Monday, April 22, 2013

What a Difference A Few Years Makes


Happy Monday, all! Hope you've had a lovely week. I've no idea where mine went!

Today I'm excited to host author Michele Gorman, talking about how publishing times have changed. Take it away, Michele!

What a Difference a Day (or a few years) Makes

In what other profession does one pour her heart and soul into her work, for years, without getting paid? All right, nuns, yes.

But we’re not nuns, are we? Definitely not. No, we’re authors, so we don’t even get VIP tickets through the pearly gates. And yet, there we are, toiling at the laptop, month after month, year after year. For what?

Well, for a lot of things, actually. Because the fact is, we love to write. Every character that we fall in love with, every storyline that comes together makes us happy. Sure, everyone has dreams of writing their first book, quitting the day job, staying in their pyjamas all day to pen novels and watch the cash roll in. But something makes us keep writing, even after that first book doesn’t find an agent or a publisher. We still write, late at night after a long day’s work, without being paid. Why? Because eventually all that writing pays off.

When I started, around 14 years ago, I had the same idea that everyone does when they start. But it took two books to find an agent, and four to find a publisher. I took me six to be in a position to quit my day job to write full-time. I’ve just published the seventh book I’ve written, Bella Summer Takes a Chance, and got to spend months with some of the warmest, funniest characters I’ve ever imagined, exploring the question: does “in love” really exist, and do you have to be in love for a relationship to last? They’re questions that I’m sure lots of women ask (myself included), and it was fantastic to see my characters figure out the answers for themselves…. I think it’s my best book yet.

That’s what I’ve learned from all this – the late nights, sacrificed weekends, knock-backs and rejections. That we get better the more we do it. It never gets easier, because we’ll always push ourselves to perfect our craft, but we get better. That’s good for us and it’s good for readers.

The publishing world has certainly changed since I started. That makes me sound like a rocking chair-bound octogenarian. In fact, we’ve seen an incredible rate of change in just a few years. The Kindle wasn’t launched until late 2007, and Amazon.co.uk’s Kindle store didn’t open until August 2010. Yet by May 2011, eBooks were outselling all other formats on Amazon.com. What a difference a few years makes, eh?

So now we can publish with the Big 5. We can publish with small presses. We can publish independently. We can do all of the above. And as tempting as it is to hurry along the process, we do need all that practice to become the best possible writers. So as tempting as it is, try not to rush it. The more we write the better we become. If it’s your dream to have a traditional publishing deal, then keep going until you get there. If you want to publish independently then make sure you give your book the attention that it, and your writing, deserve: use professional content editors and copy editors, and ensure it has the best possible cover. As authors we have more options than ever before. But at the end of the day we are authors because we love to write. And doesn’t that make us lucky girls and boys?!

Michele Gor
man is the best-selling author of the Single in the City series and Bella Summer Takes a Chance. She also writes upmarket commercial fiction under the pen name Jamie Scott. Born and raised in the US, Michele has lived in London for 16 years. 
If it weren't for Twitter and Facebook, Michele would be a much more prolific writer, but wouldn't have nearly as much fun, so do chat to her online:



Twitter:@expatdiaries - Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MicheleGormanBooks - Blog: www.michelegormanwriter.blogspot.com
Website: www.michelegorman.co.uk
Thank you, Michele!
How have changes in the publishing world affected you?
Have a great week, everyone!


23 comments:

  1. Hi Talli, hi Michele! Thanks for sharing your writerly journey here, Michele and huge congratulations with your success! Patience and perseverance truly wins out in the end and I'm all for not rushing things! I think Amazon continues to force changes in the publishing world - the Kindle revolution cannot be underestimated, whatever one's feelings are about Amazon's dominance. Twitter and FB and social media are other big changes impacting somewhere writerly too, I'm sure!!

    Take care
    x

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    1. I think you're right - Amazon is a force to be reckoned with. And I'm SO glad that we have twitter and facebook ... they are instrumental in this author's ability to procrastinate :-)

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  2. Hi, Talli. Nice to meet Michelle. It is hard to believe how much has changed in such a short time. I bought a Kindle last year. Though I still buy most of my titles in actual book form, I also sometimes buy ebooks.

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    1. Thanks Theresa, I bought a kindle too last year and while it will never be as nice as curling up with a paperback, I probably read more now because it's convenient to throw in my bag whenever I go out.

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  3. I love learning about published authors' routes to publication and this post is especially good. I read most of my books on Kindle now, although I do love paperbacks most of all, but I love the choice of having several (hundred) books to choose from at one time. So exciting!

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    1. I know how you feel - great to have such a range to choose from, if not so great for the wallet :-) Thanks Debs!

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  4. I like this post. I also think it is interesting that there are so many other publishing options these days; who knows what publishing will look like in another ten years? And I can definitely relate to what you said about being patient and taking the time to write. I used to have this idea that I had to publish a book by a certain age; now I know that it's more important to write something good and worry about publishing later.

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    1. Absolutely, it's much better to take the pressure off yourself!

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  5. I've only been an author for a couple years and it's changed since I began this journey.

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  6. No, we're not nuns. We're Nones. Most of the time, anyway.

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  7. I think the changes has made it more acceptable to work with small presses and definitely removed the stigma of self publishing. I love options. And Norma made me laugh.

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  8. Hi Talli, Hello Michele,

    Congratulations on your achievements, Michele. Yes a lot has changed with digital publishing now.

    It was lovely reading about you Michele.

    Nas

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  9. Your article is very interesting Beautifull photos and great blog to read thank you

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  10. I loved reading about your road to publication. There are so many options nowadays. The key is to never give!

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  11. Great advice! Bella Summer sounds like a fun book. :)

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  12. Yep...rarely does book one find a publisher...or book two :-)

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  13. We all make our journeys differently and it's exciting every time I read about how authors make their trips. Thanks for the post today,

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  14. Great to meet you, Michelle. The key is not to give up.

    Waving to Talli!

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  15. Hi Talli and Michele - such unbelievable times we're living it - the nicest perhaps is .... we get to hear others' stories and have access to support, help and thoughts ... and as authors you all get to write ... I might just have found my vocation in life: time to find out.

    Cheers Hilary

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  16. Nice to hear about Michelle's journey! Congrats on being able to write full time and get paid doing it--not many writers reach that point. That's okay, cuz like you said, we LOVE doing it. :)

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  19. Terrific post, Michele.

    Since I don't have the equipment for it, I couldn't be a nun. And the alternative is the priesthood, but I'd have issues with theology and celibacy.

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Coffee and wine for all!