The Myth of Established Authors

Ed Grabianowski blogged about a talk I gave at Origins in June, 2009 entitled Writing Careers in the Post Paper Age. Ed did a good job summarizing an hour’s worth of lecture, but a couple of points generated a lot of controversy his blog’s comment section. (My favorite is the screed that began, in reference to me, “I want to destroy this man.” (Cool. Bring it.))

In the interest of clarity, and in case anyone wants a preview of this talk when I give it at Gencon and Dragoncon this year, I’ll present several essays that address points which seem to have some people’s knickers in a knot. This is the second.

Whenever I give my talk on writing careers in the post-paper era, one of the immediate reactions combines indignation and resignation. It usually comes from writers who have collected a half-dozen rejection slips, or someone who’s had his first novel published, but finds the sales languishing as he works on his second. And the reaction always goes like this:

“What you’re saying is fine for established authors but…”

Drives me nuts, that one.

Why?

Because in the post-paper era there are No. Established. Authors.

None. Not a one of us. Publishers have never done a good job publicizing any authors beyond those who need no publicity. Ads are put out there just to alert readers to the fact that a well-known author has a new book out, not to try to drum up demand for a book that’s really good. (The reasoning behind such decisions escapes me; but I’m sure there’s a spread-sheet somewhere that would explain it all…from a certain point of view.)

Ask yourself this simple question: How do you know what music to buy, or TV shows to watch, or movies to see, or which cheese you’ll put into that holiday gift box for your great aunt?

Sampling.

Modern promotion proves one thing to be frighteningly clear: if you give people a sample for free, they’ll try it. If they like it, they will want more. That desire for more leads to sales. This is why ice cream shops give you tiny spoonfuls, why television shows have previews and car dealers invite you in for a test drive.

This leads back to my previous point: the way you become an established author is to promote yourself and make your work available for sampling over the internet. Folk who worry about being lost in the glut are worrying about something they can fight directly by providing samples of their work. Readers will decide if they want to read more. Podcasts (readings and interviews) can develop an audience. Readings and networking in Second Life can create an audience. Networking with other authors, linking to their sites, using Facebook and Twitter and Myspace and other social networking sites can expose you to a variety of audiences.

It does take work to gather that audience, and thats where the myth of established authors really hurts. There is an assumption that established authors never had to do any work. It’s nonsense, of course. Ask any established author and she’ll tell you that it took five or ten or fifteen years to become “an overnight success.” Heck, I had fourteen novels (and countless games and computer games) published before my first Star Wars™ novel made me a “success” by tossing me on the New York Times Bestseller list.

The fact is that I, too, have to work hard to become established in this new era. So I put work on the iPhone. I put work on the Kindle. I sell work from my website. I attend a dozen conventions a year promoting myself and my work. I hold weekly chats in Second Life, I co-host a twice-a-week podcast and published a how-to newsletter for writers. I blog and Tweet! I work on a whole host of projects that are intended to make a bit of money but also to get me more exposure.

All so readers can sample my work and decide they want to buy more.

And here’s the interesting thing about “established authors:” many lack techno-savvy, or are so technophobic that they have little or no desire or ability to make themselves established in the digital age. This means that newer, hungrier writers who are willing to embrace the opportunities offered by technology have a leg up on them. This is an advantage and opportunity that should not be squandered.

One last point: at no time have I ever suggested that any writer should abandon New York or traditional publishing in favor of just going electronic. We’re in a period of transition. New York has money. While I publish work on my website, I still write novels for New York publishers, and have no qualms about it. My pursuing digital publishing on my own is a hedge against the future: I don’t want all my eggs in one basket, especially when it looks like that basket might implode. (More on that in the next essay.) I encourage every writer to try and sell their work to the highest bidder. If you can’t find a market and you still think there should be one out there—and you’d be surprised at how many “established authors” have a novel or two that New York has declined to publish—then the digital realm is an exciting and lucrative alternative to traditional publishing models.

What I tell students is simple: it’s not either/or, it’s both. I don’t want you to do one or the other, I want you to do everything.

No one said taking control of your own destiny and the future was going to be a walk in the park. It’s not. But put the work in, and that future can be yours.

I comment a lot on writing and the nature of publishing in my writing newsletter The Secrets. I’ve been writing it for five years. For only $25 a year, you get twenty-five issues that talk about writing and provide tips and techniques that will get you published and making a profit off your writing. Try it. You have nothing to lose but that steady stream of rejection slips.