As the end of the year approaches I can't help but look back over 2011 and wonder if I've accomplished all that I set out to do. It was a crazy year filled with crazy goals, but I did accomplish some of them. The Secret Of Spruce Knoll was published and book two is on it's way next year. But as with most writers, my goals changed drastically throughout the year. But after looking back I realized, that's what we have to do to survive in this tumultuous industry. It's changing all around us, by the moment.
Agents now represent self-published authors (and take a cut), the big six publishers are scouting for the next great thing in self-published books, advances have plummeted, vanity presses have come out of the wood work to take advantage of self-publishing authors, and small presses are redefining how the entire industry does business by offering higher royalties than ever.
So what is one to do in this ever-changing and unpredictable industry? Keep your eyes and options open, work hard on improving your skills, seek advice before making any decisions, and hang on for the ride. Did you achieve your goals in 2011? Or did they change drastically as mine did?
~Heather
I love how you articulated all this, Heather. I've been thinking a lot about these very issues, and, in my opinion, you are soooo right! I still find small presses the most appealing of the options for myself, but it changes so much, so fast, all the time these days that the only sane thing to do is keep our eyes and ears open.
ReplyDeleteI love this. I think that's what happens with goals...they shift, turn, change, and modify with the times. But they have to. Being flexible and moving with the times is what makes you brilliant. You did achieve your goals. You just took a different path than planned. So... the goal was accomplished, the direction was unexpected. But it worked!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
I found that I had to adapt some goals in the wake of upexpected manuscripts that cropped up. My goal next year is to complete two novels and possibly find an agent.
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