This is always a tough one but if you are successful, this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship (at least with contracts and editors).
I often talk to writers that have specific interests in terms of their writing. They have a specific niche they are wanting to write for. Now, don't get me wrong. I want people to write for something they know and love, but there is a catch. Writing for a market like this limits your success. Or at least the chance at the success.
Here's the deal. I'm going to use Category as the model here.
If you select one category line to write for, you will spend 2-3 months of your time crafting that story and making it great. If it fails, your life is over. That is 2-3 months of your life you will not get back again. It is a gamble. Now, the same holds true for any of the other niche markets. If you want to target that line, you have to know you have it really figured out.
I have to say, this is part of the reaspon why many agents don't look to signing category writers, or even those in those niche markets. The story has to be dang good to be successful.
So, before you sit down and crank out something really specific. Know what you want. Understand what you might be jumping into.
This is tough. I aimed for LI and got rejected. I plan on trying to market that manuscript later, but because LI is category, there's going to be some work involved with revising and lengthening the story.
ReplyDeleteNice post. Wish I would've seen it a few years ago! LOL