Common sense applied to writing issues…
I left discussion groups on Goodreads and LinkedIn not because Amazon and Microsoft took them over, or because trolls and anti-author blasts from them and readers made my life difficult, but also for the lack of common sense displayed. I’ve always had a soft spot for all authors, especially newbies, trying to offer tips on what works or doesn’t, but when comments from anyone, including me, expressing common sense are attacked, I have to start wondering if it’s worth running the gantlet. So, to be on record, let me offer three cases where common sense often seems to be lacking.
Is it logical to pour tons of money into book promotion and marketing? Not really. Few authors, even Big Five authors, can compete with Patterson Inc. In the Arts section of the NY Times on July 17, Patterson’s ad for Sophia among the Beasts is full page (thousands of dollars), with no mention of the publisher. and it has the co-author’s name, Emily Raymond, in tiny fonts much smaller than the half-dozen or so endorsements. Patterson Inc. is obviously more important promo-wise than Patterson’s publisher or co-author (you have to feel sorry for Emily). Moreover, what other author has the ad budget to pay for this kind of promotion?
Is it logical to assume some of an author’s fame will rub off on you at events like Thrillerfest? Not really. Having pics of yourself standing by famous author X, whether X is Patterson or any other NY Times bestselling author (whatever that means), might help fill your scrapbook of memories (does anyone still make them?), but it won’t help you sell books or become another NY Times bestselling author.
Is it logical to try to write stories in every popular genre? Patterson seems to think so (his new book is fantasy, but he’s tried literary fiction, mystery, romance, YA, and children’s lit too). He also has oodles of money to invest on promotion and a truckload of co-authors who hopefully know how to write in these genres. Of course, many genres are related—the combinations like romantic mystery and sci-fi thriller are quite common. But is it common sense to try to reach out to every type of reader and try to satisfy their individual preferences? Agents and Big Five acquisitions often seem to think so and say so, but an author who tries to do this might have difficulty establishing her or his brand. “To thine own self be true” (Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act 1, Scene III) is a common-sense adage any author should follow. Or, if you didn’t like Polonius, famous Irish writer Oscar Wilde’s advice, “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken,” is equally good. Write the kind of books you like to read most, not what someone tells you is selling.
You might not like these doses of bitter common sense medicine. Tough. I’m sure unscrupulous people who preach to authors that they’re doing it all wrong and have the surefire method to promote their brands and books will love to take those authors’ money. That’s what it’s all about.
What’s common about these perceived lacks of common sense is that they cost authors both time and money. Book promoters all too often prey off authors looking for book success. ITW and other organizations make money off their members or events as authors pay to bask in the glow of their famous members (I wonder how much the latter are paid to provide that glow). (ITW is a wee bit like an honor society: you’re honored to be a member, but what do you do with it if you lack the funds to really participate?) And almost everyone except the author profits when authors go genre-hopping.
The overarching common-sense advice can be found in the two famous quotes above. Manage your writing journey with common sense. Decide what works for you, not everyone else, and stick to it…but try new ideas when the old ones don’t work, if the new ones make common sense.
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Comments are always welcome.
The Last Humans. “I bashed in a door between the Rite-Aid and a bookstore and ascended narrow stairs. Another break-in introduced me to a comfy one-bedroom apartment. Thank you, realtor. I’ll take it. I tossed the woman’s dead body out the window—likely the renter and not a realtor, so I felt bad about it—and made myself at home.” Ex-USN Search and Rescue and current LA County Sheriff’s Department diver Penny Castro goes on a forensics dive off SoCal shores and surfaces to find herself in a post-apocalyptic world. A bioengineered and airborne contagion has been delivered to the West Coast and will be carried around the world, killing billions. Her adventures trying to survive in this new world will make you ask, “Could this really happen?” Published by Black Opal Books, this post-apocalyptic thriller is available in ebook and print format from Amazon and as an ebook version from Smashwords and its affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc.) Also available from the publisher or your local bookstore (if they don’t have it, ask for it). A sequel is coming.
Around the world and to the stars! In libris librtas!
