I have literally been having this conversation with so many authors lately (Why is it impossible to find an agent, a publisher? Why am I being ghosted?) Your diagnosis confirms that "It's not me, it's you" (meaning the broad industry trends). Sadly, writers blame themselves, anyway: "I must be a terrible writer." "My book/my query/ must be awful." "I guess I can't write." This is a good reminder that, no, we aren't all failed writers; the business model we're counting on is (somewhat) broken.
I self-published because I like being read. If you're in it for the money your expectations need to be adjusted. I also self-published because I got stupid feedback from editors. Maybe if I followed their advice, I would have a hit but none of their track records showed that. They seemed like real estate agents who list a bunhc of houses knowing some are going to sell not matter how little they work.
So I work my day job and I write and have fun and love to hear from my few regular readers and the occasional new ones. And the $$$s I make take me out to dinner every once in a while and that's nice.
I think we so often want to think that there's this magic answer, and magic industry formula, but it really is as simple as writing what is meaningful to us. Love this!
As someone writing from the querying trenches exactly at this moment, your newsletter resonates so perfectly. It feels like so much else in life: we can do only what we can do, and adjust ourselves accordingly. Some very successful genre writers I know (mostly romantasy) are sure that paranormal is coming back, but maybe not with vampires, so weregophers might be *just* thing, tbh. <runs to google gopher tiktok>
Thanks for this, Kate. I'm in the query trenches now. Rapping my helmet with the manuscript ammo clip. Advancing with eyes and ears open. Making ground wherever the opportunity arises.
Information about what is happening is valuable in and of itself; the reasons why, and advice about next steps is not, necessarily. Your reporting from the "front lines" gives us what we lack -- which is insight. Taking all of our needs, wants, projects, abilities, and tendencies would make an impossible task for you. Formulating a "how to" based on those is even harder. Nonetheless, thank you for your encouragement. It means a lot. And thank you, Kate, for sharing what you know.
The humility of this post is so refreshing. Too many with positions and titles across industries think they know what is happening *now* and what *should happen* in the near future because of what happened in the past.
But most things are so multi-dimensional and multi-causal, so even knowing what happened in the past and why is a conclusion best held loosely. Always good to hear from an insider who acknowledges "nobody knows nothing." 😅
Despite all these externalities affecting the current market, who is out there thinking of the next way to publish and market books? It seems like it is the publishing industry's moment to get disrupted. The existing model of relying on Amazon and the social media platforms while printing at scale in China is failing. Are any publishers trying to figure out new ways to get books into the hands of readers in new ways?
This is great insight, but what I'm dying to know is: When WASN'T it a tough market? I've been writing books since 2005 (3 of the 5 I've written have been published) and it has ALWAYS been "such a tough market right now!" according to my agents and others in the industry. Over the years, I've heard it chalked up to post-9/11 uncertainty, to the financial crisis, to the recession, to the consolidation of the publishing industry, to the rise of social media, to Trump, to the pandemic, to inflation. So, I'm wondering if maybe in the 80s and 90s, editors and agents were just doling out contracts left and right? (Probably while wearing brightly colored blazers with very large shoulder pads, and smoking?)
I have literally been having this conversation with so many authors lately (Why is it impossible to find an agent, a publisher? Why am I being ghosted?) Your diagnosis confirms that "It's not me, it's you" (meaning the broad industry trends). Sadly, writers blame themselves, anyway: "I must be a terrible writer." "My book/my query/ must be awful." "I guess I can't write." This is a good reminder that, no, we aren't all failed writers; the business model we're counting on is (somewhat) broken.
I self-published because I like being read. If you're in it for the money your expectations need to be adjusted. I also self-published because I got stupid feedback from editors. Maybe if I followed their advice, I would have a hit but none of their track records showed that. They seemed like real estate agents who list a bunhc of houses knowing some are going to sell not matter how little they work.
So I work my day job and I write and have fun and love to hear from my few regular readers and the occasional new ones. And the $$$s I make take me out to dinner every once in a while and that's nice.
I think we so often want to think that there's this magic answer, and magic industry formula, but it really is as simple as writing what is meaningful to us. Love this!
And that Frida Kahlo book looks awesome!!
Thank you, once again for sharing true wisdom and not spinning BS. Reality may bite, but it beats having our heads in the sand.
As someone writing from the querying trenches exactly at this moment, your newsletter resonates so perfectly. It feels like so much else in life: we can do only what we can do, and adjust ourselves accordingly. Some very successful genre writers I know (mostly romantasy) are sure that paranormal is coming back, but maybe not with vampires, so weregophers might be *just* thing, tbh. <runs to google gopher tiktok>
I always appreciate your realistic (and yet not cynical) analysis.
I always remind myself that words have the power to make things happen. No matter which way the market goes, the written word will never die.
Thanks for this, Kate. I'm in the query trenches now. Rapping my helmet with the manuscript ammo clip. Advancing with eyes and ears open. Making ground wherever the opportunity arises.
Information about what is happening is valuable in and of itself; the reasons why, and advice about next steps is not, necessarily. Your reporting from the "front lines" gives us what we lack -- which is insight. Taking all of our needs, wants, projects, abilities, and tendencies would make an impossible task for you. Formulating a "how to" based on those is even harder. Nonetheless, thank you for your encouragement. It means a lot. And thank you, Kate, for sharing what you know.
The humility of this post is so refreshing. Too many with positions and titles across industries think they know what is happening *now* and what *should happen* in the near future because of what happened in the past.
But most things are so multi-dimensional and multi-causal, so even knowing what happened in the past and why is a conclusion best held loosely. Always good to hear from an insider who acknowledges "nobody knows nothing." 😅
Despite all these externalities affecting the current market, who is out there thinking of the next way to publish and market books? It seems like it is the publishing industry's moment to get disrupted. The existing model of relying on Amazon and the social media platforms while printing at scale in China is failing. Are any publishers trying to figure out new ways to get books into the hands of readers in new ways?
Thanks for these insights , industry does seem.extra slow
“Weregophers” — I LOVE IT!
Weregophers ... 😆
Love the comment you made-“Write the book you want”.
This is great insight, but what I'm dying to know is: When WASN'T it a tough market? I've been writing books since 2005 (3 of the 5 I've written have been published) and it has ALWAYS been "such a tough market right now!" according to my agents and others in the industry. Over the years, I've heard it chalked up to post-9/11 uncertainty, to the financial crisis, to the recession, to the consolidation of the publishing industry, to the rise of social media, to Trump, to the pandemic, to inflation. So, I'm wondering if maybe in the 80s and 90s, editors and agents were just doling out contracts left and right? (Probably while wearing brightly colored blazers with very large shoulder pads, and smoking?)