How to Write and Thrive in 2023

The Hard Necessary Questions and Surprisingly Soft Landings

Every publishing friend I have today, asks about the recent mass layoffs in the book industry, and how it’s affecting authors. Same with film and TV.

—  Are new authors being signed who aren’t related to the boss? Does a mid-list author have a life at all?

— Are new titles still in the pipeline or is everything being “cancelled” in a panic?

— Is it basically “forget it!” — only Stephen King and movie stars need apply?

If your favorite editor is gone, how are you supposed to navigate the sharky waters?

Do you have to be Jesus Christ on a Bicycle to get a deal in 2023? —Or is he washed up, too?

Fear not, I have answers— and relevant questions— at my upcoming March 8 publishing seminar.

Sign up!  The hand-wringing will end, I promise.

I have hard info, timely advice, and a very good ear.

For the moment, here’s an undiluted clue or two.

Let’s consider what stage you’re at:

If you are actively writing a project now . . .

If the moment is right for you to compose and finish a decent draft this year, yes, you must press on and ignore the layoff flip-outs, while you keep your nose to the GRINDSTONE.

Repeat that until you resist all the hysteria. There are techniques, you don’t have to rely on sheer will power.

Yes, of course you need and desire relevant help — (it’s on the way). But you are in no position to falter.

The current risks and opportunities are like shifting deck chairs. The seats are not eliminated. There is a way in.

Anyone who throws in the towel at this point is indulging their fears, not reality.

There are books and stories you need to be reading while you finish your draft, and a lot of noise you need to SHUT OUT. 

See you in class . . . We’re going to figure it out, I promise.

If you are considering beginning a project now . . .

You need to take a bit of a creative interview. Answer the questions a kind publishing pro would ask.

What do you want to say?

Why do you want to say it now?

Who is your work is talking to?

I know these don’t get pulled out of a hat. You need some guides. But yes, you’ll arrive at a  road map of how much time you need to complete a draft and a pitch. You’ll know good stuff to read and research along the way.

I can help you with that; any excellent teacher or book doctor can. We know it’s not obvious or banal. You’re not supposed to fall asleep and scream “Eureka!” upon dawn. There’s nuance to it.

This spring will be your moment to set that compass.

The Dignity of Aspirational and Self-Directed Writing . . .

There are a great many writers, beautiful thinkers who contemplate publishing their work — will not do it anytime soon, or at all. You may be one, and you certainly know them. They are the people of whom are often said: “What’s in their journal is better than most anything on the bookstore rack!”

Aspirational and closely-held writing, that’s it. It is not presumed to land in commercial publishing, and it has its rightful place. It has an ambitious creative process and its own point.  I defend the right to NOT publish,  vociferously!

If you’re in that I’m-writing-not-publishing group, it’s time to deliver yourself from the alarmism about whether the market is good or not — who gives a F. Such is not the aim of outstanding writing that is shared with friends, or for one’s own contemplation.

Ironically, there are VERY important lessons professional writers need to learn from non-pro writers. We’ll unpack that in our class!

If you are returning to a writing career . . .

Let’s say you’ve already published, one title or many. But you’ve been out of the game for a bit, and you’re shocked at how much things have changed. Publishers, contracts, the money, the market.

There’s been so much churn in the past year, or since COVID, since whenever. Did everyone die or retire? Has the whole world become an ASMR Tik-Tok vehicle? These are the vile thoughts that cause insomnia and don’t further your dreams!

A veteran writer knows the discipline and creative life it takes to write well.  Most can not afford (or desire) to ignore the life of their fellow writers and publishing peers. We want to know what’s going on. It’s normal to pursue what’s ahead and consider how to position your next work well. To seek relevance.

So, let’s do that, with boundaries! The key is to make a specific time and place to address it, instead of free-form fretting.

Let’s look at what you’ve got going so far. We fearlessly (and kindly) look at it with 2023 eyes. It helps to have a mentor who’s been publishing and selling books today, the here and now.

Once you have a grasp of your strategy, you get right back to ignoring the trolls, the alarmist headlines. You’ll have a guide to finish your draft and pitch. Don’t poke your head out until next quarter, when you’ll be allowed another cogent check-in.  You’ve got this.

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I’m teaching a ZOOM publishing clinic this spring, that gets into all these details, specifically to your situation, on March 8.

Those of you who sign up, I’m going to be asking you to send me your preliminary questions and situation, by email, before we begin.

Please register by March 1, so I have time to prepare for you!

Am I a unicorn, the only teacher/guide  who has the chops you need? Of course not.

I am experienced, and I recommend you work with someone who is. Choose a teacher or book doctor who’s published/edited/mentored hundreds of titles, including bestsellers. Someone who understands the genres and mediums you love. —A great reader and someone who is perceptive, creatively intuitive. A mensch, someone you can count on. A writer.

When I’m in my author life, I seek out these angels too. I hire editors, I consult with people who know more, I learn new things. That IS the professional writer’s life.

When I thank my colleagues and family in the acknowledgements of my newest book, (I love writing the acknowledgements) I get a lump in my throat. I know how much my cadre cared about my work and gave me their best. You deserve the same, always!

P.S.

March 8 Class Details And Registration: http://literarykitchen.net/susie-bright-teaches-creative-publishing-and-the-art-of-outsider-revolution/

OR, Don’t have the time, and might prefer a one-on-one consult? You can make an appointment here: https://calendly.com/susiebright