I keep hearing people worried about the future of publishing, and of authors in general. I’ll admit, I started writing thinking of sharing my story with the world. I planned on it being an instant hit, and me making tons of money from it. I thought a publisher would pick it up, all on the strength of the story. I wouldn’t need to do any looking, they would find me.
Now I know better. That isn’t to say that you can’t be an overnight success, or that you shouldn’t dream, quite the contrary. But even those overnight successes put in the work. They wrote the book, they planned the story, they had a plan for what they were going to do.
I’m learning that being an author is a very deliberate process. If you aren’t willing to do the work of marketing and pushing your work, or pay someone else to do it, you’re not going to make it. If you’re not going to keep writing that series you started, you’re not going to make it. In order to win this massive lottery of pop culture, you have to play the game. If you don’t, there’s no way for you to win.
Some people say they don’t want to play the game. What they don’t understand, is you’re born playing it. The moment you crawl out of your mother, your own personal game starts. It’s up to you to decide where your character goes, what kind of person you become. Are you going to look on the world with cynical eyes? Or are you going to observe with a naivety that would put Maxwell Smart to shame(Don’t know who he is, Google is an amazing tool.)
Sumo Sized Ginger 