So, not only don't be afraid of new media, but don't put all your eggs in any one basket, whether the basket is old or new media.
Many successful writers I know have seen the same thing: they were all in on picture books, but it was the YA they wrote as a fun side project that got noticed (or vice versa). Or their newsletter brought in more money and more readers than their book. Or they get an unexpected opportunity via a social media connection. Or suddenly they find themselves screenwriting, or starting a new website/journal/bookstore, or discovering that they enjoy ghostwriting or editing or writing songs.
Also, as you have found, many writers will have success with one thing for a while, but then that thing's time passes--whether it is a genre or a format or a media outlet. Another reason adaptability is key.
I always say that writing is very difficult, but it's the easiest part of "authorhood." The hardest part is reaching the audience--not only because of gatekeepers, but because there are so many competing options for that audience.
Oh, interesting! Yes, I absolutely -- ABSOLUTELY -- agree. I think this has always been true, but it's more true than ever in 2024. Absolutely essential for all artists.
Yes, looking at my artist-friends, what you describe is exactly the normal career trajectory. It's simply how things work.
It really is fascinating to notice the pull of our own desires for traditional types of success like the ones you mentioned, as opposed to the stuff that we dismiss like writing to an audience that cares and getting paid for it. Ie living the dream! Yet we still torment ourselves about missing out on the traditional, old school markers of success.
Yup! I suppose younger folks have a different kind of success-envy. "Why don't I have a million followers like my friend?" The grass is always always always greener, and all that. Ah, what fools these mortals be!
After publishing six books traditionally, it became evident to my publisher and to me that they didn’t any longer know how to market my work, which had become more complex and which fit less well into their established channels. I got into indie publishing fairly early, and I now have more self-published books than traditional.
I would not say I’ve experienced a lot of financial success. My reward has come directly from readers. “My gay brother had concluded that God didn’t love him. You’ve changed his mind.” And, “Thank you! I now have some ammunition when my fire-and-brimstone father comes at me with ‘God hates gays.’” And, “I feel seen. In a good way. And validated.”
My readers keep me writing. And you are correct to say that the legacy industries favor the already-big names. They’re also eating their own, by which I mean they’re losing financial ground and swallowing each other in the hopes of surviving as mega-companies.
Let’s keep looking for new ways to do our work, new channels and new types of channels. Because, really, it’s all about the work.
It really depends on the day, whether I'm feeling optimistic or pessimistic. But yes, ultimately, it's all about connecting with readers, and I'm thrilled you have (deservingly!) been able to continue doing that. But I wish you could make a bit of money too. LOL
Its really interesting the way you describe your experience with "succes" and what it means personally.
I'm an artist and creative person who's always been motivated by the glamour of "succes", not particularly the money or the reach aspect, but rather the idea of being recognized. That my work has impacted or touched the world in some sense.
But for the past year, through a lot of perspective and soul searching, I fund myself conflicted. Why do we need to reach that perfection? Why do we need to achieve that glorified succes? To inspire others and ourselves or to satisfy the ideal of a happy life, constructed by the society we live in today. In which case social media doesn't help either our self-confidence or image of the perfect existence.
Granted it has value for different people how and why they define succes in their way, I guess my question is, why do we need it? As artists and writers shouldn't our happiness/succes only derive from doing what we are passionate about and only for that reason?
I have rambled on a bit too long and maybe confused more than informed. Either way those are my thoughts 😂
For me, I've always consider writing to be my CAREER. I am not an "amateur" -- this is what I do for a living. So I need to be financially successful to live my life. At the same time, if I was only trying to make money, I wouldn't have chosen this as much career, so it's definitely a delicate balance.
It's complicated: For me, yes, it's about internal rewards and artistic satisfaction, but it's also about external validation. I've always seen all art as a conversation between the art and the audience, and it's a two-way street. As an artist, I exist in a society of artists and a great community: how they respond to my work is a factor in the process -- how "successful" I was.
I've never been an inward-looking artist. I want to connect and communicate my vision, and have that vision reflected back at me in ways I didn't expect. For me, that's the whole point.
A valid point, didn't consider that. It's great to be confident in the things you make, be it from succes or failure.
I know some people who define their own personal worth with how much they achieve career wise, but for my self i never wanted to let that define me or the life i live.
Its really inspiring to hear your view on the subject, but I can't help being curious; Do you have a big goal you wanna reach in your future tied to being successful? (besides what you mentioned in the original post)
Hmmm, that makes me think hard! Yes, I confess there is a certain level of "mainstream" success that I would really like to achieve. I don't need to win an Oscar, but when I was nominated for an Edgar (in 2016), I got about 80 congratulatory emails, and I thought, "This is nice!"
It's not a specific destination, but there is a "level of success" that I've come close to before, but not quite achieve. I don't THINK it's an illusion -- in that once I arrived there, I would want the next level of success. I think I'd be happy being there, especially at this stage of my career. But I dunno.
Financial security is also very important, because, hey, we all need to live and eat. But I'm more comfortable now, so that matters less. It's mostly about impact: I would like to have at least a small mainstream impact before I sail off to the Undying Lands.
Not cause I don't want to or anything of the sort. I can honestly say I'm still "learning" to look for what kind of artist I am. What I wanna look like, feel like and what I want people to see.
I just want to impress, show the world what I can, even if it's just to satisfy my inner artist or sense of accomplishment.
I never wanted to make a major impact, I just really want to be sated. I want a "simple" life, where I'm comfortable and my art had time to grow and thrive. Yes I realize that is very much a dream and of course we all need to eat and live, but I never think i would mske a career dependent on my art on less i was 100 % sure it could sustain me.
In that regard I probably need to be brave or take more chances I don't know. Either way it is something I'm still working out haha.
I remember reading your post about first jumping into the life of the digital nomad, has it in some way given you a different view on how to live and just life in general?
And yes I know it's a loaded question, in which case it's fine if you don't wanna reply to that. I shouldn't become an interviewer xD
Those are all fair feelings. But it might become clearer in time.
Oh, yes! Nomading has completely transformed my view of myself and of life in general -- mostly for the better, honestly. And it has made "success" much much less personally important -- which is probably why I can write about it here (now much less shame in admitting failures). I used to be obsessed with "making it," now I'm much less so. That probably also has a lot to do with age.
I think the key to happiness, for me, is more simplicity, more focus on friends and loved ones.
Well said, that's at least the things I'm certain of must be a part of any life; surrounding myself with love, good friends, healthy experiences. And yes, aspects of life which should always be simple, to avoid to much stress overall 👍
Great to read Financial Stability mentioned here so much...it is part of feeling secure as a human, living (and nomading) comfortably, for you and those you care for....
Get's discussed so little. It needs to be brought into the light.
As a prestige-craved person, this was the call-out I needed.
Also, it’s dawning on me now how ridiculous it is for me, a newbie independent online writer, to keep on insisting to play the same game as veteran/professional writers. I mean I’ll always aspire to have a byline in, say, the NYT, but there are about a hundred other avenues for me to build some kind of name and platform.
Thank you for writing this! What a 30 year run it has been! Cheers!
The future can be dark or light, but it is what it is. It's worth embracing whatever happens. I wish complaining worked, but it never worked for me! LOL
Once again I am in awe! I love the way you write. I learn something all the time! Thank you….the only time I said I wanted to write a book was to get out of a detention for talking in my Freshman high school English class!
Fantastic piece Brent. You have such insightful learnings to share....Working on some new creative concepts, so timely to read this.
I particularly liked your honesty about success. It is so personal. For me, I am only in the very early stages of forming an identity as a writer, it is still feeling new and unfamiliar.
Financial stability and needs, changes when you have a family and responsibilities to a child. I also realised that matters to me, as a parent and creative. More things to ponder in my journalling and self-reflection, thanks. 😊
It's a complicated topic! And, of course, there are no right or wrong answers. I have no overall regrets about becoming an artist, but there is surely a lot of romanization. I guess I had heard it was a hard life even when I started out, but it's true, no one really talks about the failures and rejection -- and, most importantly, the inconsistency. I think EVERY writer deals with this -- the difficulty in sustaining a career. Just because something "works" doesn't mean it will continue working indefinitely. It probably won't.
It's definitely a career-choice that keeps a person on their toes!
I hear you! Sometimes, I wonder about the time I spend on social media because one of my publishers thought it was a "must". But, this morning, I got a message from a reader whom I'd never noticed before. He wrote a long note thanking me for my content and told me he often stopped by without signing in (I thought you had to sign into leave a message.). He made my day. Content matters to me, but did anyone else care? Maybe social media is the only true path to hearing what our readers think!
I see an additional lesson in your story:
Have lots of irons in the fire.
So, not only don't be afraid of new media, but don't put all your eggs in any one basket, whether the basket is old or new media.
Many successful writers I know have seen the same thing: they were all in on picture books, but it was the YA they wrote as a fun side project that got noticed (or vice versa). Or their newsletter brought in more money and more readers than their book. Or they get an unexpected opportunity via a social media connection. Or suddenly they find themselves screenwriting, or starting a new website/journal/bookstore, or discovering that they enjoy ghostwriting or editing or writing songs.
Also, as you have found, many writers will have success with one thing for a while, but then that thing's time passes--whether it is a genre or a format or a media outlet. Another reason adaptability is key.
I always say that writing is very difficult, but it's the easiest part of "authorhood." The hardest part is reaching the audience--not only because of gatekeepers, but because there are so many competing options for that audience.
Oh, interesting! Yes, I absolutely -- ABSOLUTELY -- agree. I think this has always been true, but it's more true than ever in 2024. Absolutely essential for all artists.
Yes, looking at my artist-friends, what you describe is exactly the normal career trajectory. It's simply how things work.
Great piece, Brent. And so relevant too.
It really is fascinating to notice the pull of our own desires for traditional types of success like the ones you mentioned, as opposed to the stuff that we dismiss like writing to an audience that cares and getting paid for it. Ie living the dream! Yet we still torment ourselves about missing out on the traditional, old school markers of success.
Yup! I suppose younger folks have a different kind of success-envy. "Why don't I have a million followers like my friend?" The grass is always always always greener, and all that. Ah, what fools these mortals be!
After publishing six books traditionally, it became evident to my publisher and to me that they didn’t any longer know how to market my work, which had become more complex and which fit less well into their established channels. I got into indie publishing fairly early, and I now have more self-published books than traditional.
I would not say I’ve experienced a lot of financial success. My reward has come directly from readers. “My gay brother had concluded that God didn’t love him. You’ve changed his mind.” And, “Thank you! I now have some ammunition when my fire-and-brimstone father comes at me with ‘God hates gays.’” And, “I feel seen. In a good way. And validated.”
My readers keep me writing. And you are correct to say that the legacy industries favor the already-big names. They’re also eating their own, by which I mean they’re losing financial ground and swallowing each other in the hopes of surviving as mega-companies.
Let’s keep looking for new ways to do our work, new channels and new types of channels. Because, really, it’s all about the work.
It really depends on the day, whether I'm feeling optimistic or pessimistic. But yes, ultimately, it's all about connecting with readers, and I'm thrilled you have (deservingly!) been able to continue doing that. But I wish you could make a bit of money too. LOL
Its really interesting the way you describe your experience with "succes" and what it means personally.
I'm an artist and creative person who's always been motivated by the glamour of "succes", not particularly the money or the reach aspect, but rather the idea of being recognized. That my work has impacted or touched the world in some sense.
But for the past year, through a lot of perspective and soul searching, I fund myself conflicted. Why do we need to reach that perfection? Why do we need to achieve that glorified succes? To inspire others and ourselves or to satisfy the ideal of a happy life, constructed by the society we live in today. In which case social media doesn't help either our self-confidence or image of the perfect existence.
Granted it has value for different people how and why they define succes in their way, I guess my question is, why do we need it? As artists and writers shouldn't our happiness/succes only derive from doing what we are passionate about and only for that reason?
I have rambled on a bit too long and maybe confused more than informed. Either way those are my thoughts 😂
All great questions!
For me, I've always consider writing to be my CAREER. I am not an "amateur" -- this is what I do for a living. So I need to be financially successful to live my life. At the same time, if I was only trying to make money, I wouldn't have chosen this as much career, so it's definitely a delicate balance.
It's complicated: For me, yes, it's about internal rewards and artistic satisfaction, but it's also about external validation. I've always seen all art as a conversation between the art and the audience, and it's a two-way street. As an artist, I exist in a society of artists and a great community: how they respond to my work is a factor in the process -- how "successful" I was.
I've never been an inward-looking artist. I want to connect and communicate my vision, and have that vision reflected back at me in ways I didn't expect. For me, that's the whole point.
A valid point, didn't consider that. It's great to be confident in the things you make, be it from succes or failure.
I know some people who define their own personal worth with how much they achieve career wise, but for my self i never wanted to let that define me or the life i live.
Its really inspiring to hear your view on the subject, but I can't help being curious; Do you have a big goal you wanna reach in your future tied to being successful? (besides what you mentioned in the original post)
Hmmm, that makes me think hard! Yes, I confess there is a certain level of "mainstream" success that I would really like to achieve. I don't need to win an Oscar, but when I was nominated for an Edgar (in 2016), I got about 80 congratulatory emails, and I thought, "This is nice!"
It's not a specific destination, but there is a "level of success" that I've come close to before, but not quite achieve. I don't THINK it's an illusion -- in that once I arrived there, I would want the next level of success. I think I'd be happy being there, especially at this stage of my career. But I dunno.
Financial security is also very important, because, hey, we all need to live and eat. But I'm more comfortable now, so that matters less. It's mostly about impact: I would like to have at least a small mainstream impact before I sail off to the Undying Lands.
Do you have a specific goal as an artist?
Honestly that is the hardest question to answer.
Not cause I don't want to or anything of the sort. I can honestly say I'm still "learning" to look for what kind of artist I am. What I wanna look like, feel like and what I want people to see.
I just want to impress, show the world what I can, even if it's just to satisfy my inner artist or sense of accomplishment.
I never wanted to make a major impact, I just really want to be sated. I want a "simple" life, where I'm comfortable and my art had time to grow and thrive. Yes I realize that is very much a dream and of course we all need to eat and live, but I never think i would mske a career dependent on my art on less i was 100 % sure it could sustain me.
In that regard I probably need to be brave or take more chances I don't know. Either way it is something I'm still working out haha.
I remember reading your post about first jumping into the life of the digital nomad, has it in some way given you a different view on how to live and just life in general?
And yes I know it's a loaded question, in which case it's fine if you don't wanna reply to that. I shouldn't become an interviewer xD
Those are all fair feelings. But it might become clearer in time.
Oh, yes! Nomading has completely transformed my view of myself and of life in general -- mostly for the better, honestly. And it has made "success" much much less personally important -- which is probably why I can write about it here (now much less shame in admitting failures). I used to be obsessed with "making it," now I'm much less so. That probably also has a lot to do with age.
I think the key to happiness, for me, is more simplicity, more focus on friends and loved ones.
Well said, that's at least the things I'm certain of must be a part of any life; surrounding myself with love, good friends, healthy experiences. And yes, aspects of life which should always be simple, to avoid to much stress overall 👍
Great to read Financial Stability mentioned here so much...it is part of feeling secure as a human, living (and nomading) comfortably, for you and those you care for....
Get's discussed so little. It needs to be brought into the light.
As a prestige-craved person, this was the call-out I needed.
Also, it’s dawning on me now how ridiculous it is for me, a newbie independent online writer, to keep on insisting to play the same game as veteran/professional writers. I mean I’ll always aspire to have a byline in, say, the NYT, but there are about a hundred other avenues for me to build some kind of name and platform.
Thank you for writing this! What a 30 year run it has been! Cheers!
Thank you! Yes, it's been interesting, hasn't it?
The future can be dark or light, but it is what it is. It's worth embracing whatever happens. I wish complaining worked, but it never worked for me! LOL
Once again I am in awe! I love the way you write. I learn something all the time! Thank you….the only time I said I wanted to write a book was to get out of a detention for talking in my Freshman high school English class!
Thank you very much!
Haha, did it work?
Fantastic piece Brent. You have such insightful learnings to share....Working on some new creative concepts, so timely to read this.
I particularly liked your honesty about success. It is so personal. For me, I am only in the very early stages of forming an identity as a writer, it is still feeling new and unfamiliar.
Financial stability and needs, changes when you have a family and responsibilities to a child. I also realised that matters to me, as a parent and creative. More things to ponder in my journalling and self-reflection, thanks. 😊
Thank you!
It's a complicated topic! And, of course, there are no right or wrong answers. I have no overall regrets about becoming an artist, but there is surely a lot of romanization. I guess I had heard it was a hard life even when I started out, but it's true, no one really talks about the failures and rejection -- and, most importantly, the inconsistency. I think EVERY writer deals with this -- the difficulty in sustaining a career. Just because something "works" doesn't mean it will continue working indefinitely. It probably won't.
It's definitely a career-choice that keeps a person on their toes!
I hear you! Sometimes, I wonder about the time I spend on social media because one of my publishers thought it was a "must". But, this morning, I got a message from a reader whom I'd never noticed before. He wrote a long note thanking me for my content and told me he often stopped by without signing in (I thought you had to sign into leave a message.). He made my day. Content matters to me, but did anyone else care? Maybe social media is the only true path to hearing what our readers think!
That's what it's all about, isn't it? Those connections!
It's funny how I have a love-hate relationship with social media. It's terrible -- except when it's great! Hahaha.
Keep on writing, please.