Ongoing Inspiration

A lot of the news out there for authors isn't positive. It's one of my main pet peeves with the publishing industry. Everybody seems determined to get their discouraging word in about how hard it is to be a writer, how hard it is to get published. Fellow writers love the topic of writer's block. Writing magazines love to emphasize the importance of winning contests, because how else could you possibly manage to get noticed and published in today's market. Lately, agent blogs and basic writer news sources have ramped up the negativity, explaining in detail how publishing houses are cutting back, being tighter, paying less, buying less—expected, of course, in light of the economy.

However, it's exactly what everyone's been saying for the last ten years. There's never been a point in my writing career where agents and editors have been saying, "Now's a great and easy time to get published." And it annoys me. I don't like being told that my dreams are nigh impossible, and I don't like people telling me it's harder than it is. People are still getting published. People will always be published. Yes, the formatting might change. Yes, the tastes of the audiences might change. Yes, there'll never be a ticket window somewhere that guarantees when your number is called, you get published. It's a job like any other in that respect.

Which is why I love running Number One Novels. I've got a lineup through the end of September of debut authors. Ever single one of them has a second book on contract, if not more. It gives me constant inspiration, and I think that's something this industry is really lacking.