Golden Age of Writing, Last Age of Reading

I haven’t been at this writing gig for very long compared to most. My first story was published in 2012, a multi-author anthology entitled Carnage: After the End under the banner of a little known publisher, Siren’s Call. I didn’t realize it right away, but I’d written horror without ever having read much of it.

That little known publisher became the Indie-Who-Could and I landed another spot in a following publication, Mental Ward: Stories from the Asylum. To this day, I still receive royalty checks for these as I’d gambled on an author share opposed to a per word payout.

My writing consisted mostly of short stories at that time. I’d dutifully surf Duotrope’s listings for anything and everything which sparked the muse. At the time, I had no thoughts on “branding” or “readership” — I was there to satisfy my own creative urges and learn the industry.

A half dozen or so more publications (I really should have a solid count) and I decided to try my hand at a novel. I’d already joined a local critique group, lurked around the lobbies and program rooms of several local conventions, and started my first book, Crimson Son, using the same methodology as my approach to short story.

In fact, the premise had been intended as a short story. Powerless son of a superhero gets left at the Fortress of Solitude while dear ‘ol Dad goes off to save the world and not worry about his kid getting kidnapped or killed. It was one which I’d presented to my critique group and was firmly told it couldn’t end that way.

Five years on and having either sold or given away approaching 17,000 books, I’ve gotten to know the industry much better. And I’ve started to have a few concerns.

One thing in particular always amazes me. Writers, it seems, are spending more and more of their time encouraging others to write.

True, this perspective is in part from the circles I’ve haunted. Critique groups are specifically for that purpose. Their activities often involve mini-conventions or seminars on craft. The Hero’s Journey, Saving Cats, hitting the right beats, analyzing the tropes — they all bleed together after a while. Then there’s the marketing advice and secret tips and tricks about Amazon’s arcane algorithms from which everyone claims to have divined at least one well-guarded secret.

None of this is a problem in and of itself. Us writers are an insecure and introverted lot. If given the opportunity to hang out with like-minded word slingers, we’ll jump at the chance and abandon our hardened shells. There is a camaraderie in a group of writers which often transcends any hang ups or even appropriateness of the venue. The meek become loud and boisterous, the immediate surroundings melt away into the collective fantasy of their conversation.

But where the problem lies is this: in order to succeed as writers, we need readers.

When I wrote those first stories, I didn’t have a concept of author branding. I wrote whatever came to mind and it wasn’t until I’d launched a book or two and started a serious attempt at collecting a list of my fans, that I understood the importance. I’d been doing plenty for myself and even written for the entertainment of my critique partners, but what I’d not done is focus on those readers.

Would a reader who’d fallen in love with my psychological tale about a man’s madness on the eve of an apocalypse happily follow me into the realms of superhero fiction? Or would the superhero reader eager to sample the rest of my stories be put off by the one about a serial killer bested by a blood-thirsty demon?

It can easily be explained as a rookie mistake. But in fact, the whole industry appears to have shifted away from a reader-centric focus.

I attended World Fantasy two years back and at the awards dinner, I sat by a lovely lady who’d been attending for decades. At one point in our conversation, she mentioned that it would likely be her last year. Why? Her response — she didn’t feel welcome.

In the beginning, it had been a place for fans to come and meet their favorite authors. They could sit in on panels and witness that frenetic camaraderie I spoke about. But lately, she said the convention had become all about the business.

More and more of the attendees were writers. Everyone had their own book or was looking to publish. She felt as though she were being left out.

It’s the end result really of a number of factors. The explosion of self publishing has empowered everyone to see their own ideas in print. Already begun by those in the traditional publishing world, lucrative speaking engagements and retreats suddenly found a perfect market. Combined with a generation of “you can be anything you want to be” optimism (or indoctrination — take your pick) and it created a perfect storm.

So what’s wrong with everyone pursuing their dreams?

Nothing. Unless there’s a market in place. Supply and demand is a real concern. And if the suppliers are cannibalizing their audience, eventually, you’ll hit a tipping point.

As a writer, I know for a fact my reading for pleasure has dropped dramatically since I began. I spend much of my time reading, revising, and editing my own work. My TBR pile is a neglected mess, often with professional reading (all those marketing books and reads for friends) taking up another substantial chunk. When I’m done for the day, I often don’t want to curl up with a book having spent the last eight plus hours eviscerating mine.

Even if those newly-minted writers setting aside their own reading time is insignificant in the grand scheme of things, the number of new books being published isn’t. I’ve heard from a credible source that over a hundred thousand books a month were published on Amazon last year.

All this energy and effort spent at crafting new stories and how much is spent cultivating new readers? We live in an age of 140 character presidential proclamations and communication so stunted that putting 70, 80, 90 plus thousand words together anywhere seems like a mistake.

My guess is it’s time to stop convincing everyone that yes, they too can do this, and instead start exploring whether or not anyone’s left to read the end result.

If you enjoyed this article, please click the “like” and “share” buttons. For more about my fiction, visit my webpage at www.russlinton.com and for a free eBook or two, go to: http://smarturl.it/tft2ou