I am so grateful to be working my dream career, but one very difficult distinction I've learned is that between writing out of pure passion, and writing for the market.

Given the choice, I always have to consider my financial livelihood first, and write for the market.

I have passion projects at every stage, from ideas to full drafts, that I've shelved bc publishing has or would deem them as "unmarketable". Some of these projects, I've been told by beta readers, reflect my best work The books I've sold, I wrote ALL of them w/ market in mind

This isn't to say that I don't think my published and upcoming novels don't reflect my passion and best effort, because they absolutely do. But the reality is that I have books I'm equally or more passionate abt that I'll likely never work on, bc I have to consider market first.

As an author, that's business.

As a writer, that's heartbreaking, tbh.

This is esp hard for marginalized authors and readers bc it means publishing thinks our quiet and happy stories aren’t worth as much—if anything at all—as our pain and trauma narratives.

It is exhausting to bleed on the page over and over again. We deserve to just be happy.