The Reports of Book Buyers' Deaths are Greatly Exaggerated
On books and not doing all the things
Hello friend, 👋🏾
Last week, I wrote a guest post for
’s ever informative responding to a super viral Substack post about the publishing industry.I basically go through my experience as a hybrid author who sits firmly in the midlist—a perspective missing from the discussion of bestsellers and whether publishing is worth it.
And if you missed
’s excellent and thorough rebuttal to the original piece, definitely check out his post, “Yes, People Do Buy Books.”I’m also freshly back from the massive author signing event ApollyCon, where I got to meet readers and author friends both old and new. There’s something very special about going to an event filled with people who love books and meeting folks who have read your book, or pitching new folks whose eyes light up at the description and immediately buy a copy.
Events like these drain my batteries and spend all my energy pennies, but they also recharge me in a different way. Even the most introverted, “no, I’m not going out after 9pm” and “not booked, not busy, just not coming” among us are still, at heart, social creatures. And I always come back from these events inspired. Once my body recovers, I’m raring to go again.
Also, in a discussion of whether people still buy books, there are more and more reader events popping up all over the world where readers fill hotel ballrooms and convention centers, literally dragging carts overflowing with books from table to table getting them signed and depleting their bank accounts because of their love of stories.
Book people abound. And we’re not going anywhere.
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📝 You Do Not Have to Do All the Things
Author and coach extraordinaire Becca Syme had a very inspiring thread on Threads the other day about goals. Many writers believe that becoming a full-time author is the dream. But often they are not aware of, nor do they consider, all of the other ancillary tasks that reality requires.
We might have had visions of writing all day and then doing bookstore appearances to sign books for our adoring readers and maybe walking the red carpet on our movie premieres. But did the dream include researching retailer algorithms? Maintaining half a dozen social media accounts? Mastering Facebook ads? Bookkeeping, accounting, tracking down graphic designers, scheduling editors and proofreaders, wrangling translators, proofing audiobooks, and the dozens of other tasks that successful self-publishers must do or find other, responsible, reliable people to do?
What if you don’t want to do all of that crap? Becca reminds us of something important:
You do not have to do all the things. You can just write.
I say this not just because "being a full time author" has changed a lot, but also because many of us won't actually thrive doing "all the things" and we might thrive having a mindless day job that would pay the bills so we can write what we want to write again. Writing what you want to write doesn't mean giving up. In fact, for many of us, it's the key to our success.
I’ve been thinking about success a lot. So much, that I started an interview series on my podcast about it. Talking to other successful authors really drives home how individual the idea of success is for us. But there is a lot of noise out there that wants to make it a uniform calculation.
Success could be replacing the income from your day job, winning an award, hitting a list, making six or seven figures a year. Or it may be sharing your creativity with the world on your own terms, or touching the lives of others, becoming someone’s favorite author, or making an impact in the world. Or some combination of these things.
Sometimes we need permission to admit that it’s okay to ignore the messages out there telling us what should be important to us. It’s okay if everyone else’s dream or goal isn’t yours.
…if you are starting to get increasingly frustrated with chasing the next thing, and you just want to be able to do what you want to do... define what it is you want, and don't let anyone else decide what you should want. (Including the market. Including the industry.)
📝 The Perks of a Day Job
In that vein, author
’s post “The Perks of a Day Job” is all about how having an outside way to earn money can actually be quite freeing for creativity.I’m not sure we authors discuss enough is the ways in which our creative process can suffer when we need our art to pay our bills. Basically, if you need your next manuscript to sell to a publisher so that you can bring in some money, the pressure you put on yourself to create becomes immense. And in my experience, this isn’t good for creativity. In fact, it’s pretty detrimental.
This goes back to your goals as an author and how you define success. What’s important to me is telling the stories I believe in, the ones that I think will enrich the world in some way and burrow themselves into the hearts of readers.
If I’m solely concerned on selling as many copies as possible or on following market trends, then that negatively affects my writing.
Personally, I get creatively stymied when I start thinking about what’s popular or what might possibly sell the best. I don’t want to write a clone of the latest top seller. I became a writer because I had something to say and I want to say it. So having another way to earn a somewhat reliable income (as a freelance web developer, it’s still variable, but less so than publishing) keeps me sane.
Bowman also talks about the time issue. A day job will take away from the writing time, right? Not necessarily.
When we have multiple responsibilities battling for our time, we are forced to prioritize the work of writing—of actively putting words on the page—and the noise falls aside because we simply don’t have time for it.
This is true for me as well. Ever since graduate school, when I worked full-time and attended classes at night, I realized I do better when I’m busier. I started my web development business while working part-time at two different universities and directing and editing an independent film.
Work expands to fill the time available, and I know I make far more strides when I have to get things done in a finite time period. That’s why deadlines can be so wonderful. (Okay, wonderful is a strong word, but you get the idea.)
Now, being busy also can lead to overwhelm and stress, so see the above thread from Becca Syme. There are strategies and mindset shifts necessary to figure out what tasks give you energy and what steals it.
Working full-time does make writing more difficult. Few of us can create to our highest capacities when we’re exhausted. So maybe the job you have isn’t one which makes any of this possible. I’ve had success taking my business down to part-time so I can still focus half the day on writing. That’s working for me and giving me the freedom to pursue my art and my dreams while paying the bills.
Think deeply about what might work for you. What do you really want from writing? Is there a change you need to make that can help you get there?
💡Upcoming Events
Steamy in Seattle: A Fantasy Romance Tea Party
May 10, 2024 - 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Washington Park Arboretum
Wisteria Hall, 2300 Arboretum Dr E
Seattle, WA 98112
Meet authors L. Penelope and Melissa Marr as they discuss the fantasy romance genre, their own fantasy worlds, and what writing romance has taught them!
Workshop: A Writer’s Guide to Romantasy
May 11, 2024 - 10:00 am – 2:30 pm
Seattle, WA
Weaving fantasy and romance into a compelling story requires understanding the conventions of both genres. Whether you’re drafting your first love story in an epic fantasy world or looking to deepen the romantic plots of your current manuscript, this class will give you tools and techniques to captivate readers with every page.
In this 4-hour workshop, you will learn ways to blend fantasy and romance elements seamlessly, creating a captivating and unique narrative.
A combination of lectures, writing exercises, and prompts will help you construct immersive fantasy settings, develop intriguing characters, incorporate popular genre tropes, and balance worldbuilding with plot and character.
Come prepared to write and discuss your projects!
More information & Registration
🎙️ My Imaginary Friends: Episode 237 - Five Years of Podcasting! Plus Updates!
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing, where I share insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week’s best thing.
Watch on YouTube | Listen to the podcast
Mentioned:
EF Go Ahead Tours – https://www.goaheadtours.com/tours
A few of my photos from Greece –
Read my post: “Beyond Bestsellers: Yes, People Still Buy Books”
3000 Years of Longing movie
The Fall of Souls by R. A. Moreau – https://amzn.to/3WfYQ7d
✨Ink & Magic podcast: Episode 24
“Fandom with Angel Lawson”
Thanks for reading! You can also:
Thanks for sharing my post here! (Semi-related: I also adored Becca Syme's thread about author goals and workloads. So wise, and packed with great points.)
Thank you for helping to shine positivity onto books and publishing! Also, Google News served me up a Book Riot article that included The Monsters We Defy as one of nine must-read historical fantasy books! :)
https://bookriot.com/must-read-historical-fantasy/