@jtmoriartywriter @ruthannereid @bookstodon You used a key word there: commercial. Not all things that are created have to have a commercial motive or even incentive. Look at Mastodon, Eugen didn't start it with the idea of it being a profitable business.

Similarly in writing, there are plenty of writers that don't look at it as a profitable endeavor. They look at it as something they feel strongly about doing, and hope there is an audience for their work.

@jtmoriartywriter @Unatributed @bookstodon I actually think it's crucial to create what you want/need to create without looking at market.

Market changes, for one thing - the stuff you created to sell sell sell will only sell for so long.

And for another, there is such JOY is making the thing that's in your heart to make. It's fulfilling - far more than just making a sale.

My two cents, obviously!

@ruthannereid @jtmoriartywriter @Unatributed @bookstodon

I think a writer needs to keep the market in mind.

I mean, sure, if you're doing it for the joy of writing, then lay on, MacDuff.

If, when it's done, you want to make it available to other people to read, there are a whole bunch of market factors to consider.

Knowing what they are helps manage your expectations about what might happen next.

@nlowell @ruthannereid @jtmoriartywriter @bookstodon

I don't believe you can use Market and Audience interchangeably.

Markets are more "hard" definitions. Like children's books, adult books, teen books, etc.

Audience is more flexible. For example, I might be writing a SciFi novel, but if that novel doesn't use hard science, I might lose part of the audience. If it's a Speculative Sci-Fi work that's only going to get part of the Sci-Fi audience. Etc.

@nlowell @ruthannereid @jtmoriartywriter @bookstodon

but to the idea of whether you should have an audience or not depends on the result(s) you want...

You can target a specific audience, following the concepts that the audience recognizes in a work. Or, you can write to an audience that isn't well defined, but maybe within a specific genre.

I think we've seen enough genre-bending books that show that the audience isn't always defined, but can be found.