As I’m sure everyone here knows, I’m a writer, author, over-imaginative individual. It doesn’t really matter what I call myself, or what other people call me. As a writer, I‘m more focused on the levels of the writing industry.
For everyone out there who does any sort of writing, it can be really intimidating trying to get
into the writing industry and trying to get a good enough grip on marketing, and popularity, to get your books well enough out there to make a living. There is a lot of competition, and it can be very intimidating. It can be impossible to grab a handhold on the wall.
into the writing industry and trying to get a good enough grip on marketing, and popularity, to get your books well enough out there to make a living. There is a lot of competition, and it can be very intimidating. It can be impossible to grab a handhold on the wall.
Knowing that there would be a lot of competition as an aspiring author, I chose to publish some of my work early in hopes that I’ll be able to secure a steady career in writing before my thirties. However, with very little knowledge of the media, and promotions alongside marketing, I’m not entirely sure how to make my books readily available to a wider audience which is perhaps a little more global than my current GB readers (hi, you’re all great!).
Since publishing my books, however, I’m still no closer to figuring out the writing industry.
The writing industry, at least concerning the fiction I choose to write, has a very specific and unmoving genre. This includes books that have been relevant for many years (and are therefore intense competition), such as J. K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series – which I am struggling to bring myself to read – and other great book series, such as Suzanne Collins’ “The hunger games” and Cassandra Clare’s “Shadowhunters” (the most relevant of which concern her Mortal Instrument series).
While my writing is perhaps slightly more mature in it’s contents (as it tackles very graphic situations), and is therefore targeted at an marginally older audience, my main target of readers are those who enjoy young adult fiction. This audience is very difficult to write for as it can potentially either positively or negatively influence a large amount of people.
Either way, being stuck in a very slow and almost unmoving industry makes the whole marketing aspect of writing tricky. It sometimes feels as though I’m drowning in the sea of aspiring authors, and that maybe I won’t get the ‘big break’ that everyone tells me I will (if I’m lucky enough). This, in itself, is very draining. It’s also why, over the past few months, I’ve been a little hopeless and have started to struggle with editing, planning and writing. A large part of me thinks ‘what’s the point when no one can see me?’ (but that’s mostly down to self-confidence and doubt which, if you’ve read my previous blog, I’m trying to eliminate from my life).
However, most of this despair I’m currently feeling is there because I tend to compare my writing to that of other authors who are much more successful than me at the currently moment, and who therefore hold a much higher reputation in the writing industry. These, to name a few, are Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J. Maas, Marie Lu, who are all amazing authors and whose work I really enjoy reading. Their immense attention to detail, and their amazing talent at worldbuilding, leaves me jealous (yes, jealous) and as a result I can’t do anything else but critique my old work with a frown and slumped shoulders.
So, yes, as I’m sure you can tell, the writing industry is like a very sticky wall of glue that’s only a few more seconds away from drying. I admire authors who have successfully got their books noticed enough to have a stream of popularity over the years, and have mostly really enjoyed reading their work.
When it comes to my place in the writing industry, my struggle is with marketing. This, mostly, concerns how I try to promote my books, and my route of self-publishing. While self-publishing is good, in a sense, because it gets your book out there without years of possible rejection, it also has its negatives. These are mostly down to not having a publisher to promote your books, not having an agent to make sure you know what you’re doing and are not getting screwed over, and having reviews before publishing from other admired authors and wide publishing platforms.
What I didn’t know before becoming an author, is that people who take the route of going with a publisher are able to get solid reviews from almost all networking platforms which help them a lot with increasing and securing their audience.
My choice to choose self-publishing means that my audience is who I promote it to. While my audience is pretty secure and I’m glad that I have the readers I do, I wouldn’t mind having a larger audience of readers so that I can secure a career. However, it’s difficult to do this, especially at the inexperienced level that I’m currently on. I think my best bet would be looking into publishing platforms to help re-publish and promote my books.
Currently, despite the fact I’m a writer, I seem to seriously be struggling with feeling as though I belong in the writing industry. However, I’m hoping that as my work develops, and as I search for new publishers and create future book series, I might be able to make my way a little higher up the wall in the writing industry.
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Want to find out more about my books? Follow the link below.
www.emilybrown.org.uk
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Want to find out more about my books? Follow the link below.
www.emilybrown.org.uk
I also have a Spotify playlist, you can find that below as well.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2rfakaE1iuqx5aMgL259L0?si=6pDdVFo3RVSwVjl8f14uNQ