Do You Have An Exit Plan?

What if the bottom falls out? Do you have an exit plan?

We talk about this a lot on a small scale with authors. If your line collapses or your editor no longer needs you, do you have a back-up plane? As an agent, I am always trying my best to keep options open. It is hard though. If things are going great, you don't want to think of failure. But it happens.

I am bringing this one up today on a larger scale. No, I am not going to take a political side to this, but I do want ALL of the authors out there to think.

What if RWA collapses?

First of all, I do believe this is not going to happen and people WILL step up, BE PROACTIVE and find solutions.

But, what if?

Let's look at some immediate effects:

• Your local chapter is gone.
• Those established awards that people love (such as the Daphne and RITA) are gone.
• Your connections to education, networking and so forth are gone.
• Your ability to bring editors and agents to your local chapter are gone. (see #1)
• If you are a new author, you are entirely on your own.

Yes, I do get that you might say you will stay connected with your author friends, but the bigger connections are gone.

Yes, I get there are some other writing organizations, but these are for general fiction and that connection you had with people who ONLY wrote what you wrote is not going to be there. 

I have been talking with an author and she is saying their chapter is now getting together to ask, what happens if????

I do think this is an important lesson for anyone in publishing. This is an industry that is constantly changing. The readers change their favorite reads on a moment's notice. I have talked here before of how a Greyhaus author got stuck with not just Borders closing on her release day, but of how her publisher was in a major fight with another book buyer on that same week and refused to send out her book.

This happens.

So, I only ask, do you have a back up plan?