Don't Read, Just Write.

[morrigirl]

The fact that Americans are reading less and writing more has been widely discussed in the media over the last couple of weeks. Today I found this cool article from last Sunday's New York Times Book Review on that very topic. Have a read, it's pretty cool.

"Découragez! Découragez!" definitely works. I can count on one hand the number of "outsider writers" that graduated from my college who are still writing and still believe in their own talent. Many of the most coddled and arrogant writers who graduated from Knox have since given up on writing. It's a tough,tough business, I get that now. It's only the ones who are relentless in their persistence that are going to make it, and that goes for all the self-published authors out there, too. With even the major publishing houses cutting back their marketing budgets writers have had to become their own press agents and promoters. Self-published and conventionally published authors have to generate their own hype if they want people to buy their books.

Though I have always been a strong advocate of alternative publishing, I'm beginning to see the utility of discouraging would-be authors. It's a lot like converting to Wicca. A lot of people turn to Wicca because they think it conveys instant magical power. They are only in it for the sense of control. Once they realize that it takes WORK to become adept at spellcasting, ritual construction, and object consecration they tend to abandon the religion, leaving only the most dedicated practitioners, those who are actually willing to work for their rewards, to stick around and be trained.

If publishing is hard then, theoretically, only the best of the best will make it into print. But, should the best of the best be the only ones allowed to see their words in a book?

Comments

Slight disagreement

[gwydionsw.livejournal.com]

While, theoretically, only the best of the best get published, I think the rise of generic crap fiction sub-genre's (chick-lit and much of the "urban/street" lit) shows that it's different in practice. Whatever is likely to get the publisher paid gets printed. And while business is business, I feel that actual top-quality literature suffers because of it.

[dpsycho.livejournal.com]

What, read an article? Who has time for that? I have writing to do.