Six Things Not to Write (If You Hope to Sell)
I was working on my own YouTube channel earlier today and got sucked down a rabbit hole of videos from other great YouTubers. The one that stood out this morning was about what NOT to write. Most new writers ask what they should write. The following is a brief encapsulation of book topics unlikely to serve your professional career. If you’re writing purely for joy, none of it applies ... and I encourage you to write for your own joy, but if you hope to sell your work, take note.
1. Sequels to someone else’s work. You don’t own the rights, so nobody will want to read or buy it. Wishing a disappointing sequel had been better doesn’t change that.
2. Anything built on intellectual property. A new story set in a franchise universe is still someone else’s IP. The same goes for adapting a book you love. Without the rights, you can’t sell it. You earn that opportunity with credits first.
3. Your own memoir (as a starting point). Everyone’s life matters, but a newcomer’s story has an uphill climb because buyers want a proven name or property attached. If your book has already sold well and you own the rights, that changes the picture.
4. A main character who is a writer. It feels natural because it’s what we know. It’s also one of the most common choices for new writers, so it can make you blend in rather than stand out.
5. A story you wouldn’t want to read or watch yourself. Finishing, revising, and selling a story takes enormous time and love. If you’re writing it only because you think it’s what’s expected, the long road gets much harder.
6. A story you’d be ashamed to tell people about. You are your work’s best advocate. If you’d be reluctant to say what you wrote, you’ll struggle to champion it.
The common thread: write something you can own, in every sense. Legally, creatively, and emotionally.
I encourage you to watch the whole video yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFHqFYVoEQ
It focuses on screenwriting, but the principles of rights, standing out, and believing in your project apply to fiction.