Blog | www.booksofm.com

Publishing’s Future may be a Paradigm Shift

One of the hot topics over the past, few weeks as been the “future of publishing.” At BookExpo America, the Future is Digital, according to the Washington Post. (You can also find a lot more information on the topic through Publishers Weekly.) While I’m offering my opinions related to the future of professional publishing and the digital market in this post, a word of caution — digital publishing is currently a tiny, tiny market. During a panel at WisCon, Tor Books relayed that of the entire book publishing industry, 98% of those are in “hard goods,” whereas that remaining 2% is digital. Perhaps due to the economy and/or the popularity of the Kindle, digital has exponentially grown over the past year even though book sales have declined slightly. (Remember, in a downturn economy people might be more likely to visit their local library and check out books for free as opposed to buying them.)

What is the Potential Market?

First, let’s look at some numbers that will help put internet usage into perspective and see if they reveal anything about the “potential” market for publishers online.

Take into consideration that the saturation of internet users in the U.S. is 75%(1). Even if the internet usage stats (after some digging, I found were pulled from Nielsen online) are accurate, they don’t show what people are using the internet for. Are they looking at all of the 109,734,433 active domains on the web? (2). Probably not, since Nielsen states that the average time a visitor spends reading a web page is less than a minute. Alexa’s top-ranked websites only show us part of the story, because you’ll notice that search engines, blogs and social media sites comprise most of that top 25.

The point that I’m trying to make here, is that even though internet usage is rampant, visitors use the medium for different reasons and there are a lot of websites trying to grab their attention. Unlike a physical bookstore where you have so many chances to make an impression on a potential buyer, the web is flooded with information — including ads — that are vying for that visitor’s attention. As every bookseller knows, positioning is key. The same may be true for the web, but the question remains “where” that positioning will be the most relevant to get the greatest effect.

Why a Paradigm Shift Might Be Necessary

Working for both online-and-offline companies in both the public (government) and private sector, I can tell you that there is a definite difference between a company that focuses their efforts online vs. offline. Online companies move faster, keep up on daily (if not hourly) trends, and have to make quick decisions that they can then track through virtually instantaneous data streams. As I’m sure you’re aware, offline companies might be structured around seasonality or production timelines, which may be supported by their web presence. The pace in an offline business can be much slower than an online one, depending upon which market you’re in.

Although publishing may not continue in the same vein as it has been, I hope that they don’t place all of their emphasis into an online presence. We’re still in the “Wild, Wild West” of the internet, where specific legal rulings could dramatically impact accessibility and deliverability of content. I’m seeing many businesses pour everything into online marketing because it’s “free” (e.g. have a website), but I think this may yield disastrous results over the long-term. There are a number of factors in flux that may affect publishing, some of which also relate to other businesses as well.

Hopefully, publishers will continue experimenting while keeping an eye on the bigger picture. (Tor and Harper Collins are two examples of publishers who are dipping their toe into the space.) Book publishers have a unique challenge, because their product (e.g. “books”) can be offered in multiple mediums. This may be good news for the longer-term, because a product that can be adapted either physically or electronically is a product that has the potential for great accessibility.

What’s to come? The future is anyone’s guess, which is why I highly recommend that authors stay on top of these changes. Either way, it’s pretty exciting stuff!

June 8, 2009

Permalink ∞

My Philosophy on Writers, Readers and Critics

old-books After a very, busy week following my appearance at WisCon 2009, I felt it was time to sit down and share my philosophy toward other writers, readers and critics. In the past, two weeks I’ve met more new people on-and-offline than I have in the past year. Since many people are unfamiliar with me and my work, I thought it best to put into words that which I feel so passionately about…

I believe that both readers and critics, regardless of education or background, have a right to their informed opinion. By “informed,” I mean I would hope they’d read a book before providing an in-depth dissertation about it. Sometimes, I am amazed how deep that rabbit hole of criticism goes. Sure, I have opinions about the books I read (and admittedly a few popular ones I haven’t) but that doesn’t mean I don’t recognize how valuable all books are. Even though I might not like a particular story, it might appeal to someone else. In my mind, that’s a win-win scenario for literacy because it means that there’s a story for everyone.

When it comes to my own work, I know that what I write may not appeal to everyone. No one likes crappy reviews or readers trashing their work, because even though writing is a “job” (e.g. you often get paid) it is also an extension of yourself. Immutable and defined, a writer’s published work becomes a testimony not only to the voices we hear in our heads, but the whispers we hear through the trees, in rush-hour traffic, or on the beach.

Writing often gets depicted romantically, as if being an author means that you have finally reached a utopia in which the entire world bows at your feet for your brilliance, your personality and your creativity. Nothing — and I mean nothing — could be further from the truth. Creativity, in any form, comes with a price because creative people think differently from non-creative people. Different for me meant “not like everyone else,” which led to a lot of confusion, personal angst and career building frustration until I started meeting other writers.

Although I have a college degree in writing, it wasn’t until I fell into the gaming industry that I truly felt welcomed. Professional authors and game designers welcomed me as a “new” writer, even though they had no real reason to do so. Their kindness shocked me, because in my past almost everyone I knew viewed other writers as “competition.” This harsh attitude had affected me deeply: for a number of years I was very bitter and negative about anyone else’s success, yet arrogant about my own. I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when I was not only showed compassion and understanding by perfect strangers, but leads and writing assignments as well.

I’ve been a part of the gaming industry now for six or seven years, and I have not forgotten what a difference positivity makes. A single conversation over beer was the catalyst that helped me transform bitterness into positive energy. It is my hope that I can bring that same kindness that was shown to me by having a supportive presence on-and-offline for other like-minded writers as my time permits.

Part of my long-term goal is to be a novelist (either part-time or full-time), and admittedly I don’t know if that will ever happen. Regardless, it is my belief that celebrating someone else’s successes is just as important as cheering for your own. Only through a sense of togetherness will we build a creative community that supports and helps one another.

May 29, 2009

Permalink ∞

WisCon: the Recap

Billed as a feminist science fiction convention, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I walked through the doors to WisCon for the first time. Held at the Concourse hotel in Madison, this was — by far — the best organized event I’ve ever attended. (This includes both the gaming-related and business events I’ve ever visited and spoken at.) I feel that this fact alone demands a certain sort of respect, given that this remains a volunteer-run organization.

As you may recall, I signed up for four panels and ended up moderating two of them. In addition to those panels, I attended several others that seemed interesting to me related to writing and publishing. In my opinion, I felt the audience was fairly responsive and respectful of the opinions that the panel offered. There were panelists from diverse perspectives and backgrounds, which provided for interesting discussions and audience participation. Unlike other panels I’ve spoken on, I also felt that the audience came with a basic understanding or desire to acknowledge the business functionality of both publishing and the entertainment industry. Translation? I had more conversations about online marketing and social media with other writers than I did about any other topic.

The publishing industry as a whole is shifting and changing so rapidly, that many authors I talked to feel that they need to embrace aspects of online marketing to monetize their efforts and sell more books. In an ideal world, a publishing company would allow the writer to simply write and provide the PR for them in order to sell books. Given the reality of today’s market and volume of publishers, I believe that even if an author doesn’t “do” their own marketing, they should at least be aware of what’s going on in the space.

There were a few topics that I’ll cover in later blog posts which I feel warrant further discussion. For example, I had brought up the issue of network neutrality in a panel discussing print vs. e-publishing. Another topic I’ll address is the challenges of establishing a writer’s community, and how the internet truly “seems” to be having an impact on how offline communities are shaped and supported.

Here are a few of the wonderful writers and editors I had the pleasure of speaking on panels with:

Lori Devoti – Lori’s new book, Amazon Ink, just debuted a few days ago. She’s a very passionate and energetic writer who brought a lot to our discussion about Consistency vs. Variety in book series. Lori started her writing career in romance, but is now writing urban fantasy. Watch for a special treat from Lori on www.flamesrising.com in the next, few days.
Kelly McCullough – Kelly is working on a novel series which debuted in 2006, called WebMage. He has a love for world-building, which shows both in his books and the discussions we had about Consistency vs. Variety. If you’ve never met Kelly, he’s a very likable guy with a great sense of humor.
John Helfers – Both an author and writer, John and I wrangled a panel about Reinventing the Adventure in the wake of our moderator’s absence. Wearing probably the coolest t-shirt I saw at the convention, (Any Firefly fans out there?) John was an animated and experienced speaker who had a lot to say on the subject. If you’re a fan of John’s work (HINT: He’s working on Shadowrun) you can catch up with him at GenCon: Indy in August, too.
Mary Robinette Kowal – Meeting Mary Robinette Kowal, who is the secretary for SFWA and up for a Hugo Award, was a lovely person to meet. Mary is extremely web-savvy, but also highly creative. Working as a puppeteer by day, Mary is definitely a writer that many science fiction fans should be keeping their eye on. Mary moderated the panel Do Writers Need a Platform?, and her first book is due out next year.

The people I mentioned were just a few of the talented folk I spoke with on panels, and I highly recommend that even if you don’t attend the conference you visit www.wiscon.info to check out the professionals that do attend. There were also dozens of professional writers and editors that I had the pleasure of chatting with, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to sit down with writers like Alex Bledsoe, Sarah Monette, Richard Chedwyck, Lynne Thomas and Michael Damien Thomas, Jack McDevitt, professionals from Tor Books and several others.

The other thing that I’d like to point out regarding this convention, is that there’s a strong element of literary criticism present at this convention that originates from a love of books. I believe that regardless of your opinions on a book or on writing, attending a convention like this one will open up your mind to new ideas and different perspectives. I did not have one conversation that I did not enjoy; everyone was respectful, intelligent and engaged — even if we disagreed. Additionally, even though this was the most diverse group of people I’ve ever seen at a con, they supported one another tremendously.

I will be attending next year’s convention and hope to speak on panels. I invite you to participate, volunteer and do the same.

Thanks for following my blog! Instead of wishing you best of luck with your writing today, I hope that you are able to fall in love with a book.

May 28, 2009

Permalink ∞

The Importance of Being Persistent

In an earlier post, I wrote a letter to new writers where I described how the path of a writer is one that winds, ebbs and flows. How do you keep following the same path? One of the qualities that a writer must have is the ability to be persistent. Well, that one word can have a lot of connotations, so I’d like to explain what “being persistent” means to me.

So what does it mean? Well, if you want to be a writer it means you don’t give up. It means when you “think” you have no readers, no chance of success, or that you’ve just written something terrible you keep on the path. You see, it is too easy to drown in self-pity or thoughts about how you’re a horrid writer, but the truth of the matter is that you (and only you) have control over that. To be blunt, if you think you suck — get an editor, or get your work critiqued. If you believe you can’t write horror because your fight scenes are terrible, try perfecting your dialogue for a while instead. Practice, practice, practice and play with your words. If you take a break, plan to get back on that wagon, but don’t ever give up completely.

I’d like to share with you a personal anecdote, because I think it applies here. Not every story I’ve written I enjoy, and truth be told I never read my work after it’s been published. (Unless it’s for an author reading). I did once, when I was nine. I had won a Halloween fiction contest for a community publication; seeing my words in print was a very meaningful experience for me, so powerful that I read that story over and over again. It seems a little silly to me now, but I still have this vivid feeling of “winning.”

When I was young, the world was a magical, musical place. I didn’t realize how many writers were out there, and I didn’t understand writing is a multi-faceted business until years later. When I did, I put down my pen and paper for a time because the competition was overwhelming. Once I started writing again, though, I never stopped and never looked back.

Writer Lucien Soulban had an excellent thought related to that recently on Twitter. “Words of Wisdom for Writers: Their success is not your failure.”

Everyone’s path as a writer is unique, including my own. Just like there isn’t “one way” to write, there isn’t “one way” to follow that path. However, if you want to be a writer, you need to be persistent about it. There is enough opportunities in the publishing world for many writers out there, and just because you may admire another writer or you’re not finding yourself on the fast track to success, doesn’t mean that you are a crappy one. All it means, is that your path may be different. Remember, your words are footprints on that path, so don’t give up. I didn’t.
🙂

April 29, 2009

Permalink ∞

An Open Letter to “New” Writers

Dear Writer,

First? I’d like to congratulate you on your decision to become a writer. Being a writer has never been an easy thing for anyone to do, at any point in history. I’m not talking about technology, I’m talking about writers like the Marquis de Sade or Edgar Allen Poe or even Beatrix Potter. Journalists like Margaret Fuller, Alice Dunnigan, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward have challenged the way we think about our world through their reporting. From comic book writers to biographers and everyone in between, the list of writers who’ve influenced our social consciousness goes on and on.

Walkway But I’m not writing this letter to talk to you about why writing is “difficult” or why it’s “important.” No, I’m putting these words together for an entirely different reason. You see, the path you take to becoming a successful writer really has three trails that intersect with one another. The first trail is the one that led you to your decision to write — whether that be “just” a short story or a blog post, that’s what started you on the path.

The second trail is very hard to see and is, at times, invisible. It’s the journey that you have to take with your dreams. It’s an ever-shifting mist of visions that you’ll be on the New York Times bestsellers list or ending up on Oprah. This mist-filled trail always appears to be just out of reach, even though you try to grasp the shapes that seem to appear right out of thin air. Where can you find this second trail? Believe it or not, it hovers right above the third one.

The third trail is your journey, the one that you take to achieve your goals as a writer. You must cross oceans, deserts, mountains and green valleys. Sometimes the trail is marked, and it’s really easy to jump over that next puddle. Sometimes you have to blaze your own path.

In all my years as a writer and as a presenter, there’s really one fundamental reason why “new” writers fail. They simply gave up. Why?

Let’s go back to that trails analogy. Remember the second one, where the mist is kind of a distraction? Your dreams are important, because they inspire you. Unfortunately, some new to the craft latch on to those dreams and try to follow them by talking about writing without actually doing it! They’ll talk about how great their novel is, but they haven’t written a word. Then, when an agent or a publisher hasn’t deemed them to be a great writer, they give up. In another example, I’ll often see writers who berate themselves because they are “new” by saying: “I’ll never write like…” or “I can’t make any money doing this…” No one said the path was going to be easy: there are a million and one reasons I can give you not to become a writer, but there are equally as many reasons why you should.

The secret to achieving your dreams has nothing to do with someone else coming down from a cloud in the sky, validating your work as a writer. The secret is not about being positive or having luck, and it certainly isn’t about having blinders on about “how great” you or your work is, either. In order to unlock your dreams, you simply need to be persistent and (at times) a little stubborn.

What does that mean? Well, part of that journey is up to you. I have to get to my own writing now, but I’ll share more about how to make your own luck later this week.

In the meantime, I encourage you to pick up your pen and write.

Kind regards,

Monica

April 21, 2009

Permalink ∞

Previous Posts Next Posts

Publishing’s Future may be a Paradigm Shift

What is the Potential Market?

Why a Paradigm Shift Might Be Necessary

My Philosophy on Writers, Readers and Critics

WisCon: the Recap

The Importance of Being Persistent

An Open Letter to “New” Writers

Archives