by Allison Maruska
Don’t worry, this post is still approved for general audiences. Though if you’re looking for the more adult definition, this is the interwebs. Just don’t be gone too long, because that might not help your career advancement.
Anyway.
This post is about writers who make it, the ones who find the magical combination of timing and the right eyes and whatever else it takes to make it – you know, the writers who get lucky.
I participate in a weekly Twitter chat called #storysocial. Last night’s topic was traditional vs. indie pub, and someone made this comment in response to a question about what we think are the biggest challenges in the publishing world: “There’s a lot of luck in publishing, which can be upsetting if you don’t find it.”
I had to disagree a little.
To me, luck implies good fortune that outweighs the effort it takes to get it. If I go to the gas station, buy a lottery ticket, and win ten million dollars, that’s luck. Statistically, I’m more likely to get hit by a car on the way to the station than to win the jackpot, and spending two dollars on a ticket was virtually no effort on my part.
Simply put, writing and publishing a book takes more effort than that.
Yes, there are elements of a Big Writing Break that are out of our control. Some writers are better set up for success out of the gate – for example, anecdotal studies (like this one) show women are less likely to land an agent and get traditionally published than men. That’s why many women writers use initials (J.K. Rowling, anyone?).
So some of us have to work harder than others, but that doesn’t mean writing success is off the table. Let’s examine the experiences of Writers A and B, fictional wordsmiths based on the stories of real people.
Writer A writes a masterpiece, works on perfecting it with a critique group and editor, spends hours constructing an effective query, and sends it out to agents. While she waits, she works on building her social media platform. After sixty rejections, one New York agent asks to see the full MS and eventually signs writer A. Would you say Writer A is lucky?
Writer B opts to self-publish her masterpiece. She spends her own money on an editor, works with a critique group, hires a cover designer, arranges for advance review copies to go out, and promotes the pre-order period widely across social media. On launch day she sells…twenty copies. So she re-evaluates. She learns where her audience hangs out and schedules signings there. She revises her blurb. Maybe she redoes the cover. Eventually, after some well timed posts in promotional newsletters, her book reaches #1 in two categories on Amazon and she’s making some decent money. Is Writer B lucky?
From the outside, it may look like Writers A and B are lucky. Landing an agent is hard. Hitting number one in a category is amazing. But from the outside, we don’t see all the stuff that came before the big break. Writer A had sixty rejections? Man, that’s tough. And I bet Writer B didn’t get much else done while preparing her book for public consumption.
Their success didn’t come from luck. It came from sheer tenacity.
What if Writer A had given up after fifty-five rejections? What if Writer B decided her book was a failure after only twenty sales on launch day and did nothing else with it? They might have holed up in their writer dens, bitter against those whose fortunes were better than their own.
Here’s the thing about attributing success to luck: it invalidates any hard work that contributed to the success.
I doubt there’s a successful writer out there who made it on the first book they slopped together. And even if you’ve had some success, agents won’t be beating down your door, desperate to represent the next Stephen King. You have to want it badly enough to stick with it for however long it takes to make it (whatever that means for you), making adjustments along the way if you don’t see the results you want.
Personally, I think we give luck too much credit.
Guest post contributed by Allison Maruska. Allison likes to post in line with her humor blog roots, but she also includes posts about teaching and writing specifically.
I think your right. I’ll put luck in the background and push tenacity to the front. Great perspective Allison. Thank you.
LikeLike
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
LikeLike
Good point … I shall persevere and try not to despair after my first rejections. Very timely post! Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hooray for timely! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, encouraging post!
LikeLike
Agreed. The truth is, it takes consistent effort–trying different techniques, working hard, and never giving up to make it in the publishing world. Sometimes, writers run out of steam, and that’s okay, too. But to be halfway successful, you must labor day after day, week after week, month after month–and yes, year after year. It’s a profession best pursued by determined, energetic individuals with a surplus of confidence, ingenuity, and expertise.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You said it. It’s 100% a marathon.
LikeLike
I agree with your assessment. It comes down to effort. If I want to win a contest or increase traffic on my blog, I have to be willing to put forth the effort; not settle on doing the bare minimum.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a lesson I need to remember at times too! LOL
LikeLike
Yes, as the saying goes, ‘God helps those, those who help themselves.’
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, indeed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Kim's Musings.
LikeLike
Very nice.
LikeLike