Posts
The light of my writing is my heart. I give it freely.
Publishing is a business. We are writers, basically creative souls with little experience in the world of contracts and predators wearing business suits.
Reading for pleasure is becoming a lost art in a video game/TV world.
Publishers are downsizing.
The surviving editors are gun-shy of taking chances.
Purchasing agents for said publishers want a guarantee-return for their advances.
Ebooks are illusionary. Three hundred dollars is a lot to spend for a devise that gives you teeny-tiny books with no color and few graphics with less illustrations.
The odds of any of us getting an agent are atrocious :
.04%
And when you do, you will have no say over the all-important title and cover art. There is the horror story of Allison, a client of sage agent Rachelle Gardner (who, by the way, will not even look at queries for the 1st quarter of 2011) :
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2011/01/when-publishing-dreams-become-nightmare.html
Many literary agents are so fearful of offending the all-important publishers, who are the source of their livelihood, that they will not challenge outrageous behavior on the part of said publishers.
And no, we are not the source of the agents' livelihoods. Would-be authors are a penny a dozen. Publishers who are still open to looking at unpublished authors on the other hand are getting fewer and fewer.
Ebooks are an option, of course. But with limitations. Go to Raquel Byrnes excellent post to see what they are :
http://nitewriter6.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html
And read what her agent says about the drawbacks of Kindle here :
http://cowboymusing.blogspot.com/2011/01/books-published-on-kindle.html
So are we kidding ourselves?
Why do we write?
I write because I enjoy the art of crafting a suspenseful, lyrical, fun read. If I ever get published that will just be the icing on the cake. But even I get weary of the sound of one hand clapping that I receive from queried agents. How about you?
***
Publishing is a business. We are writers, basically creative souls with little experience in the world of contracts and predators wearing business suits.
Reading for pleasure is becoming a lost art in a video game/TV world.
Publishers are downsizing.
The surviving editors are gun-shy of taking chances.
Purchasing agents for said publishers want a guarantee-return for their advances.
Ebooks are illusionary. Three hundred dollars is a lot to spend for a devise that gives you teeny-tiny books with no color and few graphics with less illustrations.
The odds of any of us getting an agent are atrocious :
.04%
And when you do, you will have no say over the all-important title and cover art. There is the horror story of Allison, a client of sage agent Rachelle Gardner (who, by the way, will not even look at queries for the 1st quarter of 2011) :
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2011/01/when-publishing-dreams-become-nightmare.html
Many literary agents are so fearful of offending the all-important publishers, who are the source of their livelihood, that they will not challenge outrageous behavior on the part of said publishers.
And no, we are not the source of the agents' livelihoods. Would-be authors are a penny a dozen. Publishers who are still open to looking at unpublished authors on the other hand are getting fewer and fewer.
Ebooks are an option, of course. But with limitations. Go to Raquel Byrnes excellent post to see what they are :
http://nitewriter6.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html
And read what her agent says about the drawbacks of Kindle here :
http://cowboymusing.blogspot.com/2011/01/books-published-on-kindle.html
So are we kidding ourselves?
Why do we write?
I write because I enjoy the art of crafting a suspenseful, lyrical, fun read. If I ever get published that will just be the icing on the cake. But even I get weary of the sound of one hand clapping that I receive from queried agents. How about you?
***
I write because it's a way of escaping from things, I suppose. I also love that feeling that I'm creating something that I can work and change.
ReplyDeleteI'd never write to be published--not just because the odds of getting my work on the shelf are so slim, but because the writing part is what's the most important to me.
Golden Eagle : Glad that I'm not alone in writing just for the fun of creating. Perhaps we'll both be published anyway. Stranger things have happened. Have a great Sunday, Roland
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mention, Roland. And you're right...decisions are getting murkier every day. I'm glad that the will to write transcends the woes of the business side...keep sharing. We're all better for it. =)
ReplyDeleteRaquel : Thanks for the support. I guess it's the Zen of writing. Write for the sheer pleasure of creating of being "in the zone" of having your prose match your mental images. Have a great Sunday, Roland
ReplyDeleteI too write for the love of the art. Publication, however ellusive it is, is a dream that will come true but how many books will I have written before one sells. Many, many, many because when the day is done writing is what I do and love.
ReplyDeletePublication will be a bonus but it will not shape what i write or how i write.
Don't get discouraged, Roland and for the love of everything stop looking up depressing percentages :)
J
Jodi : Sometimes I'm like that poor fellow at the Alamo who catches himself counting how many Mexicans have bayonets affixted to their rifles. The answer? Too many!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're like me and writing for the pleasure of it. We should savor the feeling now. If we should become published, that time will be over. We will have to write according to the dictates of the changes demanded of us by the editors. It's always something! LOL. Thanks for the support, Roland
I write for the same reasons, but I also want to share my work with others. I don't buy into the agony that you are experiencing - nor do I believe that "published" is only a word used for the tradional route. I am published. I am an indie author. My work is purchased and read by others. I have complete autonomy over cover art and title. The only people I have to please are the readers.
ReplyDeleteI am not a writer. I am a reader. I like to read a variety of works. I don't write for two reasons: I don't have the talent for it; if I did have talent I would not enjoy the rejection after so much hard work. I admire people who have the gumption to continue writing. Like you.
ReplyDeleteI write because it is something I have become dedicated to. With my writing I truly believe it's only worth doing if I put my full heart and soul into, and that is exactly what I try to do with my work. I know the chances of getting published have gone down, but....
ReplyDeleteWhy should that make me want to give up what I love?
Great post as usual, Roland.
Always,
Lindsey
I have to sometimes remind myself that there are people who will never know what it is like to write something. Not everyone wants to spill their heart and soul onto a blank page and transform it into something they may take for granted. This saddens me in the way some people say they don't really listen to music. What?
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling that most "really good" writers are atomic bombs, filled with buzzing, volatile compounds waiting to erupt.
Some days I wish I could be as calm inside as Prot. I hope there is a K-Pax.
Hang in there and KEEP WRITING.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Roland, good stuff to ponder (and whew, shorter than most of your posts, which as a busy writer, I appreciate).
ReplyDeleteIt does seem the odds are narrowing along with the industry. It's becoming harder to make money for publishers, agents, and writers alike. And yet I still love to write. As long as I can SOMEHOW write and get it into the hands of someone to read my work, I will be happy. I love writing and it's very fulfilling, but like you, want to be published in order to be read and appreciated by others.
Laura : I'm glad you've found fulfilment in the independent route. I wish you high sales and success in your publication dreams. There are just pitfalls to the independent route I would avoid if I can. My choice, and thus, the lumps are all my picking as well. Thanks for caring enough to comment.
ReplyDeleteTechnoBabe : I appreciate the support, believe me. I merely wrote because I felt others might be feeling the sting of rejection and the sense of the implosion of the publishing world as we once knew it.
Lindsey : I agree with you. Just because the odds are high doesn't make it not worth doing. In fact, it are the losing battles that are sometimes the most important ones never to give up in. Have a great Sunday.
Wendy : I feel like you ... a wonder at people who do not create in some way : who do not write, do not listen to music, and do not create whether it be in the garden or in the kitchen, with their children, or on the canvas. How do they view life? How do they see themselves and the world?
A most thoughtful comment.
The Happy Whisk : Thanks for the encouragement. And I will continue to write. I just wanted to let others who might be taking in a deep breath and reflecting on their choice to be a writer. To let them know that they were not alone.
Carol : You're right. As writers, we must write what is in our minds and hearts. The more I talk with the new co-workers just entering the work force, I find they do not even read at all ... ever. I am beginning to feel that reading as a form of entertainment is slipping away from us as horseback riding has done for most of the coutnry.
May we both find success in our publishing dreams, Roland
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOh, Carol : Sorry about my usual long posts. I get caught up with the subject of the moment and forget myself. I'll try to do better.
ReplyDeleteImagery Imagined : Emily Dickinson only had three poems published in her lifetime ... and those heavily edited. Yet, her passion drove her to write reams of poetry that have touched the troubled hearts of millions. So there is hope for you and me. Have a healing Sunday, Roland
ReplyDeleteThanks, for sharing Roland.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know about the publishing part about writing, but at the end of the day, nothing compares to the joy of expressing my thoughts and imaginations on paper. I guess it's a passion, to "write", like most of us here... enjoy the rest of the day.
p.s. had to delete and re-post my comment due to spelling error, but your are very fast, with your comment. Good Nite.
How is the writing itself, going?
ReplyDeleteLOL--no prob, Roland, but I have seen others talk about blog posts in general, and say shorter is better for most people who go blog visiting. Most people start skimming if a post is too long--or skip it completely.
ReplyDeleteAnd wow, do you ever rest or have time to write on your novel/s? You even blog on weekends! ;o)
The Happy Whisk : My muse seems to be in need of a new set of spark plugs! I've only written 10 pages in the past three days. I'm doing a bit of research of French Quarter ghosts which is slowing me down a bit.
ReplyDeleteCarol : Like my push-up's and sit up's I like to keep a daily schedule. But like I mentioned to the Happy Whisk, doing research on the French Quarter supernatural aspects is slowing me down a bit. I didn't want to go on my memory alone of those streets. Thanks for inquiring and you, too, Happy Whisk, Roland
I write because I think I have interesting stories to tell and a desire to share them.
ReplyDeleteYes, the odds for success are long, but they're even longer if a writer doesn't follow through and write, revise, submit the work and while waiting for an acceptance among the many rejections, work on the next project.
It's not impossible. In a small measure, I'm proof of that. A little success can drive one forward.
Thanks for posting and the links. And all dedicated writers out there, hang in there!
I write because I finally found the courage to do so. I have to believe that one day, we'll all be published. Till then, I have good friends who enjoy what I write....I'll just share with them :)
ReplyDeleteNew spark plugs? Wait, I just checked. I have some brand new plugs in our shed. Teleporting them to you now, along with some homemade everything bagels.
ReplyDeleteThe Happy Whisk : Thanks for the bagels and the spark plugs. Both appreciated deeply. May this new week treat us both well.
ReplyDeleteWords Crafter : We write because we must -- that is what made Emily Dickinson a writer and what makes us authors. Thanks for visiting and commenting. It means a lot to me, Roland
Terry : Thanks for the good words. I wrote to let others out there struggling know that they are not alone. And here you go, squeezing my cyber-shoulder, letting me know I am not alone either. Thanks, Roland
ReplyDeleteI am not a writer. But what a joy to read such talented bloggers as you are! Please, don't stop.
ReplyDeleteOlga : Comments like yours and your encouragement help all of us to keep on trying. Thanks, Roland
ReplyDeleteWell my friend you know where I stand on this. I love to write because I do enjoy telling a story. Before it was always verbally and now for the past two years I have been writing.
ReplyDeleteIt saved me. Having a creative outlet for a creative person is a must! Before it was my art, but that took me through the first half of my life. This art form takes you to the heavens. We can create the most amazing pictures with words.
As for being published. Yes, I long to be published. It is the icing on the cake.
I have said this so many times. This community is an amazing one. What would we all do without each other.
Michael
Michael : Like you, writing has been an outlet of healing and salvation for my spirit. We write the stories burning to get out.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the blogging community is a truly gracious, giving one. Thanks to all of you for being who you are, Roland
Why do I write?
ReplyDeleteI write because I want to share my stories with the world. That's what I always say and that's what I always believe.
I have plenty of stories, but so do a million other people on this planet.
I guess, I just want to have someone listen to me or read them. I do it also for the sake of the art. I do it for myself more than any of my readers. I do it for many reasons and these are just a few.
Awesome post, Roland, and write on!
Vatche : I'm with you. Though I love to create, my ultimate dream is to share my stories with others. And yes, a million other people seem to have the same dream. You are right that we probably write for a wide variety of reasons. I pray that your and my publication dreams come true. Have a great Monday, Roland
ReplyDelete