Every time I hear the phrase but is it marketable? I feel like I’m trapped in a bad infomercial. Marketable according to who? Some imaginary publishing executive in a suit, sipping overpriced coffee, deciding that vampires are ‘out’ and cozy rom-coms with colorful covers are ‘in.’
Spoiler alert: If you chase what’s trending, you’ll always be a step behind. Writing about sparkly vampires when the world has already moved on to morally gray men on TikTok.
Books are not shampoo bottles
Your book is not a bottle of Pantene. It doesn’t need to scream NOW WITH 50% MORE SLOW-BURN to fly off the shelves. A book is supposed to be art. It’s messy, weird, and deeply personal… and sometimes makes people uncomfortable (hi, my entire brand).
That’s exactly why it matters.
If all writers worried about what was marketable, we’d be stuck with a literary world that reads like a line of beige paint swatches.
Writing to please yourself (radical, I know)
Imagine writing a book that actually makes you excited. Revolutionary, right? Forget pandering to an algorithm or some ideal consumer who probably doesn’t exist. If you’re obsessed with your story, your characters, guess what? That passion bleeds onto the page. And that’s what readers actually fall in love with, not whether your book matches the marketing plan of Q4 2025.
Marketability is overrated
“Marketable” is just a fancy word publishers throw around when they’re scared of risk. But art is risk.
So no, your book doesn’t have to be marketable, it has to be yours. And if that means it makes people uncomfortable, confuses a few agents, or even breaks all the rules. Even better.
That’s what makes it unforgettable.
— Montse
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