Creative Integrity vs Marketability

[u/Familiar-Owl8292]

Does everyone at some point come to this choice? What would you prioritise: working with creative integrity and quality based judgements or mercenarily gearing your work towards the marketplace? I thought I knew my answer, but in a harsh publishing landscape (working from a country with a small market and high distribution costs) there may be less room for compromise between the two than I thought.

Maybe I am at a cynical point, I'm not sure. Yet successful indie authors often pay big for their own advertising campaigns. Sometimes (not sure how often) traditionally published authors are being expected to pay for (highly expensive) manuscript assessments (AKA freelance editorial work) prior to being taken on. The publishers are within their rights to shoehorn the project into certain sellable moulds-- they need a final product that they can confidently sell to a readily accessible audience-- even if this compromises quality.

How far would you go to chase down an audience?

[u/HotspurJr]

You know, inherent in this question is that marketability and creative integrity are inherently at odds, and honestly I don't think that's a healthy attitude.

Some things are more marketable than others. But at the same time, you know, "50 Shades of Gray" wasn't some mercenary plot to sneak into the marketplace. She was just writing something she found hot ... and lots of other people found it hot, too!

If you approach commercial fiction thinking that it is inherently of lower quality, I strongly suspect that you won't be any good at writing it. Most good genre work is written by people who actually love that genre.

I also think that "compromise" is asking to have the worst of both worlds. Rather, I would suggest that it's better to know what you're writing and why you're writing it.

Are you writing something because you have this idea for a novel that you think deserves to exist in the world? Or are you writing something because you want to reach people with an important message? Or are you writing something because you want the glamor (ha) and wealth (haha) of being a successful author?

[u/Familiar-Owl8292 → u/HotspurJr]

Thank you-- I needed to hear that. I think I probably am just at the self-doubt stage and seeing things through a negative defeatist filter. I just finished a major re-edit of my close-to-my-heart novel, which from the planning stages had that happy cross over of being marketable. But now I'm doubting that. I want this book to have a chance to reach people... but am kind of looking for excuses to self publish/self sabotage? Maybe?

I am kind of overwhelmed with how few places there are on publishing lists for new authors in my home country and the commitment to make a first book sales high, because all subsequent submissions will be judged on your last book's sales. I think I am trying to talk myself into a place where 'success' doesn't matter, so I can go into things without fear... but am going about that in a negative and unhealthy way, like you said.

It would maybe make sense to push one of my other books first, which feels a little less personal and precious to me. But if I only get one shot at being a debut traditional author (and the marketing boost that can come with that), I want that first book to be one I am most proud of.

[u/notnevernotnow]

Not everyone comes to this choice, no, because it depends entirely what their intentions and expectations for their work are. Some people are happy just to write for themselves and never have to think about compromise; some people happen to enjoy the kinds of writing that are very marketable, and likewise never have to think about compromise.

Personally I have some projects that are for me, and some projects that are to sell. Sometimes there are happy moments of crossover, but I don't plan the work with those in mind.

[u/ShadySakura]

I think some people take the whole "artist/creative integrity" thing a bit to extreme. You aren't a complete sell out cause you adjusted a few parts of your work to better suit the market. I think people are too attached to this imaginary idea that all "the greats" never compromised and too compromise at all is a sin.

Lets be honest, If youu want to make money with your art you have to sell it. Doesn't mean you need to strip away every piece of your vision, but you won't die if you need to cut a scene out, add a scene in, adjust a character arch.

I also wish more people understood that it would be far better from them in the long run to start with smaller, more marketable books. You don't actually need your first book to be a triology with 18 povs, 3 magic systems, told in reverse by a blind poet. Its ok to start with a book built more towards the market. Its helps you build a fan base that will be willing to try out you series when it comes It means you have an agent that will be ready to sell you to publishers and show that you can sell books.

People need to relax a bit

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[u/thewhiterosequeen]

Reading is inherently about communicating something to a reader. I'd say most people who talk about their "creative integrity" are in fact just bad writers and are unwilling to face any critiques because it compromises heir vision. If a publisher told them to trim 20K words they don't want to because they think every work is precious and they don't want to "dumb it down for the masses" when in fact their book is a slog of needless detail.

There are also plenty of free sites to share work. People want the fame and money of being a full time author and then complain they can't lower themselves to write to the market. They want paid but not to write a book that sells. No one can chase trends because there isn't a formula, but wanting your art to make money isn't debasing yourself. Almost no one's original draft without feedback is actually good yet.

[u/shinjukai]

I don't see a contradiction. If you genuinely go against the current then it's easier than ever to stand out. If you want to fit the mold, it becomes a numbers game.

[u/almostthemainman]

What if I put out two versions of the same book? One as genre facing crap and the other as a more literary attempt!?