The Times, They Are A-Changin'

For years, as I worked at learning the craft of writing, I've been told "money should come TO the author, not the other way around". The advice was that authors should beware of agents, editors, and 'publishers' who ask for money from the author in order to do those things (editing, printing, marketing, distributing) that a 'regular' publishing house normally does. I always listened carefully to these warnings.

Recently, various blogs and newsletters have stated that the business of publishing is changing. Ebooks, electronic readers, print on demand abilities have started to warp the traditional methods of the industry. The economy, rising costs and so on have been hard on publishers. Still, I never imagined the next step would be what I've been hearing about this past week.

Word has spread that Harlequin – a well-known Publishing House of romance novels – has introduced a new 'imprint', one that – if I understand correctly – requests payment for such things as editing services, printing costs and so on. Of course, Harlequin declares this is a wonderful opportunity for fledgling authors to learn the business and obtain some exposure of their work. You know, back in the day, purveyors of 'snake oil' medicine claimed it was a wonderful product, too.

Response from the authors' groups has been less than enthusiastic. If I remember correctly, the Romance Writers of America informed Harlequin that continuing with this imprint as it was conceived would seriously jeopardize Harlequin's standing as an approved publisher. The Science Fiction Writers of America voiced a similar warning, and the Mystery Writers of America just simply removed Harlequin from its 'approved' list. (I can't swear those details are correct; I was still in a bit of shock. I suggest you do your own research on the subject.)

Bummer. Two of my first three novels are romances, and removing Harlequin from the list of possible markets leaves a mighty big hole.

See ya next week. Maybe a big turkey dinner will make things look better. Trudy

Whatcha Doin'?

I've been reading my newsletters again. (If I'm not going to read them, why did I subscribe to them?) There seemed to be a thread going through a couple of them recently. They both described truly busy lives, and the wonderment of others at how the author could do all of that and still find time to write. Me, too, I thought. Sometimes, I have an awful time juggling all the demands on my time, so that I only have a few minutes a day to devote to writing.

These authors claimed that was sufficient. According to their method, even as they did all the various things that are their life, their brain was working on whatever writing project they were trying to complete. That way, when they did get a few minutes to write, actually putting words on paper (or into the computer) was much easier.

Well, I do that, as much as I can. If I can't fall asleep right away, it's probably because I'm trying to figure out the next scene, or a character's motivation. I can't tell you how many times supper has gotten just a little over-done because I was having an internal debate over if some story should go in this direction or that direction. A permanent state of distraction seems to be a normal piece of many an author's life.

But for me, it's not enough. Occasionally, I can get a couple hundred words written in the fifteen minutes I've got that day, but most days, I'm lucky to get a couple lines written, if that's all the time I've got. I think of shedding some of my other commitments, but which ones? I took up every one of them for a reason, and that reason is still there. Do I try to think harder about my stories? Let's face it, driving distracted is not a good idea.

I hate procrastinating my writing. I've taken vacations where all I did – other than a daily dip in the pool and occasionally finding something to eat – was write. It never lasts long enough. Eventually, I have to return to regular life, and trying to squeeze as many words out of me in fifteen or twenty minutes as I can. But at least I can squeeze those few minutes out of each day – most days.

Use your time as wisely as you can. But remember that 'day-dreaming' about your stories is a part of the process. So the next time your day-dreams are interrupted by someone asking, "Whatcha doin'?" or "Penny for your thoughts?", feel free to grin and tell them, "Just working on my best-seller." See ya next week. Trudy