Backstage Pass: Market Research

I could have also titled this, How I Manage to Buy Lots of Books and Claim It As a Business Expense, because that’s basically what you do when you’re a writer.

The prevailing wisdom is that you’ll never know what’s selling–or who you can sell it to–unless you read what’s out there. And it’s mostly very true. For me and Bree, that’s mostly been e-books lately. And maaaaan, have we bought a LOT of e-books.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There’s way more to market research than reading tons of books, although nearly every publisher and editor in existence will still recommend that route as the best way to determine whether your novel/story is a good fit for their house. True market research also encompasses what people are actually buying as well as what’s being published, but hey. You’re one person. You’re not going to be hiring a research firm to conduct polls and pore over sales figures…at least not yet. You’re going to leave that to organizations like the Romance Writers of America, which maintains a nifty little list of genre statistics.

Nope, for now, your version of market research is probably going to look a lot like mine and Bree’s. You’ll buy a book, carefully keeping track of your expenses for tax purposes, and you’ll read it. Then, you’ll get to work, noting style, length, content, and resolution. Has the author dedicated the book to an editor? Is it similar to what you write? Answering these questions can help you determine whether your current manuscript or future work might find a happy home with a publisher.

One word of caution: your funds for such things may be limited, but don’t stop at one book. Most publishers carry a variety of work, and just because on thing isn’t your bag, so to speak, it doesn’t mean you have no chance. Do your research and you’ll probably save yourself time and energy on futile queries and submissions, but go with your gut.