I don't actually have a problem with people whose primary motivation is financial.
I suppose I have trouble agreeing. When I write, my driver is what I want to say, not what will people want to read. I just trust that what I have to say will sync with enough people to give me a viable market. If I sit down and ask myself what will make the most money, my writing and novels won't be anything like what I actually now produce. And I would go from loving to hating the writing process.
The market for non-fiction is much larger than fiction's. One could probably write 100 fifty-page how-to guides in the time it takes to write a novel. Why don't the purely money-motivated focus there? Maybe they didn't get the memo (or look at the Warrior Forum).
But I'm sure there are loads of people who have an equal passion for both writing and money. I wonder if they're the ones clocking in at $100k a year plus.
I agree with you completely when you talk about your own motivation. I think you and I are quite similar in that way. I write what I want to write and hope someone will want to read it. I wouldn't necessarily jump on a popular bandwagon unless I felt
All I was saying was that I wouldn't be judgmental about someone who is primarily interested in the financial aspects as long as that person was pursuing success in an ethical way. Maybe the person is trying to escape from a horrible, soul-numbing job and needs to focus on doing that. Maybe the person has other reasons to really need the money. Some people would be OK treating writing primarily as a commercial endeavor and might still enjoy doing it. Popular writing isn't necessarily bad writing, either. Many people might be able to find a balance that works for them--making money without making themselves hate writing.
As far as nonfiction is concerned, while it's a large market, there are practical limitations. There's only so much room for how-to books on any given subject, and given the variety that already exist, I'd imagine any of the more complex subjects would probably make a successful book only if the author were an expert. And if the subject were more simple, there are plenty of free how-to resources, including YouTube videos. It's not that people don't still exploit nonfiction for commercial reasons, but that route may not work for everyone. The appalling emails seem to tacitly acknowledge that by suggesting very short, ripped-from-the-headlines kind of nonfiction. Churn out a short book on a very trendy subject, sell at a relatively low price-point, rake in some bucks, then catch the next trendy wave, and so on, ad infinitum. That sounds depressing to me, but it's one way to milk nonfiction that doesn't have any obvious limit. But the books will be really short and probably of temporary interest at best.
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