The Importance of the Pivot

A year or two ago, I saw a presentation made by Kevin J. Anderson. He wrote my favorite Star Wars novels, The Jedi Academy Trilogy. First, I realize, that’s an unpopular opinion. A lot of people apparently don’t like that set, or its follow-up, Darksaber. I did, all right? Deal with it.

Anyway, in this presentation, Anderson talked about how he used to write a lot of Star Wars material. And he did! But if you keep looking, you’ll notice that he suddenly vanished from that universe. Apparently, he’d asked for a raise, and as a result, he was never asked to write a Star Wars novel again.

At that point he had to pivot if he was going to continue living as a writer! It’s hard to make a living from books you’re not allowed to write.

His presentation focused on the importance of being able to pivot. If you’re going to make a living as a writer, you have to write what people will buy.

Now, a large part of this is knowing your goal. If your goal is simply to write a good story, who cares if anyone buys it? That’s not your goal. That’s a laudable goal, too! However, it’s not the only possible goal.

My goal is to make enough off my writing to be able to support my family. That’s a long-term goal, obviously, but it is what I’m shooting for! And that means… I need to write things people will pay for.

Is that selling out?

Nope. It’s asking, “What sells? What am I interested in writing? Where do those two things intersect?”

And that means looking back at what I’ve written and evaluating how it’s selling.

And honestly… it may be time to pivot.

I’m not sure yet, but based on how my books have sold, it’s time to put in some analysis. Madelyn of the Sky and Cade sell… okay. But they’re not going to be supporting my family! At least, not as we’re approaching them now.

Now, that doesn’t mean I’m giving up writing! Definitely not! But it may mean I’m going to attempt writing something else. I’ve written some YA and some epic fantasy. Time to return there? Time to aim for a younger audience and write for grade school?

I’ve got plenty of options here, and way too many story ideas.

So we’ll see what happens coming up… but I’m mentally prepared to pivot!