Some of my writing friends are talking about a recent article in the New York Times which purports to talk about how a book went from a messy first draft to a bestseller. Supposedly this is representative of how writing and getting published works. I don't subscribe to the New York Times and the article is behind a paywall, so I will admit from the start that I haven't read the article, I've just heard things about it.
What I've heard is that the article paints a rosy view of publishing. The author apparently had connections within the publishing world that helped get her her deal. She also got a high number deal for her middle grade debut, which is uncommon, and a lot of publicity was put behind it. Let me make it clear that this post is not coming from a sense of sour grapes because I've been querying for 2 1/2 years and don't have an agent let alone a book deal. I'm glad this writer has had so much success. I wish success like this for everyone who writes good books.
The thing is, though, most people don't get that success and articles like that can make it look a lot easier than it is. Even successful writers experience setbacks. Even writers who have had multiple books published get rejections from editors. Selling one book does not mean you've "made it". Selling one book means you've sold one book, no more and no less.
Don't get me wrong. That's a big accomplishment. Many more people write a first draft of a book than go through all the work it takes to get that book ready to query to agents or editors. Many more people query than get an agent. Not all books signed by agents end up being the book that gets that writer a book deal. Sometimes a writer signs with an agent, the agent sends that book on submission to editors, and the writers gets a book deal in a few months. Sometimes it takes a year or more. Sometimes it doesn't happen at all and the agent sends another book instead. I have a few writing friends who signed with agents more than a year ago and have yet to have a book sell to editors. I have other writing friends whose debut book sold in less than a month.
It's variable, and a lot of it depends on the book getting in front of just the right editor at just the right time, which is difficult to impossible for an agent to predict. The thing is, not even agents, who have a different view into the industry than writers do, can know exactly what an editor has signed recently since deals aren't announced the second they're agreed upon. One friend got a rejection because that editor had just recently signed a book that was too similar. The editor said they might have signed my friend's book if they had received that one first. But they didn't.
I know this post is full of doom and gloom. It's rough out there in the world of traditional publishing. And though some people choose to publish on their own (some would call this indie publishing and some would call it self publishing) that's not actually any easier. There are absolutely indie writers who are successful and make good income from their writing, but there are many, many more who just sell a few copies and make a few dollars or don't even break even. I don't think the answer is to abandon traditional publishing.
So what is the answer? If you figure it out, please let me know. In the meantime, I'm going to keep writing my stories about kids who don't let their invisible disabilities stop them from going on adventures and keep sending them to agents or (hopefully in the future) have my agent keep sending them to editors in the hope that they will be on the shelves for kids to read someday. With book bans, major bookstores not wanting to carry a variety of hardcover children's books (maybe I'll write more about this next month), and editors quitting making the editors who are left even more overworked, it's tempting to just throw in the towel and stop writing. Or to write only for myself.
There would be nothing wrong with doing this. You are not a bad person if you decided you're done with the query trenches for good or you decide you're done having your books sent on sub and failing if you're agented. Every person needs to make the decision that's best for their own mental health.
Personally, I'm not ready to give up. I have a lot of hope for the current version of my eco steampunk airship adventure, which I hope to finish final edits on and send some queries for by the end of the week. If that one isn't "the one," or it is in terms of getting me an agent but it fails on sub, I have more than a dozen other ideas in mind. I'm in the privileged position of being in a stable marriage to a partner with a good income, having kids in school, and working very part time. I have time to write, and I don't need it to make me money any time soon, if at all. Not everyone is in this position. In fact, I would say most people in the query trenches aren't in this position. There are plenty of people who keep writing and pursuing publication despite having more obstacles than I have. There are others who have the same privileges I have who decide they're done after a certain amount of time. Neither are right or wrong.
Getting a book from a messy rough draft to bookstore and library shelves, let alone to bestseller status, is tough. It takes a long time, a lot of work, a lot of tears, and quite possibly some fairy dust. If someday a reader finds my book and feels seen, finds a book they love to read for the first time, or just spends an enjoyable day or more absorbed in the world I've created, it will have been worth it to me. If I also have a book that reaches bestseller status and gets me a lot of money I will not complain. But for me it's about having my books reach readers first and foremost.
Because I like putting pictures in my posts, I'm ending this with a photo of a photo of an arctic fox that I took this past weekend at the Columbus Zoo. We saw actual arctic foxes, but they were curled up and snoozing and not in a great position for a good photo. This fox is exactly how I picture Crystal, the glucose alert fox in the book I'm querying. Enjoy the cute foxie!
