Writing What You Love Versus What Sells
First, we need to understand the concept of ‘Writing What You Love’ and ‘Writing What Sells.’ When you write out your ideas or thoughts on areas of personal interest, without knowing your audience or worrying about being paid, you write what you enjoy. You either do it exclusively or mostly for the sake of love.
On the other way round, writing what sells is when you write for the public, i.e. your readers. You put down what you know they want to read. You write your story in a way that is interesting, fascinating, and captivating. Writing what sells is writing about common topics in your world and putting it out there in a creative way.
Many writers do not financially enjoy the days of their hard work because they are majorly concerned with writing what they love. And most people often see writers as broke except they are doing some side jobs to help them financially. This is not to say you shouldn't write about what you love, but always put your readers into consideration. Selling your piece, write-ups, or books will only happen if you understand the concept of marketing. Right now, Mr Brown is sweating out his head writing what he thinks is going to 'shake the world.' He is very much broke at the moment and has trashed several papers. He has spent his days correcting, carving, and crafting words and phrases, hoping that he will become a financially successful writer.
As a writer, it's either you write for passion or your finances. If you choose the latter, you will write based on topics or ideas that interest your readers. You love to write about animals, for instance or are a major fan of Goerge Orwell, and a lot of ideas happen to be pumped up into your head, ready to be penned out. Bear in mind that this is an area of writing that you enjoy, but what will happen if you try to market this story among best sellers? There is a high tendency that it won't do well in the market because you did not consider the readers.
Loving a particular aspect of writing doesn't guarantee that it will sell even when you are a great writer. Many individuals are too concerned about life's excessive problems to waste their hard-earned money purchasing books on animals. Books on human interests, current affairs, relatable stories e.t.c. are what readers need. They want to read your views on topics that they find fascinating or deserving of their time.
When you write based on what you love, there is a feeling of contentment and achievement. But unfortunately, most of the time, this piece of work you've written would end up on your shelf, with you selling a few copies or probably rest being read by your family members and maybe, friends. You can get a clap or two, pat on the back, or a little treat as an acknowledgement of what you did, but that will be it.
The major thing about writing what sells is that it enables you to talk about what most readers are interested in reading, get them hooked, and do better financially.
Know at the back of your mind that if you want your book to sell, you can not always write what you love. To gain publicity and sales, you need to spend your time learning how to sell, brand, and position your book. Look at best-selling books to see the subjects they have written about, the themes used, and what made them very popular.
