Why Writing to a Trend Didn't Work for Your Book

Writing to a trend fails for some authors specifically, and it isn't a talent problem. If your work carries your emotional truth, a book written for someone else's reason arrives flat, readers feel the difference, and the failed launch then gets read as a verdict on you rather than on the decision. The fix is going back to what you actually want to write and finding the readers already asking for it.

Your book isn’t selling and you’ve decided it means you’re not a real writer. Or that you just suck. After all, everyone else is doing much better than you. Your friend told you to write reverse harem. So, you wrote reverse harem even though it didn’t feel great and now your books just aren’t selling even though hers still are.

Most of my Heartweavers think they’re the problem when it comes to their book, myself included.

We think we can follow trends and just ride the trope train. I mean, come on. Those romance trope books were made for us so we could write one romance after the other and not dry out.

Except that… a lot of us don’t write romance. Or we don’t want to write romance. We want to write thrillers and chase scenes. Maybe not heavily detailed worldbuilding scenes. Those can derail a Heartweaver, especially one with Wildscribe tendencies, pretty fast.

And when those books fail? We take it personally. Because there's so much of ourselves in every single one of our books that a failed launch doesn't feel like a marketing problem. It feels like the world actively rejecting us.

How to know this is you:

You wrote something because someone else said it would sell. Or you saw several people winning big on a trend or trope and said, “I can write that!” It didn't feel right while you were writing it. It didn't sell. And now you don't trust yourself to pick your next project because your judgment feels broken.

Fix 1:

Ask yourself one honest question — "Did I stay true to myself or did I deviate to make a buck?"

If you deviated, the book's failure isn't evidence that you can't write. It's evidence that you wrote the wrong book for the wrong reason. That's not a talent problem. That's a misalignment problem. And it's fixable.

Fix 2:

Go back to what you actually want to write. However, you have to be really honest with yourself. Don’t say, “I like writing sex scenes,” when they leave you feeling drained afterwards. Or don’t say, “I need to write cozy,” because your aunt might read your book and you don’t want an awkward conversation at Thanksgiving.

Although, I will say it is awkward when your relative comes to you and tells you that your book saved their sex life.

Cool. Cool-cool.

Find the thing that scares you a little. The story you keep thinking about but won't start because it's "not marketable." Write that one. Heartweavers have to stay true to themselves — 100%, without deviation. When you write from your emotional truth, your voice comes alive. Your readers feel that. They can't feel it in a trend-chasing book you forced yourself through.

Fix 3:

Find the readers who want what you naturally write. They exist. They're leaving reviews on other books saying "I wish this had more emotional depth," and "I wanted to feel more connected to the characters."

That's your reader. She's out there looking for you. But she can't find you if you're hiding in a genre you don't belong in, writing books that don't sound like you.

Note From Franks

You honoring yourself and holding value to who you are at your core is your make-it or break-it. I can’t tell you that you’ll sell thousands of books or that you’ll make 6 figures, but you’ll certainly feel a lot better about yourself.

And you will naturally attract the readers who want you better if you just hold strong to who you are.

Make sure that your book’s promise shines through in all of your marketing—which is going to be mainly your newsletter. Social media is just not your ideal jam. Though, if you can connect there, great. Build your ecosystem through genuine intent.

You do, however, have to put yourself out there, though. They can’t find you if you’re hiding behind your trend, trope, or book cover.

Questions Heartweavers Ask Me

Should I write to trend if that's what's selling?

Only if the trend is something you'd write anyway. Writing a book because someone said it would sell puts the wrong reason under the work, and readers feel the difference between a book you needed to write and one you pushed through.

My book flopped. Does that mean I'm not a good writer?

Ask one question first: did you stay true to yourself, or did you deviate to make a buck? If you deviated, the flop is evidence you wrote the wrong book for the wrong reason. That's misalignment, and misalignment is fixable in a way that talent supposedly isn't.

How do I pick my next project when I don't trust my judgment?

Find the story that scares you a little — the one you keep thinking about but won't start because it's "not marketable." Be honest about what actually fuels you rather than what sounds respectable, then write that one.

Where do I find readers who want what I write?

In the reviews of books adjacent to yours. Look for "I wish this had more emotional depth" and "I wanted to feel more connected to the characters." That's your reader saying what she couldn't find, and she can't find you while you're publishing in a genre you don't belong in.