We last parted within the breached walls of Published Author, a citadel now reduced to rubble and chaos, standing firm together as we gaze up at that gleaming tower of Commercial Success. We mean to prevail against it, but dang! That’s one daunting pile, and, at its base, pulsing, throbbing, surging hordes of humanity pressing forward, each hell-bent on gaining entry.
How do we surmount it? How do we press through that impossible literary mosh pit? It’s enough to make a writer turn away in despair.
The trick, my friend, is to retreat from the frontal assault, but not in defeat; rather, with calculating determination. Standing at the base of its sheer walls makes the ascent feel impossible, so, abandon the grappling hooks, ladders, and siege engines. Go around. Find the back door. Take the stairs.
How do you measure success?
I mentioned one young writer who measured his success by the lofty goal of a contract with Tor. We all get that. The trouble is, he’s still crushed in the teeming masses, gaping up at the impossible heights, and feeling overwhelmed. He’s not doing what he loves. (He says he has to feed his family. Go figure.)
I know another prolific writer, more seasoned and experienced, who has self-published several books. Her mantra is, “You won’t ever earn a living at it, so write because you love it.” While admirable and pragmatic, it’s also defeatist in its own way.
For her, success is critical acclaim, which she has achieved in some degree, earning notice from monetarily successful authors of her genre. But, she could be one of those authors with the proper support.
A third author I know measures her success by the number of books she produces. She pounds out manuscripts, self-publishes, and moves on to the next. She’s not really interested in honing her craft. After close to thirty titles, she’s still at the bottom of the tower, marching up and down a step ladder believing she’s getting somewhere.
All three of these writers have a piece of the puzzle, but none of them are putting it to their advantage. The first understands the legitimizing effect of signing with a publisher. The second knows that producing good work is critical. The third has seen that writers need to write. And write, and write.
One step at a time.
If you have that “fire in the belly,” as Scott Tarbet puts it, write. Write and write and write. Do not allow the naysayers and disbelievers to deter you. Do not falter at the height of the tower. Don’t stand there staring up at it. You’ll get a crick in your neck.
Instead, measure and acknowledge your small successes. That first short story or even idea. Your first outline or completed manuscript. That huge notebook of free writing. That flash of inspiration.
Then, take the next step. Your first rejection letter is a HUGE success. Don’t discount it and don’t get discouraged. Go out and get more. Paper your walls with them.
Every little obstacle you overcome, every time you keep writing after some critic has eviscerated your work—that’s success. That’s another step up through the citadel. You are making progress, so keep going.
Your first rejection letter, an invitation to send a full manuscript, that precious revise and resubmit invitation, that glorious acceptance letter, the contract in the mail that you just have to take a picture of and post to Facebook, the first editor’s notes you open, bleeding red, that feels like a punch in the gut.
Then comes the good stuff: that spiffy cover, the completed project, the final approval, the ARC release. Then, that box on your porch with real, in-your-hand books with your name on the cover, and you’ll start measuring your successes in a whole new paradigm.
And, look. All of a sudden, that tower, Commercial Success, feels doable.
Keep moving forward.
Finally, my fourth example: a young, inexperienced author sent me pages to read. “Tell me what you think, honestly,” she said. “Can I be a writer?” What she showed me demonstrated her need for lots more practice and probably further education, but as Anika Arrington says here, she is a writer.
But, more importantly, this particular person had fire in her belly like few people I have ever met. She wanted it so badly, she went out and did something about it. At an age when most kids can’t think past the next party or getting off work at Burger King, she started her own business to achieve her dream.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have the proper tools she needed, and her particular fallacious measures of success told her repeatedly she was a failure. Stuff happened, life got the better of her, and she gave up.
But it didn’t have to be that way. And I want to slap the people who told her she didn’t have what it takes to succeed.
Make sure that your personal gauges allow you to pick yourself up and dust yourself off no matter how many times you get knocked off your feet. Don’t build your stairs with booby traps and spike pits. Accept the incontrovertible truth that you will have to “fail” a lot in the climb.
But, keep climbing. Take the baby steps. Even if it’s one step forward and two steps back, keep moving. Don’t give up. Ignore the naysayers. Whether growing as an author or rewriting the rules in the publishing world, the concept is the same.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Next time: “It’s not my book anymore.”
Penny Freeman is editor-in-chief of Xchyler Publishing, and co-owner and managing editor of its parent company, Hamilton Springs Press. Her latest project, Mechanized Masterpieces: a Steampunk Anthology, was released in April, 2013, to excellent reviews.
Penny’s next projects include The Next Man series by J. M. Salyards, slated for release in August, 2013, and Primal Storm, Book II of the Grenshall Manor Chronicles, by R. A. Smith, to hit the shelves in October, 2013.