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Can I Write to Market Without Being a Hack?
That depends on multiple factors.
What is a hack?
Stephen Pressfield, in his brilliant book The War of Art, defines a hack as someone who “condescends to the audience.” Further, the hack chooses to work not so much with what they desire to write as much as what they think they can write for money. They focus on what they think the market wants first and foremost.
Does that mean that if you write to market you’re automatically a hack? No. However, defining the line is important to me because I desire to be as authentic and genuine as I can be.
That’s not to say that you can’t be authentic and write to market at the same time. And maybe this matters less to you than it does to me. Maybe whether or not this matters is what should be explored first.
Why does this matter?
The first question is — why do I write professionally? Do I create books out of vanity? The desire to see my name and the title of a book I wrote on a website, a bookshelf, or in the hands of a reader?
While I do love to see my books in the world — it’s not about vanity. I have been compelled to write since childhood. I’m a storyteller. Along the way, that’s turned into a career in writing.
