Saw this take on a writing group post and I sincerely disagree. The market is a fickle beast. Readers aren’t always in it with the best of intentions especially for indie authors. I firmly believe you must write what makes YOU happy. Barring major plot or story structure issues, your story must suit you. Would YOU read what you wrote? Or does it read like another lowest common denominator KDP cash grab? Believe me, if you love it, others will, too. Will it be the next greatest hit spawning TV shows and movies? Who knows and as guilty of this as I am, this shouldn’t be the point.

Anyway, every voice is valuable and the market is cold and heartless. If you can hit some market trends without compromising your work, awesome. If you’re writing just to get people to “plunk down their credit cards”, you’re gonna have a bad time.

Also before anyone says “Where’s your best selling book?” I’ll tell you. It went into 5 years of rewrite hell to be palatable to the general market. I went for what would sell over what would make me happy. The result? I started to resent it. It’s only since I threw that mindset away that I finally finished my “difinitive” draft.

So maybe I’m full of shit and blowing hot air, but consider this: to appease the “market” you must be formulaic and be able to sell your version of the formula over everyone else’s. You’re writing what people supposedly want to read, but you’re fighting saturation. Conversely, to be truly creative, you shouldn’t necessarily ignore a formula that works, but you SHOULD 100% twist it to suit your own needs. Even if that means alienation of some potential readers.

tl;dr: write for you first and foremost. If you love it, the market is there. It may not be to big fat general market, but there will be others looking to read what you wrote. Hang in there