The reality of publishing today!

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So here’s the reality of publishing today. In the wake of the economic talespin that occurred in October/November 2008 top executives, well-known editors for the big publishing houses are being fired, less books are going to be produced overall in order to cut costs, while the number of aspiring authors (as well as literary agents) submitting their manuscripts hoping to get published and become a big name will either stay the same or increase.

What I’m driving at is how is the aspiring author suppose to compete in the face of such a daunting publishing industry?

Here are some suggestions:

1) Start a Blog:

Let’s say you have two authors brought to a publishing house hoping to get published that both have a manuscripts completed with little difference in the writing skills level between them. Writer #1 has little presence online (say for a Facebook page) while Writer #2 has a blog on Wordpress or Blogspot that in it’s first year had 30,000 hits in the last year and updates them daily. Who is the editor going to pick? Most likely the second candidate unless the first author has an established media platform already.

Most people will likely come to your blog for less than five seconds and leave, but really that doesn’t matter as long as they click through to your blog and you have the numbers to back it up. Another reason, it’s good writing practice, and a place to vent all of your frustrations to the public without thinking or wasting paper. Smart authors once their published usually keep an up-to-date to better connect with their fanbase and establish publicity for new readers (Robert J. Sawyer, Cory Doctorow, and John Scalzi to name a few).

Blogs are easy to operate now more than ever and are often a great, free way to show your readers what you’re up to.

2) Read Industry Magazines:

Fantasy is selling better than science fiction. Ebooks not so well. Young-adult fiction sells in way more numbers than adult fiction. How do I know this? Magic? No. I often keep up with the publishing industry through trade magazines and websites. Why? Because while the decision as to whether or not a literary agent will take you on as a client, you’re ability to better understand the publishing industry movers and shakers.

Get to know the industry you’re about to publish in. Start reading publishing magazines such as (in Canada) Quill & Quire and Masthead, but also keep an eye out for Publishers Weekly, Writer’s Digest, Locus & Locus Online, and Kirkus Reviews. Attending trade shows and book festivals is another way to connect to potential agents, publishers, and editors.

3) Read, read, and read some more:

Read everything you can get your hands on. I’m primary and science fiction/fantasy writer but since I have a degree in English Literature (i.e. more than four years of reading every novel under the Tuscan sun) I don’t just limit myself to science fiction and fantasy novels but exposed myself to different writing styles and forms that paid off hugely in the long run.

Also, if you’re going to hone in on one particular genre (what’s often referred in the industry as ‘nichecraft’) don’t just read books written in the last five-ten years but rather science fiction books written over the last century. Be sure to expose yourself to different subgenres as well. If all you expose yourself to is the Golden Age of Asimov, Heinlein, and Clarke, be sure to take a look at cyberpunk, military science fiction, apocalyptic science fiction, dystopias, hard science fiction, and soft science fiction.

Get to know the history behind the genre, not just the books themselves. Before you know it you’ll catch on to names of authors, titles, and publishers as if they were second nature.

4) Write everyday

The best thing you can probably do towards getting published is writing everyday whether it be an article, short story, a novel, or even just a blog. Writers make it a habit of writing every day. I usually write at night for 2-and-a-half hours just trying to churn out 500 words. I know Stephen King writes 4000 words a day while Robert J. Sawyer writes 2000 minimum daily. Most writers who are serious to getting published commit to a routine and many don’t consider it work. Most find it rather enjoyable.

Most people who say they want to write a novel ever get a dozen words on paper.

Hopefully this posting was helpful. If not, leave I comment.

I welcome them with open arms.