusted writing was not a “serious” pursuit for a career, so I went into science. When I finally decided I wanted to be a writer, I kept it a secret from everyone. I had trouble pursuing publication because of the rejection – it terrified me. When ebooks first came out, I ignored them. When self-publishing started taking off, I refused to consider the path to publication. The market is seeing a new shift in the release of serialized fiction. Amazon is now jumping in and has a platform called Vella in beta.
So Cypress Press LLC and A Writer’s House are jumping on the bandwagon. I hope you’ll join me in welcoming Selena Powers. Selena writes the Six Degrees of Seduction collection, a series of trilogies exploring the alternate side of love, power, and sex. The first two, Mastered by Degrees: Initiation and Mastered by Degrees: Lessons will be available as soon as Vella goes live. Mastered by Degrees: Fulfillment is coming soon. (no pun intended!) Follow Selena on Twitter @WriterSelenaP.
Maybe it’s not a huge risk. We know Amazon comes with a built-in audience. We know there’s a desire for serialized fiction. I guess we’ll see what happens.