5 Things Writers Should Know Right Now

lightbulbI’m blogging at Books & Such today. Here’s a preview of the post:

As everyone in publishing deals with a rapidly changing environment, replete with opportunities as well as disappointments, it’s easy to lose sight of the overarching truths that can serve to keep us centered. I think it’s important to go back to basics every now and then so that we can better focus on what’s important. Here are a few points that come to my mind:

1. NOT everything is changing.

Most aspects of publishing are in the midst of transition — the form and format of books, the way books are sold, the way books are marketed, the way readers discover books. What isn’t changing is the need for authors to continue writing the best books they can. People are still reading, so the pipeline still needs to be fed, regardless of what the pipeline looks like. Keep writing!

2. There’s NO single correct way to approach your writing career.

From self-publishing to traditional to everything in between, you have choices when it comes to publishing. There are some very loud voices out there on the Internet trying to convince you that their way is best. But these are personal and individualized decisions, and what works for someone else isn’t necessarily what will work for you. There’s not a “right” way, there’s only your way, which you might only find through experimentation and risk. (See Jane Friedman’s handy and detailed infographic in which she categorizes your choices into 5 Key Book Publishing Paths.)

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Rachelle Gardner

Literary agent at Gardner Literary. Coffee & wine enthusiast (not at the same time) and dark chocolate connoisseur. I've worked in publishing since 1995 and I love talking about books!

1 Comment

  1. Craig Soffer on May 31, 2013 at 11:36 AM

    Where would you say the “simply good” belongs nowadays. Say a genre novel that would definitely be appreciated by its primary target audience, but from a writer without an obvious money-making platform (not famous, no huge Twitter following, first novel). On the page the book is good, maybe very good, maybe a possible movie option…but the writer is essentially newly emerged from some cave of obscurity. Which path would you recommend?