Publishing is turned on its head. Image by Melodi T., sxc.hu
Embrace change.
Seek positive change.
Be open to new possibilities.
These quips are ways of saying we don’t always get what we expect. We need to be open to change because change is inevitable. Even when we plan carefully for our future growth and careers as writers, things happen along the way that tend to open up new roads. Whether or not we choose to follow them is a personal decision.
The publishing industry is undergoing a hurricane of change. The e-publishing model is turning the traditional publishing system upside down. Where everything will land when it all falls out is anyone’s guess. But one thing is certain; sticking to a rigid idea of what one must do to become a published author may actually hinder a career in this time of upheaval.
Some of the things being bantered about on blogs and various posts around the web include questions about whether agents should begin charging authors up-front fees for their professional services. Will self-publishing become the norm with the readers becoming the new gatekeepers of quality, instead of agents clearing the slush pile? Should one try to get published only after creating a following and market brand? These are things that were unimagined, unthinkable, ten years ago. Now they’re becoming possibilities in a wide range of new ideas for publishing and marketing.
Here’s my little list of how I’ve decided to deal with all the current huffing and puffing of the winds of change attempting to blow the publishing houses down.
- I’ll be open to change. This includes change in big things, such as publishing models, as well as small things, such as editorial changes and critique group suggestions. This doesn’t mean I have to follow every wisp where it will go, it just means I will consider all options. I will consider them thoughtfully.
- I realize that I might be published through an avenue I haven’t yet seen. Who would have thought that Shannon Delaney, author of 13 to Life, would have begun her publishing career with a cell phone novel? Or that small press publishers would spring up around Smashwords or Amazon?
- I realize the query system may not be the best way to get an agent anymore. This post by teacher and writer Jody Hedlund, Is the Query System Dying? is both thoughtful and thought provoking. The statistics from Rachelle Gardner of WordServe Literary on how many authors find agents from cold queries was quite the eye opener.
- I will focus on my writing and my professional relationships, deepening and enhancing both, to create the best possibilities for my writing career. In this way, I’ll take charge of my own future.
These are just a few of the things that have recently occurred to me. It’s a tad bit scary to think of what the changes might bring, but at the same time, it’s exciting and invigorating.
How about you? Do you have any new possibilities you’re open to accepting? Are you ready for change?
