Adding more to the Author To Blog or Not to Blog Argument
So, I've eluded in the two previous posts (enough pimps from Agent007, huh?) about the ongoing debate about whether authors-- published or not should blog. And then, as Agent007, states censor what is actually written in each. So as the argument was proposed:
Ummmm-- hello?
All of this hush, hush crap about the publishing industry, rejection, rites of passage is all a bunch of hooey. Really. We need to support each other (much like raising a child and sharing the dirty truth about it all--and I am not talking just about dirty diapers here). Be open. In all the How-to-Find-an-Agent-or-Publisher nonsense, they--meaning you and any other book, website, or person--doesn't sugar coat the whole rejection process-- why should we?
Want examples? I can give you plenty. We are told--as writers--mind you, that we SHOULD get rejection letter after rejection letter, it is all a part of the business. We SHOULD accept form letters because we are SO SO busy we can't give you personal attention. Keep trying, because well, you just don't suit my style. Blah, blah, blah.
And through all of this, you are telling me to not share my story in public (on a blog)? What, you want 100 less queries to read each week or what? Really- this is the shitty side of being an agent or editor, you get to really know what is going on in your potential writer pool. Want to know what a crappy job--as a whole--the industry is doing? Want to know how your authors really feel? Read the blogs. I agree blogging isn't as formal as writing a novel, but why not use the whole blogging phenomena to your advantage--check out if we can write, not call us on hauling your ass or an associate's on the carpet.
Don't think I am the only one to disagree. Here a great response (way to go Peter!):
I think I am done. I've gone on a tangent. Thank God I am not jaded by the whole process yet (i.e. not submitting) because, well, this post could have been much less professional.
I think I had too much coffee today. Pardon my rant.
"...please, if you're using your real name, don't blog about your struggles to find an agent, or your agent's struggles to find you a publisher, or even your struggles to get published by the New Yorker (unless you're really really funny about it).Now, go read the post yourself for the WHOLE argument. If I were you (which I am clearly not) I might want to add qualifiers to the statement. Be professional. Be courteous. But feel free to share your rejections. Like writing isn't solitary enough or a slam against your self-confidence enough. Now we should keep all our struggles to ourselves? Until of course, as you say, "who have already arrived in the publishing world, however, we welcome your stories of struggle. They remind us that the road is long, but the destination is so worth it."
"Agents and editors can Google search, too, and before we sign you, we usually do. It can be so hard to feel the love when we read that you've already been rejected fifty times. We know it happens, but we don't need to know that it happened to you. And we certainly won't feel comfortable sending your work to editors with that kind of info so readily available."
Ummmm-- hello?
All of this hush, hush crap about the publishing industry, rejection, rites of passage is all a bunch of hooey. Really. We need to support each other (much like raising a child and sharing the dirty truth about it all--and I am not talking just about dirty diapers here). Be open. In all the How-to-Find-an-Agent-or-Publisher nonsense, they--meaning you and any other book, website, or person--doesn't sugar coat the whole rejection process-- why should we?
Want examples? I can give you plenty. We are told--as writers--mind you, that we SHOULD get rejection letter after rejection letter, it is all a part of the business. We SHOULD accept form letters because we are SO SO busy we can't give you personal attention. Keep trying, because well, you just don't suit my style. Blah, blah, blah.
And through all of this, you are telling me to not share my story in public (on a blog)? What, you want 100 less queries to read each week or what? Really- this is the shitty side of being an agent or editor, you get to really know what is going on in your potential writer pool. Want to know what a crappy job--as a whole--the industry is doing? Want to know how your authors really feel? Read the blogs. I agree blogging isn't as formal as writing a novel, but why not use the whole blogging phenomena to your advantage--check out if we can write, not call us on hauling your ass or an associate's on the carpet.
Don't think I am the only one to disagree. Here a great response (way to go Peter!):
Peter L Winkler's response:If I want to SHARE this whole run-of-the-mill journey on how to get my works published, why not? Hell there are thousands of sites with people complaining about parenthood, finding a job, and even failures about getting it up--Why would writing about the writing/publishing journey be something else we should hide?
"So let me see if I've got this straight. Pre-publication our blog should be the literary version of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing "Everything's Coming Up Roses."
Post-publication: apre moi, le deluge.
In order not to tarnish our saleability, we write pablum about quotidian crap: "Had to take the cat to the vet today..."
And a blog consisting of that is really going to get readers interested in us..?"
I think I am done. I've gone on a tangent. Thank God I am not jaded by the whole process yet (i.e. not submitting) because, well, this post could have been much less professional.
I think I had too much coffee today. Pardon my rant.
