Publish or Polish?
By amy ross. Filed in publishing, writing |
Talking to a writer friend over drinks the other night got me thinking about the various paths to success in this industry. Industry? Or is it an art form?
Which kind of gets to my point. Over the past few years, I have made the acquaintance of some very ambitious writers. And on some level, I think we’d all like to be multi-published bestsellers as well as critical darlings with an assured place in the literary canon. But at a certain point, most writers seem to make a choice – either they’re going to put all their energy into getting published, or they’re going to put it all into perfecting their craft. And while the two approaches certainly aren’t mutually exclusive, they’re not identical, either.
Let’s take for granted that writers on either path will begin by writing a LOT. Whether your goal is publication or aesthetic perfection, you’re not going to get anywhere without writing, writing, and more writing.
But that aside, the writer who wants, above all, the legitimacy of publication is going to take certain distinct steps toward his goal: he’ll read all the agent blogs, follow the industry gossip, network with other aspiring writers, scan the best-seller lists, devour every book review that comes out. All this research will help him discern what the popular trends are, and determine how he might “position himself in the current market”, as they say. It will also prepare him to send out a dazzling query letter, impress people at conferences with his pithy pitch, and know exactly the right thing to say when an agent finally calls. It’s not an easy path, and it comes with no guarantees, but I think this route does prepare people for the realities of the publishing industry pretty well. And if what you want is to get published, that can only be helpful.
On the other hand, the writer who is craft-focused may follow a pretty different path. She’s going to start by reading a ton – the very best books she can get her hands on, in a variety of styles. She may enter an MFA program, or look around for a hard-hitting critique group. Or she may simply lock herself away with her work-in-progress and spend five to ten years honing it to near perfection. She may seek out advice from the authors she most admires, attend writers’ retreats and conferences – whatever it takes to learn from the people who take craft seriously. This is also not an easy path, and comes with no guarantees – but it’s probably the best bet for producing accomplished writing.
So then what? Shall never these paths meet? God, that’s a depressing thought – and not one I subscribe to. From what I’ve seen, writers who are driven by publication usually find themselves working pretty hard on craft at some point, even if they come on it through the back door. And those who devote themselves to great writing usually have to take a remedial course in “the bizz” before they find a home for their masterwork.
Still, even if our paths will inevitably cross here and there, we could probably all benefit from checking out the other route more often.
Friday, May 28th 2010 at 6:34 am |
This is one of the reasons I like the clubhouse so much. I’m definitely a Writer Type 2, locked away in my dreamworld. I do basically no industry research on my own, and the only reason I know ANYTHING is because of people like Hannah or Suz. So I think a key is to just stay active with a wide variety of other writers, and maybe some of the other “type” will rub off on you?
(at least that’s what I’m hoping)
:)
(can you tell I got a feed reader set up b/c I’m commenting more?)
Friday, May 28th 2010 at 8:15 am |
woohoo feed readers! I’d be lost without mine.
I definitely agree that you’ll be well-prepared for the publishing end, when you get there. :)
Friday, May 28th 2010 at 6:59 am |
I want both paths. ;)
No, but seriously, I hope to find a balance between the two extremes. I’d love for my book to sell, but at the same time I don’t want to be rushed into turning out books that aren’t polished enough, and I don’t want to be forced to write carbon copy books in order to be commercially successful, either. And while I may have secret dreams about my future books somehow, someday being “important” in a literary-world sense, I probably will not get an MFA, and I don’t know that these dreams even really make sense. In all likelihood, I’ll never be a NYT bestseller, or a darling of the critics, but maybe I’ll reach some happy medium?
Friday, May 28th 2010 at 8:12 am |
hey, you never know!
yeah, obviously this is a massive oversimplification — plenty of people work from both angles, and some people probably follow paths that haven’t even occurred to me. But I have to admit, I’ve been surprised at how many really terrific writers I’ve met who seem totally clueless about the publication process. And it worries me, a little, because I want to see them in print, and I’m afraid they don’t understand what’s entailed. Someone I know said he trunked a project after five agent rejections. FIVE! That’s absolutely ridiculous.
and on the other end… I’ve also learned that the people who ignored the publication side have developed ways to talk about writing that are totally different. I worry that the pressures of publication infect some of us, so we can only see what THEY want and not what we believe in, or what the story really needs. We may miss some of the potential in a story in our rush to produce something that will sell.
But of course, there are certain brilliant writers who have no trouble selling book after book after book. As I said, the paths are not at all mutually exclusive.
Friday, May 28th 2010 at 9:56 am |
wow, giving up after five rejections.
and yes, I understand the simplification, but I also think it’s a neat glimpse you’ve had into both worlds, really. and yes, there are portions of each “path” that are valuable and portions that are rather lamentable.
when I first pondered your post, I couldn’t honestly decide which path I most valued for my own “career” as a writer. I just know that I’ve learned SO MUCH in the last 3-5 years about both craft and publication, and as much as I hope to sell my book (fingers crossed like whoa!), I also want a writing future that involves growth and challenge and books that excite me and frighten me and do original things with language and story.
Friday, May 28th 2010 at 10:03 am |
may we all find such a future!
Sunday, August 29th 2010 at 11:05 pm |
.
It’s more complicated than that, even. Once a book is published, in the modern world, it’s up to the author to handle the bulk of promotion. And without sufficient sales, what are the odds of continued publication?
What a mess.