The other day, I posted this sobering message on my Facebook and Twitter feeds: New writers don't want to hear it, but staying published is the hard part. Like trying to walk a tightrope in lard-slathered socks. The publishing biz had just given me another such reminder, with my former publisher (and holder of my entire in-print backlist) deciding to go all digital, at least in the near future and whittling down its editorial staff to nearly nil in response to dwindling sales. But even in the best of economic times, it's a huge challenge to keep one's career alive long enough to build an audience and prosper, especially for the grand majority of authors, who survive on the mid-list. (Big-time bestsellerdom has its own perils, but that's another post.) Yet somehow, I remain if not wildly optimistic, perpetually hopeful. Over the years, I've seen some very talented authors crash and burn with the fortunes of lousy covers, a line's or publisher's demise, or an ...
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I'm off to tell that one to the dh. But I always tell jokes all out of order and get pissed when nobody gets it.
Thanks for the laugh.
TJB
We have a writing family. Joni, of course, Allen writes sermons, Linda wrote songs with Joni, Diana wrote for the Peace Corps, Janis wrote TV scripts, Roger wrote a book on how to start a radio station, and of course Mom Lois wrote a book. My idea was to get all the kids to move to Helena, Montana and buy houses on the same street. We could have our own Writers Block!