Tuesday, October 11, 2011

I Don't Wanna Talk About It...

I'm kinda tired.

Kinda burnt out.

I don't want to talk about the state of publishing much anymore. Yes, it's changing, but too slowly for some. We get it.

I don't wanna talk about self-publishing. I did it with my book and it's been working for me, but I still want a publisher with my next book. It is what it is.

But what gets me is the hand wringing. The shouting from the top step that the sky is falling. Books are going to be diluted. Gatekeepers are horrible. Too many typos. Blah blah blah blah.

I try to stay away from it. Seriously. I'm starting to tire of publishing news. Really. It's the same things blogged and re-blogged and blogged again.

Like Sandra, I'm feeling nostalgic. I miss the old days.

I miss the days when I didn't know anything about the publishing industry. I miss the days when I only cared about my books and my stories.

So get this... tonight I finished the 3rd draft of my next book. It needs another major draft, but it's almost there.

I'm psyched.

I don't miss this feeling.

And I wanna shout it from the skies.

6 comments:

Sandra Ruttan said...

Yeah, all the other stuff gets in the way of the joy of writing and getting a third draft done is such a huge accomplishment.

I don't want to throw this in a blog, because that risks drawing too much attention to it, but sometimes authors really tick me off. I mean, we have open invitations for guest articles on Spinetingler, and of course authors use it as a means of promotion. We have Soundtrack Sundays. I've got an international best-selling author and multi award-winner, with sales in the millions, contributing a piece but can't get one submission per week? I mean, really?

Sometimes, I think that a lot of writers think if they make an impressive comment at Konrath's blog he'll shine his light upon them with favor and they'll be the next big e-book seller. I'm not knocking Joe or his influence - good for him. He works his ass off promoting his books.

But even within the self-publishing crowd there are a lot of writers wondering why their book isn't selling, while they don't even do reasonable promotion.

I'd love to have an article per day to put up from a guest author. 365. That's not that much, especially compared to the number of authors out there. But I literally have to go around begging most people to do it... yet this is a site that was nominated for an Anthony Award, so it's not like we're unknown.

I don't get it. And I'm bitching, while I'm about to say some writers seem to just like whining, instead of working.

I've never wanted to be someone who only talks about my writing or what I'm doing - I think people who only talk about themselves are boring. I've always been a natural enthusiast for good books, so it's more fun to cheer for other great stuff out there and write about it, too.

But damn it all, it's becoming far too much work to try to help authors promote themselves.

Sandra Ruttan said...

PS - sorry the rant turned up here - it's totally not directed at you or anyone here, just things I've had on my mind that all this talk has made me think about.

(I mean, why do authors talk so much about promoting, but actually do no promotion?)

Dana King said...

Fully agree. Way too much blog space is wasted putting the cart before the horse lately. Writing is a calling. Not that it shouldn't be possible to make money from it, but if that's why one does it, they're not likely to be good. In that way it's like any other calling (doctors, teachers, musicians, etc.) The love of the activity must always come first.

Unknown said...

Sandra & Dave - I hear you on this. Every time I have a new interview come out I get between 5-to-20 authors wanting me to interview them (the last one really brought them out of the woodwork)and I have the same enthusiasm for books that you do - But goddamn I have shit to do other than promote your book! I like spending time with my family, I have a day job, and oh, I actually need time to write and read books that I WANT to read and hopefully find time to review them between everything else.

the biggest issue I see is that authors want someone else to do the promotion for them. They don't want to put the effort in themselves, because obviously you should just think they're so great and you should want to promote them even if you've never read their work (and why haven't you read their work? Don't reviewers do nothing but read?)

And, Dave, I'll say this - You should only care about your books and your stories, because that's where your joy is...the rest of it is momentary bullshit that people will forget about the day after it's blogged.

Have fun, write the best story you can and don't worry about any of this crap

PS
Sorry to get all ranty

Ben said...

Guys, I think it's the month. We're all getting a little down and depressed. I think the publishing industry is changing anyway and whatever we know about it might be completely different in six months and different again in two years. Now that eReaders are a wanted commodity, it's a new day.

So let's stop caring about it, drink bourbon, be miserable and write some kickass prose.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I miss the days when you went to people's blogs or facebook and it wasn't about the BOOKS. It was about the writing or getting a new couch, or a TV show. I am weary of those who publish a new book of stories or a novella every week. And have to tell us about it repeatedly. Having said this, I may soon be doing it but just once.