For Those We Lose Along The Way

Publishing is not for the faint or tender-hearted and yet the very nature of writing often calls to sensitive souls. It can be an uneasy, often painful combination and the truth is, we lose a lot of authors along the way,  many before they’ve even published a word. The long hard slog toward publication simply becomes too much. But there are others we lose after they publish their first book. Perhaps the disconnect between the reality of ‘being published’ and their dream of what it would be like is too great, or the demands of being published are too hard, or they are crushed when their first book does poorly or if they received harsh reviews. I know of three authors who simply gave up after their first book, completely disillusioned and demoralized by the publishing process and the lack of support they got from their publisher, the lukewarm sales and reviews their book received.

What if a discouraged new author doesn’t have a good support system or a professional ally such as an agent or a second book contract to force them to keep going? How easy is it to just let the dream be crushed and retreat?

A few weeks ago I learned of yet another author who had fallen by the wayside after the publication of their first book and it made me long to sit down and have a heart to heart with them. To tell them all the things I could think of to make them realize they shouldn’t give up or feel embarrassed or defeated.

In our society, there is a strong sense of shame and embarrassment associated with not succeeding, even in areas where we have little control. There is sometimes a prevailing sense that the less successful have somehow earned that lack of success by not trying hard enough or by some lack of their own. Authors, in particular, bear the weight of a failed book. Even though publishing is a team effort comprised of a dozen different functions and components, it is authors who bear the brunt of poor numbers or bad reviews.

Then I realized that even better than just me saying something encouraging, I should tap into the Violet Collective and ask for YOUR words of wisdom for these bruised and battered authors. As a community of introverts, SVP blog readers are some of the most insightful, compassionate, and supportive  people I know. What if we were to compile a list of advice and insights new authors could turn to when they were discouraged? 

What would you say to a debut author whose sales tank? Or whose book never takes off? Or for whom the realities of publishing are simply overwhelming or underwhelming or whose dream has been too out of step with reality? What could we say that would prepare them for that reality so they wouldn’t be so shell-shocked when they run into it?

There are two things that I would like to tell those who get discouraged. The first is, more often than not a book’s success or failure has very little to do with the quality of the writing and a lot more to do with timing, luck, distribution, exposure, and connecting with the right readers, most of which is outside the writer’s control. The second piece of advice I would give  those authors is to explain that this is why finding some sort of joy or fierce satisfaction from the writing process itself is so important—so when things tank, you will still have had the experience of joyfully creating, and nothing can take that away from you.

What about you? What piece of advice would you give a discouraged author or a pre-published author to help them avoid being crushed along the way?

As I knew they would, SVP readers and writers from all corners of the internet have contributed some awesome advice for weathering the hard times and not giving up.