To market, to market
My latest Writer’s Digest magazine steered me to Agent Jenny Bent\’s blog where I found the post she’d written on the state of the writers’ marketplace. She shared her views on publishing via the traditional route or self-publishing. The notion of doing it yourself appears to be the beginning of a dull roar, one that could swallow the industry as we know it today.
However, the idea of self-publishing is a daunting one. Not that I don’t have the initiative or the wherewithal to figure it out. It’s just that it would be wonderful to be in the hands of those who know the business best. The ones who can position my novel where it belongs. And then of course, there’s the editing that could make a good book great.
Like the camellia that blooms outside my writing window, I show promise but for how long before it fades? I was reminded of this, when I read the comments on Jenny Bent’s post. A number of writers wrote they’d been flogging their novels– trying to get an agent– for years with no success. More and more were thinking of self-publishing. With time at a premium, and the marketplace changing faster than a chameleon’s colors, what’s an aspiring novelist to do? How much time can you give to the vagaries of the marketplace before saying, “That’s it. The hell with it. I’ll do it myself.” There’s enough examples out there that prove it can be done, and done well.
Still thinking.
Some writers find satisfaction in their self-publishing endeavours, but I think it’s important to know what our realistic goals are first. If good sales numbers are going to be a mark of success we’ll need all the help we can get, and agents, editors and major publishing houses are the ones who can position our novels to their best advantage.
Publication can be elusive when we have a major goal in mind. I think it’s important to establish more modest publishing credits before expecting to make a splash as a novelist. Besides giving us additional writing experience, working on them also provides reinforcement and encouragement for the novelling journey, and helps offset the seemingly never-ending querying/submission process that threatens to undermine our morale.
One thing I keep hearing is, “Don’t give up too soon!”