THE MARRAIGE OF CREATIVITY & COMMERCE
Long ago our minds created the primary binary: Danger vs Safety – the quick simple choice was vital for a fast getaway.
Later we judged our thoughts Good or Bad – simplicity was now to save mental energy because the brain burns much fuel.
Very much later Left vs Right became the way to think about politics.
Today we’re questioning the popular division between Creative vs Business work – can we please re-think the role you usually play?
You, writer: the creative.
Us, agents and publishers: the business folk.
A re-think is important because you can’t just leave your book business to us in publishing. Read the Bookseller article about a survey of author’s disillusionment after their books were published.
If you want to avoid a disappointing publishing experience you must do two things:
1. Understand how the book business works.
2. Learn what an author must do to help their book succeed.
It’s time you engaged your business bandha.
A well-known, highly successful author I represent talked about these myagentsecret newsletters this week.
He pointed out that his own publishing experience had largely been a series of good partnerships with publishers around the world. He enjoyed widespread publicity and well-attended public events that led to respectable (occasionally huge) book sales in several countries. For him, it’s been a great industry. He and I have played its game together happily for years.
If you come to me looking for representation and I want to take you on, I’ll cite him as a reference. I’ll mention a bunch of other author names with similar stories. They’ll all be true, if tidied up for presentation purposes.
Publishing successes happen every day.
The elements come together. The book succeeds in its goals. It gets the attention and the readers hoped for by all.
This kind of publishing harmony isn’t routine.
It’s a delicate ecosystem of interdependencies, like the holistic world of Avatar before the humans arrive or Snow White and her little friends before stepmom appears.
A bestseller is rarely an accident.
It’s due to great work by the publisher and the author and agent. Inspiration and organisation in a marriage made in heaven.
The successful author I mention spent a huge amount of time in the business of promoting their books. They got involved in their publisher’s plans, they supported their efforts but also learned enough to help me query the publisher’s work. They noticed what publicity and marketing opportunities were being pursued and which ones were being ignored. This author and I kept an eye on the publisher’s efforts whilst also being supportive. Sometimes we just took over neglected tasks to make them happen.
Truth is that your creativity alone won’t make an impact on the world.
It needs a partner.
In our world, that’s some kind of business – a publisher and an agent. A partner you take the time to understand. A partnership you invest energy and time in.
Make peace with that. Begin a tryst with the beast of Commerce.
It’s an arranged match rather than a love story but that’s better because your head will be clear.
I’m not saying that book publishing is The Matrix, an entire system of false reality where authors imagine themselves as having power when in fact their creative juices are the power source being drained from them to feed the corporate machines that publish them.
No, it’s not that cold.
Yes, big publishers are corporate power but book publishing is ‘mom and pop store’ compared with huge media industries, like film, TV or gaming. The book industry is thankfully small enough that individuals can make an impact.
The Publisher running the imprint that publishes your book has the authority to give it the marketing and publicity budget that it needs. They may not. But, if they see buzz building for your book ahead of publication, if they sense word of mouth interest is spreading - they probably will. Your efforts, with your agent, can nudge them towards focusing on the potential for your book.
There’s always going to be a tension between the author’s vision and the publisher’s desire to make money.
Don’t be repulsed by it. If creatives like anything, it’s tension right?
Some writers diss commerce on the grounds of beauty or purity: writing is cool. Creativity is cool. Artists are hip and Commerce is square.
Creativity scorns Commerce. Also true: Commerce scorns Creativity.
Some Business squareheads enjoy the image of the artist as a deluded self-indulgent egotist. We humans insist on judging each other. It’s sometimes needed but often lazy.
I am asking writers to move beyond the binary of Creative vs Commerce.
I am not suggesting you become an influencer.
I’m recommending you think about what you want. What might it take to achieve?
The writing is the main thing, sure. The bit you’ll sweat over most of the time. But that’s proud work, tilling your own bit of land under God’s sun, warmed by your own good work.
If you want to find readers, there will be other less appealing work to be done.
You can find an agent and delegate much of it. But careful with the romantic fantasy of a writer’s life that’s financially secure but devoid of tasks like ‘selling’ or ‘marketing’ or worse – ‘schmoozing’ anyone?
It’s not smart to delegate all the business aspects to your agent and publisher. You need to get involved to achieve the ambitions of living from your writing and finding a wide readership.
Because publishers don’t have enough resources to publicise all the books they publish. Every week they are making hard choices about which book to invest in marketing.
You are always facing The Problem of Too Many Books.
– and the Creative in you resents this – but gets you nowhere. The Business part of you however, works out a plan with your agent to minimise the chances of this happening.
Your agent and your publisher need your active involvement to help your books stand out from the crowd.
Better yet - learn all about it before you have an agent or a publisher.
My next series is about how to beat the book system.
No guarantees - but you can immeasurably improve your odds of achieving your goals.