Who am I writing for?

The other week I was able to have lunch with a man who's worked in the publishing world for around 40 years. It was a good time, chatting in general as well as what he had to say about my writing ambitions.

There was one question he asked which I find hard to answer - and it doesn't really bother me that I don't know the answer, but what worries me is that publishers WANT there to be an answer, and the fact that maybe I'm not doing something right along the requesting side of things by not telling them who the book is for.

The question was "Who is the book written for?", or "Who did you write the book for?"

Having come away from that time, and thinking, it occurred to me that I don't think an artist picks up his brush and works the paint onto the new canvas thinking about who exactly they are painting it for - in fact, I'm not sure they are even thinking about anyone, just what they have to paint, knowing that the finished article, their goal, is to be enjoyed because it's finished.

Same with a composer - they hear the music, and write what they hear. I'm not sure if their starting point could ever be with who they are writing the music for?

It's a creative process - and I know it might sound weak, but that's how it works for me. Just like an inspired artist or composer, my ideas come to me almost complete, the main points and titles do anyway, and its from here that I write, not with my audience in mind, but with the knowledge that if I can write as I see, and do a good job at it, thereby doing justice to the thought that appeared in my mind, then the finished product will be something that is there to be enjoyed - whether they be young adult men or retired women.

So does there need to be a 'target' market? I fear the world says yes....I guess only time will tell with my work really.

Frustrations

I'm going through that very frustrating phase of things....it's been six months since I first started sending off submissions for Cherry Picking.....I've had a baby in this time!

And yet, apart from the standard lines, saying thanks but no thanks, I haven't heard a thing. It's 15 agents that I've already sent things off to - and this is a really small number! In a recent post on his daily blog, San Francisco Agent Nathan Bransford showed how from over 300 queries in one week, on only 4 did he actually request full submissions - so that's 1%! So realistically, I know I need to send to another 85 agents before statistically one of them will request my complete book. Clearly, if Nathan is your average agent, there are a lot of factors, besides actually having a good book, that go into things....for example, how far down the pile yours gets read, how many on that particular day the agent receives, how busy they are the week you send in.

Because if an agents knows they are going to get 350 enquires in the week, then they know they can be super selective. And, for example, the first one they read that week, in my view, has less chance of being requested than maybe the 300th, by which time the standard has been revealed to be a little disappointing, the genres rather different, and knowing that they've only requested two so far and have only 50 more to read, they go for the 300th one....which might have been just the same as the 1st.....so timing and luck, as well as a great story, clearly all go into the selection process!

I am finding it hard though.....and yet, as a career, I've not even yet started!

I also should be writing my second novel now....something I said I would do, but with all that's been happening, as well as the frustration with hearing nothing, I've not been. In fact, I could be writing now, but am instead typing here, talking about how I should be writing instead!

So enough of that....maybe I am about to write my truly break through novel!!