Forget romantic ideals of being a writer. Writing is a business. For success you need to know where your book will sit in the marketplace. You need to identify a niche market, this is a small section of the population.
1) Find a genre for which a large market already exists. Sci-fi, horror, crime, romance, drama, historical fiction, action and thrillers are just some of the genres with major markets.
2) Position yourself in this market so that you stand out as a unique voice. These are major markets, you need to stand out amongst the billion other books in that market. This means:
*Good plots that are unique and developed in depth.
*Well developed characters with various character traits that change as the novel progresses.
*Avoid cliches and over using over-quoted sayings.
3) As a vivid reader you will have an idea of the various markets and what the competition is up to. You will know what is popular, what works, what themes are flavour of the month. You know what sells better than what. It is here you have to find a gap.
What is a key interest to your market?
What are other novels in this market writing about?
What topic crops up over and over again?
How has each writer made their novel different to others work?
What is unique about your novel, or will be unique about your novel if you haven't written it yet?
Who do you vision writing for-adults, young adults, young teens, children, toddlers?
What would you like to read?
*This last question is a big one and could set you up with a whole plot line if you use your answer wisely. Do you want to read about romance? Do you want a happy ending to your novel? What topic would you like to write about? Would you like to read a novel about finding oneself?
*Make a list of all the things you would like to see in a novel and see if these will fit together. Avoid using all ideas, as some ideas may not fit in and although they would make a wacky story line it can be too wacky for the reader to handle.
*Novels need to centre on something realistic that the reader can relate to. Even if your story is sci-fi or fantasy, your characters can have realistic emotions that the reader can relate too. Or a concept that the reader can relate too such as loss, death, decay, happiness, love, even if the characters are mythical this can create a means of involving the reader.
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Write Like A Pro
Non-FictionThe ultimate guide on writing success, how to get more reads and follows, how to develop plots, characters, themes and sub-plots, and much more.
