The publishing world is really a tough business. Editors and agents say this all of the time. We wish we had a way to see into the future. I mean, really? Wouldn't it be great? To know what genres will be hot, which ones are declining. What our readers like? Will they buy the books? Will the new gamble on marketing work?
But we don't know. And yes, there will be a lot of times when you think things are going to go your way and then...
So, what do you do?
First of all, it is OK to scream, yell and throw things. Don't do it publicly because you never know who is watching or listening.
Now that you got that out of your system, examine the situation.
Was this something you could control? If not, you are good!
Was this something even your editor or agent could not control? Still good.
Did you and everyone do everything they could to make it work. If so, your team is still on board.
Now examine what is next.
If this was just a bump in the road, then stick to the course.
If this was a major shift, start making plans and redirecting. No, you don't need a complete over-haul. This might simply be a situation where a couple of tweaks will get things rolling again.
The thing to remember is this business is ALWAYS changing. You are just one author among many. But also remember, this problem you just hit is probably something affecting other authors.
So take a deep breath and move on.
No comments:
Post a Comment