One of the problems facing the modern writer is what to do about the constant shifting in trends. Sure, sure, writers of past centuries have probably had to deal with the same shifting trends, ideas, ideologies, and methods, but never before have publishers raced so hard to catch up (and, unfortunately, the writers along with them).
This is because technology, as I mentioned in the first part of this series, is making and breaking trends by the second. A person's ability to Tweet about their favorite new book puts the title and author of the book immediately into the eyes and ears of their friends, who, if they like it even a little, will discuss it on Twitter, Facebook, or a blog like this. They discuss it feverishly in the comments section without having to wait until the next day to go to work or to school and talk about it with their friends.
This AWCT (Accelerated Water Cooler Talk) increases the rate at which people get tired of a topic or theme. People can voice their opinions immediately, and parodies will almost certainly crop up all over the Internet. And, as we all know, once the parodies start, that's pretty much the go-ahead for the backlash--countercultures seep in, rebel against whatever's popular, and we're off to the next big trend.
Hollywood's immediate connection with the publishing world (i.e. transforming any book that's even slightly being talked about into a motion picture) has only exacerbated the matter. Now, as soon as we're getting settled into boy wizards, we're thrust into high school with vampires and werewolves, and now suddenly all publishers (though they will deny it) are racing to find more stories written about the same subject.
Thought vampires were the new "it" thing? Brace yourselves for an endless stream of S&M and general tales of erotica, courtesy of "50 Shades of Gray" and the clones that are already following.
What's an artist to do? I mean, really, when you've got this really exceptional and truly original piece, say, about a time traveller who has his own talk show through the ages, or a young adult horror novel that skirts the edge of mature reader and perhaps bridges the gap between YA fiction and M fiction, what are you supposed to do with it?
If you think it's not a problem, then you obviously haven't had a sit-down with a literary agent or a publisher in recent years. I've had a few such sit-downs, and while my writing was praised, and I was told my characters were very fleshed out and everything seemed in alignment, they told me what they were really looking for was a supernatural story for young male readers. When I told them I had a completed novel that was more like a Jason Bourne for kids, with accurate martial arts techniques and tactical training, exactly the kind of thing I was looking for in books when I was a kid, the answer was always the same. No, no, no, only supernatural stories would do. That's what's in, that's the ticket.
This becomes increasingly frustrating when you're told, again and again, that publishers are looking for something unique. They always say they're looking for original works, not some carbon copy of some other work...and then they basically tell you that it's not enough like other things that are out there.
You know, there's a marvelous sketch on the show "That Mitchell and Webb Look" that you can find here that clearly summarizes what I'm talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sifESist1KY
Not only are there trends of genre to keep up with, but there are now, for perhaps the first time ever, the trends of what I'll call "Your Choice Media"--the e-book, once only available on your computer, is now an app on your phone, and of course there's Kindle and its ilk, and then finally there are the paperbacks. With a veritable smorgasbord of options, readers' attentions are being split (as if we didn't already have enough problems with ADHD). Their attention is being drawn in so many different directions as to make one's head spin.
And yet, we all contribute to it. Most of us are at least somewhat involved in this Your Choice Media, and gladly so.
But a price comes with this new Your Choice Media, and that's the fact that, while readers are now able to access their books, comic books (graphic novels), and audio books from just about anywhere on Earth, you the writer are left trying to figure out exactly where to start putting your works first.
- Should you go the traditional route of submitting a query letter with a self-addressed stamped enveloped, wait for weeks or months for a reply (let's face it, it's usually a rejection letter), and then repeat the process, hoping for an agent or publisher to listen? (More on this in my Part 3 segment of this series)
- Or, ought you go the self-publishing route, which can cost a pretty penny? (I've seen anywhere from $500 to $14,000)
- Or, ought you just publish yourself on Amazon?
- Or, ought you create your own website and publish your stories there, create a Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn account, connect them all and try to draw viewers to your sites, hoping to build a fanbase first and then approach a publisher?
If you pick any of these options, what is your exposure? Will people actually be able to find your book if you self-publish, for instance?
The answer, in case you haven't guessed it, is that you should try all of these but trust in none of them to be your golden ticket. One piece of definitive advice I can give is that you should not chase trends of genre. Write what you like because you will do it better than anybody else. You just have to be honest with yourself about the overall quality of the writing.
The last thing I will say is that it isn't going to get any easier. I hate to put it like that, but the truth is that for every Cinderella story you hear about writers like J.K. Rowling, who went suddenly from rags to riches, there are 100,000 others struggling to make it.
The good news is that some of this technology now puts some power in your hands, and for the first time ever. As I said before, you can publish yourself, free of charge, on Amazon.
But herein lies another problem. Remember what I wrote in Part One of this series, about the competition between you and everybody else? Yeah...now anybody can publish themselves.
Anybody...
(to be continued in The Problems with Publishing Today (Part 3: The *Broken* Submission Process)
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook (Twitter account ChadHuskinsAuthor)
Visit my website: www.forestofideas.com
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