Should I Finish My Book Recommendation Project or Build Something Businesses Will Pay For?

Commercial software is difficult because you need to understand the customer’s problem, prove that your solution fixes it, and show that it is valuable enough to pay for. You also have to think about reliability, security, documentation, maintenance, and potentially legal responsibility. Unless you already have a client giving you requirements, it’s usually better to keep learning through a project you care about.

The book idea doesn’t have to stay just a practice project. You could eventually add book affiliate links, release it as an open-source project, host it as a small web app, or use it to demonstrate your skills when applying for jobs. Keep building it, and let the commercial possibilities develop naturally instead of forcing a new idea just because it sounds profitable.

Be a finisher. A lot of developers start projects, but completing one teaches you things that starting five new ideas doesn’t. You can always add features, improve the design, or pivot the book system later. Recommendation technology is useful in many industries, and a finished project could also be valuable as part of a portfolio.

At your stage, learning and staying motivated matter more than immediately earning money. Building something you genuinely want to use makes it easier to keep going and exposes you to different technologies. If you focus only on what businesses might buy, you could burn out or spend months solving a problem nobody actually has.

I’d stick with the project for now. Looking for the perfect money-making idea can become a distraction, especially when you don’t already have a specific customer telling you what they need and what they would pay for. You’re gaining useful experience, and solving a problem you understand personally gives you a better chance of building something people might actually enjoy using.