I read this post with interest, both as a novelist and auditor of the conversation between Ann and Jane about how literary talent gets discovered today. At points in the conversation, I kept thinking about Virginia Woolf's comment in "A Room of One's Own" that the world doesn't really care about poets and writers. Despite the fact that a book is a material production, the writer's process has been too ephemeral to nurture, hence the importance of the room and that bit of money that makes the room possible. I find comfort in Woolf's observation of the world's distinterest. Her observation resonates with what Ann and Jane termed the "secret sauce" of being found, discoverred as a writer, which is word-of-mouth, and word-of-mouth is based on craft and practice and commitment. While I cannot control agents or publishers or much else in this life, I can control the study of my craft, the frequency I practice, and the commitment that keeps me returning to the page. Has anyone ever said making literary art is easy? Many thanks to Ann and Jane!
Thank you so much for writing, and coming to the webinar! I realize I sort of take it for granted that writers will keep writing. What I would like to do is find ways to support these systems so that readers will be able to find and grow from the full richness of what gets made. Other countries have more supports for the fragile structures that support reading: bookstores, non-commercial publishers, translators, libraries. Now we’re even attacking reading at the K-12 and university level. I worry about what we’re making ourselves into, but one thing I wish I’d said more loudly is that, in my experience, publishing is still *full* of people who love books, strive to support writing, want to publish rich and rewarding work, and are trying, trying to make it happen.
It doesn't. Literary talent appears when it is forced forward and the publishing industry finally takes the money. This is always the case except when there is a system to nourish the writer and the editor. In the early part of the 20th century, Paris was the place. In the mid-1960s, young writers flooded back from the war and began to craft postmodernist novels.
That means that writers should just write and let society figure out that they have a societal problem that needs to be fixed.
Society is always at the brink. Homo sapiens have a number of times where they have almost been extinguished, it is in our nature. The Black Death and nuclear war are in a line that stretches back at least 1 million years. Therefore, we are always a few steps away from disaster from a historical standpoint. Read The Inheritors, by Golding for some insight.
"creates a crisis of discovery: how to find what speaks to you—or what to preserve for future generations—in the great cacophony of what’s out there."
So very true. As writers we're much freer than ever before. We can ignore the gatekeepers and traditional publishing. We can write more openly, honestly and without ideology, which is incredible. But on the flip side, look at the white noise! The competition is massive! Everyone and their grandmother now has a Substack. Half the people self-publishing can't write but are flooding the market, and 1/3rd are not all that good. So you've got this tiny percentage of quality books and they're competing against The Noise.
Hi Ann! I just found you here, after watching the webinar with Jane, who I've followed for some time. Thanks for the post, I look forward to reading more. Cheers! from an FSG alum
Thank you, Ann, and I'm sorry I missed the webinar with Jane. Another piece of the puzzle is that many authors are hiring private book publicists, especially when publishing with smaller presses--but also with Big Five. I'd love your thoughts on this. I'm concerned this has become another kind of gatekeeping as this cost can be higher than the advance at a small press, and yet, there are the long odds you write about here facing writers and publishers. Love to hear your thoughts on this.
I read this post with interest, both as a novelist and auditor of the conversation between Ann and Jane about how literary talent gets discovered today. At points in the conversation, I kept thinking about Virginia Woolf's comment in "A Room of One's Own" that the world doesn't really care about poets and writers. Despite the fact that a book is a material production, the writer's process has been too ephemeral to nurture, hence the importance of the room and that bit of money that makes the room possible. I find comfort in Woolf's observation of the world's distinterest. Her observation resonates with what Ann and Jane termed the "secret sauce" of being found, discoverred as a writer, which is word-of-mouth, and word-of-mouth is based on craft and practice and commitment. While I cannot control agents or publishers or much else in this life, I can control the study of my craft, the frequency I practice, and the commitment that keeps me returning to the page. Has anyone ever said making literary art is easy? Many thanks to Ann and Jane!
Thank you so much for writing, and coming to the webinar! I realize I sort of take it for granted that writers will keep writing. What I would like to do is find ways to support these systems so that readers will be able to find and grow from the full richness of what gets made. Other countries have more supports for the fragile structures that support reading: bookstores, non-commercial publishers, translators, libraries. Now we’re even attacking reading at the K-12 and university level. I worry about what we’re making ourselves into, but one thing I wish I’d said more loudly is that, in my experience, publishing is still *full* of people who love books, strive to support writing, want to publish rich and rewarding work, and are trying, trying to make it happen.
It doesn't. Literary talent appears when it is forced forward and the publishing industry finally takes the money. This is always the case except when there is a system to nourish the writer and the editor. In the early part of the 20th century, Paris was the place. In the mid-1960s, young writers flooded back from the war and began to craft postmodernist novels.
That means that writers should just write and let society figure out that they have a societal problem that needs to be fixed.
It’s society I’m worried about! (Thanks for writing!)
Society is always at the brink. Homo sapiens have a number of times where they have almost been extinguished, it is in our nature. The Black Death and nuclear war are in a line that stretches back at least 1 million years. Therefore, we are always a few steps away from disaster from a historical standpoint. Read The Inheritors, by Golding for some insight.
We have just sharpened the tools for survival.
"creates a crisis of discovery: how to find what speaks to you—or what to preserve for future generations—in the great cacophony of what’s out there."
So very true. As writers we're much freer than ever before. We can ignore the gatekeepers and traditional publishing. We can write more openly, honestly and without ideology, which is incredible. But on the flip side, look at the white noise! The competition is massive! Everyone and their grandmother now has a Substack. Half the people self-publishing can't write but are flooding the market, and 1/3rd are not all that good. So you've got this tiny percentage of quality books and they're competing against The Noise.
It's tough.
Gentle note: remuneration (not renumeration)
ARGH. Thank you!!
To err is human, to edit is divine. (With apologies to A. Pope.)
🙏🏼
Hi Ann! I just found you here, after watching the webinar with Jane, who I've followed for some time. Thanks for the post, I look forward to reading more. Cheers! from an FSG alum
Thank you, Ann, and I'm sorry I missed the webinar with Jane. Another piece of the puzzle is that many authors are hiring private book publicists, especially when publishing with smaller presses--but also with Big Five. I'd love your thoughts on this. I'm concerned this has become another kind of gatekeeping as this cost can be higher than the advance at a small press, and yet, there are the long odds you write about here facing writers and publishers. Love to hear your thoughts on this.