I'm finding, as I dig through blogs, and read the words of the men and women 'in the field', that the image the authors paint of the publishing world is much less friendly then the prestige they hold would have use believe. And I know, movies, music, and even fashion all have similar skeletons, but there's always a point when someone trying to get in has to make a decision. 'Do I want to be here?' 'Is this how I want it to be?'
And thankfully, being writers, we have options, and a lot of them! And the choices are only expanding. I've been reading JA Konrath's blog lately, and intently. Why? He's discussing business. More specifically, he's discussing HIS business, and his sales numbers. And his numbers are convincing. And he occasionally goes a step further than telling his numbers, he
shows them!
The internet is changing the Market. Not any specific market, the big 'M', teach you about it in economics, conceptual Market. And it's changing it fast. So fast that even I, at 24, am beginning to question if I can keep up in this world. But you know what? I like being off balance, and I look forward to the future, as trusts in corporations weaken, and small businesses begin flourishing, this is a great time for anyone and everyone.
As writers, we can push for ourselves, or throw our lot in with a publisher, and have about equal chance of hitting 'the big time'. The window for these equal chances is small, and unfortunately, some of us are going to lose, that's the nature of business.
It's funny, I once thought of myself as a writer, but as time marches on, I realize, I'm a businessman and a salesman, writing is just a hobby that makes the previous jobs more enjoyable. And I swear I get a bigger thrill studying the market than I do improving my craft, and that's frightening thought.
What do you think, folks? Publishing industry, it's changing, and where are we going to go with it?
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