Outlining
This past Sunday’s New York Times opinion page ran another one of those sky-is-falling publishing op-eds that always raise my hackles. Writers eat this stuff up; it seems to serve as some sort of validation for why it’s so fricking hard.
This particular op-ed, “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Reader,” by OR Books co-publisher Colin Robinson, is ostensibly about how readers are disappearing (although it's really about the fact that so many people publishing books makes it hard for writers to stand out and Robinson is really bummed about it). Even if you ignore the statistics Robinson cites in his own piece—that profits are steady at the big houses—there is ample evidence out in the world that in fact readership is at least steady, if not on the rise. It just looks different than it used to.
The attitude conveyed in this piece is exactly what prompted me to leave traditional publishing. Book industry professionals love to bemoan the state of the industry. If you’ve been in the industry for over ten years—whether as a professional or as an author—it’s hard to not remember how awesome it was before digital publishing and massive consolidations turned everything upside down. Things were simpler. There were fewer books and therefore less competition. The established order and way things had always been done was comfortable and writers knew their place in that order. If you couldn’t get published, there weren’t viable alternatives, so it kept everything safe and secure and ordered for industry folks. The gatekeepers did what they did well—and readers listened to them, providing said gatekeepers with a sense of power and control. Marketing teams had strategies that worked that didn’t require them to be nimble the way the Internet forces them to be now. There was no such thing as social media and “platform” was not a buzzword.
For those who’ve been around, the new state of things feels hard. I get it. It’s hard that relatively few authors can make a full-time living as a writer. It’s hard to get discovered. It’s hard to get reviews. It’s hard to get publicity. It’s hard that so many people think they can write a book and that so many new books are published every year. And wah-wah-wah. I hear these kinds of complaints all the time from writers. Sometimes they’re just venting—and that’s fine—but sometimes the complaints start to sound a lot like those of my seventeen-year-old stepson who feels like senior year is just so haaarrrd—you know? I, of course, can’t help but wonder how some of these same writers would have felt ten-plus years ago when there would have been nothing but closed doors for the majority of them. Now, of course, we all have the opportunity and privilege to greenlight ourselves, if we so choose.
The reality of writing and publishing is that it’s a privilege. It always has been. Writers have always struggled and worked really hard to get paid. Now it’s that much more difficult because there is so much competition. And the playing field has changed. Social media and technology are in the mix, and while some authors are thriving under this new paradigm, others have been left in the dust, feeling quite overwhelmed and even paralyzed by all the demands.
But today, as writers, we also have more access, more control, and more possibility than ever. Not even my New York Times best-selling client makes a living exclusively as an author. The people I know who do make a living on their writing alone are those who are writing their asses off and producing, producing, producing—at least one book a year, and multiple articles. Always submitting. Read this very convincing post by novelist Dean Wesley Smith about how writers really can make a living on their writing.
Other full-time authors are teaching (online and offline), speaking, and consulting. The writing fuels these opportunities, but there needs to be new content being produced in order to keep the engine running. To paraphrase Dean Wesley Smith, you need to be filling up your store, putting more and more inventory on your shelves. Discoverability today is not about having one breakout book; it’s about consistency and the long, steady, slow race to build a fan base and a loyal readership.
Meanwhile, mid-list authors, the ones Robinson is concerned that we’re losing, are the authors who are opting out of traditional publishing. The brewing question is this: Why would you give over 93% of your earnings to a publisher who is not going to spend any publicity dollars on your book and whose sole marketing strategy is to leverage your contacts? (Read Kamy Wicoff’s post about why she turned down a deal from a Big Five publisher to understand the thought process behind an entrepreneurial author’s decision to say no to this nonsense.) So maybe mid-list authors are being left behind in this new publishing landscape, but there is so much more going on outside of traditional publishing that is exciting and cutting-edge and hopeful.
We need to be very careful when we read and share these kinds of articles and op-eds to not engage in the propagation of this sky-is-falling mentality. The sky is not falling. You, as writers and authors, have agency. You choose how you show up to play. You can get depressed and mope around, or you can buck up and get with the program. There are proven ways to be a successful writer today, but it involves a constant tending. It will not just happen because you’ve written an amazing book—as much as we all love to fan the flames of this beautiful dream. Dedicate yourself to building your message, getting in front of your idea, tending to your platform, and creating spaces where your readership comes back for more. And no, there’s nothing easy about it, but is it rewarding? Oh yes. Very.
Oh—and Bay Area folks: if you're interested in how to tend to your message and your platform, please come to my Book Passage class on February 2. Super excited to be spending the day at this beloved bookstore teaching writers about fun and positive ways to stay in and ahead of the game.
* This article was originaly published in January 2014 *
I am dieting and tend to come across as rude when I do, so take what I write with a grain of salt.
Writers, except for the top tier, have always had to be marketers.
It was much easier to manipulate the bestseller list before the internet (remember the rumors of Jacqueline Susan buying her own books to get on there?), but now I contend it is much easier to make a living as a writer with self-publishing.
I've read (and agree) that self publishing is the new slush pile, write well, sell well, then if you do still want a contract, go the Jodi Ellen Malpas route.
There are so many platforms, so many ways to make a living with self publishing, don't be afraid of learning to market, one can either bemoan a time where writers only had to write (which I don't think ever existed) or say hey, let me learn how to market so I can make some money.
:)
Absolutely agree with this Brooke. I have gone from Big UK Pubs - where sure, I was published, but very little effort was put in by them, to self publ. Now with a small Indie. The Big guys have just got too greedy, and as you say, are missing out on so many great writers. Serve them right. And yes, it is hard being a writer. It is hard being a brain surgeon...being a top executive,.being a mum. But that's life. Suck it up!!!
I'm one of those old mid-listed authors who got sick of working so hard for so many, many years just to give the traditional publishers (I had Leisure Books, Zebra Publishing, and Avalon Books in the 1980's and 90's and others) 93-96% of my royalties. I was a published author who couldn't make decent money at it. I'm working harder than ever now, 42 years later, but with self-publishing, I'm making/keeping 70% of my royalties. Yeah! I'm making money for the first time ever! I love the new ways, the control I have over every aspect of my career now, even though it's hard at times to keep up with all that's expected of me to "stay in the race". I love eBooks, audio books and all the apps that make them possible. Long live Amazon and down with the old ways! Change is the only thing we can count on. Learn to run with the flow or get run down. No, being a writer was never easy, but at least now I have more power when it comes to my books.
I began publishing my books right as the industry changed--thanks Brooke for highlighting not only the challenges but the opportunities as well. The industry changes felt hard to me at first, but mostly because I knew how to write but not think strategically (or actively engage the book/reader process). Once I understood that I could create my own audience, interact with them, and share my writing (by selling books and having international conversations via the web) I found the creative thread expand and the opportunities too. www.wildfeminine.com
Always, Brooke, thank you for your straight talk and keeping the ever-changing publishing business in perspective. I'm brand new at this so I have nothing to whine about...yet. I have much, much to learn as so many of you are teaching me. As I begin to send out my first round of query letters this month, your message Brooke is a good reminder for me to keep a healthy check on my expectations, recognize that getting a book published and read is a privilege not an entitlement and continue to focus on the extraordinary potential to serve my reader rather than becoming buried by barriers.
Linda Joy, Kay, and Crystal, thank you for your comments. I love that you're the book grandma, Crystal. That's so wonderful. My son got so many books for Christmas this year and he loves them. He's only three and goes to bed with books, and most of the toddlers I know are obsessed with books. We just have to foster this so they stay reading into teenagehood and beyond!
@Katrina, I hear you. Thanks for the comment. The old adage—you have to spend money to make money may not necessarily be true when it comes to books. And there's a steep learning curve out there around how to market ourselves in this new climate. The trick is figuring out what you have to say and then being in conversation with your audience. So I am also grateful for these conversations.
Brooke, Happy new Year! I don't agree with the writer of that article. Books are still being published today and read and people are reading on their phones, tablets, computers, etc. which didn't exist in the past. I am the book grandma and for birthdays and Christmas I give my grandchildren and my brother, sister, brother in law, and sister in law, and my Dad, my husband's Dad, my children and friends, books. My oldest grandchildren asked specifically for published books that they wanted to read. The little ones I give board books, picture books, coloring books, etc. Everybody is still reading! My grandson who is 13 years, a straight A student reads a lot and tells me that he likes real books even though he has all kinds of gadgets which he understands. I keep reading memoirs that are being published by the mainstream publishers of unknown people. This past year I have learned more about self publishing and I am excited. I have learned a lot from you and from She writes. I am grateful. Thanks. crystal
The challenge I face in entering the world of publishing as an indie is that, frankly I am a terrible business woman. I have three failed business ventures to my credit (so far!). I simply do not have the skills to be a market-er of my work. I am very good at other things, but the whole imperative to be "out there" makes me want to curl up and cry--does not energize me to learn something new (like social media). I'm old enough now to want to focus on that which is soul-satisfying. The only solution I can imagine is to hire out the skills I don't possess, but that isn't feasible. Catch-22: can't do what's needed but can't afford to hire the talent. However, whining is not the answer, I totally agree, Brooke. I appreciate these conversations. It is affirming to know that we are wrestling with serious issues as we choose to engage in paradigm shifts!
@DeLani, I COMPLETELY agree with you about the issue with reviews, and in fact have submitted an op-ed to PW this month that I hope they will publish on this very topic. Fingers crossed.
You're right—more is expected for less, and I think this is sort of my point. It is the new paradigm and there's not much we can do about it. I really don't mind the venting, but I do mind the woe-is-me attitude that so many writers have about this fact. I like your points a lot, and I'm in total agreement, and I guess the big question is what to do about it, if anything. The industry is different than it was five or ten years ago, and it's not going backward, so those of us who want to succeed as writers have to assess the new territory or and decide exactly how we want to wade in. I also think that we can look at what's "expected" and say no. I'm saying no to Instagram and for now to any new social media expectations because I just can't handle it. It's too much. I tell writers to focus on 2 social media platforms and that's it. We have to be able to create boundaries, but we cannot opt out.
All that said, super valid points and thank you for such a good and measured comment. Food for thought indeed.
Great post, Brooke. It reminded me of a Margaret Atwood quote:
Writing is work. It's also gambling. You don't get a pension plan. Other people can help you a bit, but esentially you're on your own. Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don't whine.
You have a lot of valid points. I agree with you that far too many wannabe writers seem to spend more time complaining about how hard it is rather than buckling down and *doing the work.* That is, after all, what separates the amateurs from the professionals.
But I do think that it is in fact harder to earn money - *any money* - as a writer now. First: the decline of the general-circulation magazine that published short stories or serialized novels meant the death of a really viable market for many writers, a market that represented a decent living. Many famous writers earned all or most of their living as magazine (fiction) writers before moving on to novels. It's digital analog/replacement, the website, is notorious for expecting "content providers" (writers) to work for free. And of the print magazines left, only a small proportion of them pay for writing. So that entire market category is all but gone.
Second: The conglomeration of the publishing industry meant more and more "publishing houses" are actually owned by, I think, five companies. Yes, self-publishing *could* be an antidote to this, except that until the big reviewers like NYT Review of Books, etc., take serious notice of them, they are still essentially vanity presses.
Which bring me to my third point: the demand that writers now be marketers, whether self-published or not. This was never a requirement made of writers in the past. Sure, a writer with a flair for self-promotion was probably going to end up more successful, but it wasn't necessary. That was considered the publisher's job, so that the author could focus on doing what he (mostly he) did best: WRITE. Could anyone get away with Hemingway's reclusive persona in today's publishing marketplace? Worse, the marketing skills a writer is expected to have keep changing at lightning speed, so just taking a quick course on "building a web presence" won't cut it. Now we've got to have Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and whatever new thing I haven't heard about yet...things that we're expected to update regularly (more free writing).
I'm sure this sounds like a screed. Maybe it is. I'm trying not to let this stop me - I find time to write my novel *and* have an author website *and* have a blog that I post (relatively) regularly to. But I stand by my statement that more is expected of us, for less pay, than ever before.
When the pioneers starting walking across an unknown and largely unmapped part of what later became the United States, many people thought they were crazy. Of course, all manner of unjust and debatable things happened during the arc of a story that brings us to current times, but it seems that the 'new" publishing paradigm is walking the long journey toward something new and unknown. We can't know what it is yet until we get there, wherever that is, the unmapped publishing zone of the future.
Great point of view, Brooke! Perhaps writers have more control over their 'platforms and publishing' than ever before but they also have less support from traditional publishers. The gatekeepers have been cut back and it's now wide open. It's a contradiction, actually. Underneath the whole thing though, is so much more opportunity for us 'little guy' writers. Your post is very inspiring :)
Thanks for the comment, Julie. You and me are totally on the same page. :)
It's scary, but writers are getting read. I can too.
I read this article, and yes, found my insides gripping with that "it can't be done" fear. The sky was falling. The danger with so much online information is the deafening noise of opinions and slanted information that we consume, digest and offer as "nutrition" to our hearts and souls. But wait, there is, as you pointed out, more to the story. There's also a "truth" I suspect: that somehow my life's mission and destiny are tied up in this writing gig. I have to follow my passion, first and foremost, be smart and creative, and trust the doors will open exactly as they are meant to. The cogs of an industry are not the gods. Thanks for the good post.