At a recent writing conference, I overheard a few new writers lamenting the new reality of the publishing marketplace. With the shift from traditional publishers to self publishing, and the abundance of tools available to the author who is committed to their own marketing, traditional publishers are accepting fewer new book manuscripts. Many of them are focusing only on their established authors, which from the surface, makes it appear that new authors will have a more difficult time getting published.
Let’s get something straight. It’s never been easy to get published. Fifteen years ago, unsolicited manuscripts wound up in teetering piles in an editors office. They got in the door, but were no more likely to be considered than in today’s marketplace. A new writer often had to have an inside track to the editor’s desk, a relationship to leverage, be an excellent wordsmith, and not give up when someone said “No Thank You, you don’t fit our editorial needs at the moment.
These factors haven’t changed for today’s writers and future authors. Here are a few encouraging words from agent Rachelle Gardener from her blog:
Here are some truths:
• Publishing is in flux and no one is quite sure what the future looks like.
• Publishers are merging, resulting in fewer places to submit manuscripts to be traditionally published.
• With self-published books now plentiful, there are more books than ever before for readers to choose from.
• It is difficult figuring out how to effectively market books.
• A book’s potential sales are highly unpredictable.
At that same conference, while teaching on social media for writers, I declared that today is an incredible time to be an author. No other time has offered writers so many tools and avenues to self publish, and promote their own work than today. If becoming an author is about finding an audience that likes to read what I write, than today is the BEST day to be an author. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Rachelle seems to agree, and she finished her blog with these words.
• A few bumps in the road don’t mean your dream has to end.
• Publishing setbacks are not “failures” but necessary and expected rites of passage in this business.
• Just because things didn’t go the way you envisioned doesn’t mean things can’t still go well — possibly after a re-envisioning of your goals.
• People are reading more than ever, meaning we need writers more than ever.
• You can embrace your identity as a writer, and refuse to let external circumstances change that.
• The best way to deal with dejection is to stand up and fight.
Years ago, the late Zig Ziglar put it this way. “If your business is good or bad, it’s good or bad between your ears.”
What about you? What are you doing to reach your audience? Are you working on your author platform daily? I would love to hear your ideas – the ones that worked, and the ones that didn’t.
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