Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Many Paths

When I first started writing I dreamed of getting 'the call' and being offered a significant advance by one of the big traditional publishers. I did get a call from a medium-sized publisher once. It was very exciting as was receiving that first advance check. But the publisher world is constantly changing and evolving. Now there are many more paths to being a successful writer than one like my original dream.

That traditional route is still there and some find it and the advance. Many more writers are finding success with small presses. From previous posts you know I'm a big fan of those and work with three different small presses.

More and more writers are finding their niche by self-publishing. It takes a willingness to work and learn a few new things but there's a lot of advice and how-to information available if you want to take that route.

But the evolving publishing world has opened opportunities that just weren't there in the old traditional model. Novellas were virtually unheard of before the eBook. Some were included in anthologies but those weren't near as popular as they are now in the digital age. Now publishers and self-publishers can offer those 15-20K stories digitally at a price readers think is fair.

Collaborative writing is so much easier in this day and age. I've seem lots more of it than ever before. Serial writing is another form of story-telling that benefits from the digital age. Writers can offer their book in segments.

Another thing that has changed with the emergence of successful small publishers and self-publishing is that reissuing of older titles. In my case, that medium publisher who gave me my first advance changed the focus of their company and threw me and most of their authors of genre fiction under the bus. But I recently found a small publisher willing to take on that fantasy series and reissue it. In another example a romance novel I had with a small publisher had a really poor sales record. I took back my rights and convinced my other romance publisher to reissue it. In the old days that would never have happened.

Finding a publisher for poetry has always been a challenge but again the digital age has created a massive array of opportunities for poets to get their work to readers. So though we often complain a bit about how quickly the industry is changing, most of it is for the good of writers.

What did I miss in my roundup of pathways to success? Would you ever do collaborative writing or a publish your novel as a serial? Have you ever had a book reissued?

17 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That's cool they reissued your books.
I've contributed to several anthologies but that's about as collaborative as I've gotten so far.

Unknown said...

I love that about this "brave new world"--everything is possible.

Christine Rains said...

There are so many opportunities for writers these days and it's fantastic. Years ago, I did a collaborative project, and though we finished the novel, it was not a great experience for me. I like to have full control over my own work.

Melissa said...

I'm new to the game and I don't know as much about the publishing industry as I should. Still, I feel I took the right path for me. Every time I read about the troubles traditionally published authors go through, it makes me glad I self-published.

Luanne G. Smith said...

Digital self-publishing has made it possible for authors to enhance their publishing footprint for sure. Self-publishing short stories, novellas, and poetry in conjunction with a traditional novel is a winning combination for a lot of writers right now. Great way for readers to discover more by their favorite authors. It's all good. :)

Gwen Gardner said...

It's a very exciting time to be in publishing! I've put out a novella series and participated in an anthology. Thinking about doing a serial, too. Loved reading about your journey, Susan.

Patsy said...

It's good to have options.

Crystal Collier said...

I'm loving the collaborative opportunities that have come my way as a result of this new trend, and I totally get the small pub route. They tend to be more flexible and accommodating.

Pat Hatt said...

So much can come due, I like that fact that i can do much of it myself and get them out on my timeframe. Rely on me and my ocd lol

Heather R. Holden said...

Great summary of the different paths available! As a reader, the reissued books especially excite me. Too often there has been a book I wanted to check out, but couldn't, because it went out of print. It's always nice when one can get a second shot at life!

Ava Quinn said...

Those are all the major paths I thought of. I plan on trying out as many as I can to "diversify my portfolio" so to speak. Great post, as always, Sue!!

M Pax said...

There are so many paths these days. Currently, I'm an indie, but have several projects I would put with small publishers... when I finish them. Great article!

Liz Blocker said...

So many of us still dream of that 'traditional' success: it's so good to get reminders that there are other paths!

JJ said...

The days of Hemingway getting a $100,000 advance are gone. Try $1500. There are, however, many other paths besides indie publishing.

The Happy Whisk said...

Words will always find a way. And to me, that's exciting.

Karen Jones Gowen said...

I think the control writers can have over their own work and careers is very exciting. It's good to try different approaches, and even possible now more than ever before. There's no one right way or best way for everyone.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan the opportunities are boundless aren't they - at least the work gets published ... and who knows - once your toe is in the water, then away you go ...

Cheers Hilary