On Successes, Delays, Attempts, and "Failure"
Time for a pep talk
This newsletter is packed full, so before I get into the heart of it, I want to let you all know that after a month break, Word Lab is back! Due to scheduling conflicts, we’re starting a little later in the month, but that also means the price point is cheaper, and this is a great opportunity to get your feet wet and give group writing challenges a try.
I also want to let you know about editing services that one of our Wordsmithees has started! If you have need of a developmental or line editor, please check out the service of Ariane Felix, a skilled and experienced writer and editor.
On “Failure”
Recently, the Wordsmith community got a bit of a pep talk (if you come to our retreats, you also get access to our larger online community; we’re active chatters!). With their permission, I’m cross posting it here, for all of you.
It’s about “failure,” and how not getting an agent doesn’t really mean that you’ve failed.
Let’s address the elephant in the room when it comes to traditional publishing:
The market is ROUGH right now. It just is. It's rough for debuts, it's rough for established people, it's rough. There are a lot of factors to why, but none of them are your fault, and there's really not much any of us can do individually to turn the market around.
BUT
While the market is currently rough, it is not impossible. And your work's value doesn't expire, and nor do your skills. If your primary goal is traditional, there's nothing wrong with that—it was my original primary goal, and it remains my current primary goal, I just supplement with off-shoots.
But hold on to that "not impossible" bit, because that's the important bit. ALL markets will have downward swings. And that may mean the current book isn't picked up. But as you work on the next book, the market is still swinging, and it may be time for it swing up when you're done. And then you have two books done, two more chances in the lottery of publishing—because there is a little bit of a lottery element, but you still can’t win if you don’t even enter.
The thing to hold on to is that it's not one book. Right now, it feels like one book. It feels like you have this one book, this one shot, and if it fails, that's it, it's done. But that's not how it is. A career is not made of one book. A career is made of a life of books.
Because the market is in a downward swing, you're going to hear a lot of complaining. And because this down market is affecting everyone—established and debut—you're hearing it from all angles. And sure, some people are pivoting. Some people are leaving. Some people can't afford to ride out the storm, and that's okay, too.
But the doom and gloom is a bit of an echo chamber, in part because we're all in it.
It's important to remember: the ship is in a storm, but it's not sinking. Books are being acquired and published literally every day. And it's not impossible for one of the books to be acquired to be yours. Just because there's a lot of doom, just because the ship's in the storm, just because the market's down—none of that means it's impossible. It might mean it's impossible currently—it might mean that agents and editors are being more selective, more careful. But the storm will pass.
I'm trying not to make this sound like "just stick with it and don't give up!"
Because that's really not helpful advice. But while we can acknowledge the market is down, we should also acknowledge the market is not dead. And one book not getting an agent is not equivalent to a career in writing being destroyed before it begins. It's a speed bump, not a stop sign.
On Success
I hope the notes above help put some perspective on how varied writing and publishing can be! Because even in a downward swing market, I am thrilled to be able to share some amazing successes of Wordsmiths!
Today, Meredith Adamo’s Not Like Other Girls has launched into the world from Penguin Random House! The local-ish Wordsmith peeps all road tripped to go to Meredith’s launch and help her celebrate this brilliant success!
Meredith celebrated the launch of Not Like Other Girls with (amazing and legendary) Sarah Dessen at Flyleaf Books! It’s not too late to get a signed copy!
We’re also thrilled to announce that Wordsmith author Rosiee Thor has two awesome success stories to celebrate! First up, we have a shared-world anthology about aliens, crash landings, and a Hollywood star—and not only is Rosiee an editor, but she also has two other Wordsmithees in the anthology: Rebecca Kim Wells and Beth Revis!
In addition to the anthology, Rosiee also announced a fun new book, Dead and Breakfast, about vampires running a B&B, and we can’t wait for it!
We’re also thrilled to announce that our own Jo Schulte has sold her debut novel! The Whisperwood Legacy combines amusement parks, fairy tales (the dark kind, not the Disney kind), and family treasure for a fantastic book that went to auction!
And last, but absolutely not least, please join us in celebrating another Wordsmithee signing with a literary agent. Congratulations, Julie!!
When Cristin and Beth first started Wordsmith, we always knew that our success would be measured by your successes. It is beyond our dreams to be able to pack so many success stories into our newsletters, and we are so, so thrilled to be able to work with you brilliant people! Congratulations to all of you—and we can’t wait to see what worlds you’ll develop next!