Thread: What to write?

From what I understand, magazines and book publishers look for specific types of stories/books at different times. Is there a way for us to find out what is currently being sought so we can direct our writing towards what the publishers want to see?
I have never figured out how to find this information.

Thanks,
SingleFin

Look at the best-seller charts and see what's trending. Personally, I don't bother. If you write a good enough story it doesn't matter if it's trending right now. It'll still be a story worth selling.

The "Artists and writer's Year Book" lists magazines and publishers and gives a fair idea of what sort of things they are looking for and in what form. That's in this country, but I would be willing to bet there is a similar publication most places

If you spend your time trying to write what editors and agents are looking for rather than what you want to write, then they'll probably be looking for something else by the time you submit it. All of the big success stories I can think of have come from people writing what they wanted to write rather than what publishers were looking for; I don't think anyone was desperately searching for 'school for wizards' stories when Harry Potter came along, for example.

Not so true of magazine publishers, movieman, there is a certain constancy there to give the publication its unique feel. The year book gives you good clues to where to look, then buy the magazine. I have a friend who supplements her pension quite usefully in this way.

For short stories, Doutrope's Digest lists the various publications and the types of stories they're looking for. But I agree, you're better off writing what you really want to write and then looking for a publication where it might fit. What you're suggesting sounds like you're going about it backwards.

Duotrope's Digest

Stateside, Writer's Digest magazine puts out an annual Writer's Market which list thousands of magazine and book markets. Contact information, submission requirements and guidelines are clearly stated.

Successful writing careers have been built both by writing for oneself and then finding a matching market, and by researching the markets and tailoring the writing to fit. It is a personal choice.

For the fiction market, especially for genre fiction, I'd advise against writing to trend. Remember that some of these magazines have a long lead time, at least 6 months I would think. So if the current trend in short fiction is vampires now, in 6 months that may not be what editors are looking for.

I'd say the same for novels. For those, you're looking at something at least 1 year out. And that's after you've sold.

Non-fiction, from my POV, has a better chance of writing for the market. Most topics are evergreen.

For the OP--don't just use directories that tell you what markets are looking for, read those markets. Read the fictions mags. Look at the types of stories they publish. Then write a story that fits into their "type." The story that sells to Analog will not be the same that sells to Asimov's or F&SF.

A Baen novel is not the same as a TOR novel.

You get the idea.