Comments on Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: You Tell Me: Why Are So Many People Writing Books ...

I say it's simply that writing is easier than ever...

2009-12-08T01:11:33.712-08:00

I say it's simply that writing is easier than ever now. Not to say the thought process required in writing is easy or that more people are born with writing talent. In fact, I think less people actually write well now. However, if I had to write with a pencil or pen on a piece of paper, I would have given up writing a long time ago. Computers solve that problem. Now everyone who had an interesting dream or saw a strange man at the bus stop wants to be a writer.

My personal theory is that our generation has been...

2009-11-24T19:14:09.811-08:00

My personal theory is that our generation has been told it's special. We've been conditioned to be special. And what's more special than writing a book? Obviously our special-ness needs to be shared with the masses. If I sound like I'm condemning it, however, I'm not. This surge of painters and writers is the fruit of a creative society. I think it's a beautiful movement. I just wish more people would have back-up plans.

There are more people than ever before. Why not mo...

2009-11-24T13:28:55.340-08:00

There are more people than ever before. Why not more writers?

For me it was the time. I took a few years off to ...

2009-11-22T09:10:09.666-08:00

For me it was the time. I took a few years off to raise children. During that time, I explored different ideas that came to me and found out I loved to write.

I'll add my voice to the chorus saying that fame i...

2009-11-20T19:06:53.072-08:00

I'll add my voice to the chorus saying that fame is behind much of this trend. If reality programming has taught us anything, it's that people want to be two things: rich and famous.

I also think that people have started to view writing differently. Celebrities are penning (or, in some cases, "penning") dozens of autobiographies throughout their lives, writing hugely publicized fiction, and making piles of cash in the process. Getting published has become a status symbol.

It's depressing.

Evangeline
http://www.bookliciousblog.com

I blame the culture of public education (reflectin...

2009-11-20T09:39:22.636-08:00

I blame the culture of public education (reflecting the culture at large), which has shifted from rewarding merit to encouraging self-expression--and lavishing praise on any self-expression, even if it stinks. People want to express themselves, and technology makes it easy to do that with words. You don't have to learn a new "language" and set of tools as you would for art or music or dance; all you have to do is turn on your computer and spill your thoughts onto the page. Of course, if you want those thoughts to actually be worth another person's time to read--that's where the work comes in.

It's the economy, it's the technology, it's the de...

2009-11-20T07:56:08.913-08:00

It's the economy, it's the technology, it's the demography (retiring baby boomers have time on their hands to write).
Actually that's the key answer: more and more people have time on their hands, whether to write, paint or play music...or just go jogging!
So, in a modern, increasingly affluent society, it's more leisure vs. less work. Is it more happiness?

Let's compare writing books to Hollywood for a sec...

2009-11-19T23:55:14.471-08:00

Let's compare writing books to Hollywood for a second. I think so many people are writing books now is because they see the potential in the written word. I mean you see stories potrayed on the big screen and wow they make millions, but its a tough industry to get into Hollywood. A lot of people have good stories and never really thought of writing them until now because they're hoping to be the best big author, and there isn't anything wrong with that. It's hard breaking into the industry as a writer, just like breaking into Hollywood is hard. Not every script written will become the next big movie. Not every book written will become the next best seller. However what people see is the potential these stories could have; and that is what I think is driving them. Certainly the success of other authors has pushed it too.

I have to agree with those who said, computers are...

2009-11-19T16:05:28.981-08:00

I have to agree with those who said, computers are the reason. If we still had to write a book with a typewriter and a bottle of Whiteout, there are many who would not bother. It would be too much work to type and retype a manuscript.

Many people think getting a book published means automatic wealth. I can't tell you how many people assumed that I was going to be rich. Big surprise! LOL!

We are probably noticing it more because of the ad...

2009-11-19T14:30:31.298-08:00

We are probably noticing it more because of the advances in technology and the bad economy. People think,
Oh, I'll write a book and make some money off of it.

So many responses, I had to skim through some of t...

2009-11-19T14:11:20.299-08:00

So many responses, I had to skim through some of them, so apologize if anyone already mentioned this.

I would be curious to know the demographics of the increase in submissions. Specifically, is there a proportionally large upturn in queries from young people (say, younger than 35 years old?)

I agree with much of what has already been said. Technology, economy, culture, etc. But one topic that I think hasn't been touched on is the attitude of the newest generation. I think I heard it described somewhere as "Generation Me" or "iGen" for those born in the 70s, 80s, or 90s. It seems that those born in this generation (myself included) have put self and individuality above everything else, even more than past generations. We grew up being encouraged in absolutely everything, even when no talent is present, as if the desire to do something is all that matters, so that every single person my age is supposedly capable of writing a good novel... or being a rock star, or an Olympic athlete, or President of the United States... y'know, if we bothered to really put our minds to it. In short, there is a presumption of excellence in this generation.

So why not write a novel? Apparently 95% of people my age "could do better if they wanted to" than TV writers, or movie writers, or JK Rowling or Stephanie Meyer. I think this could have a lot to do with it. People see a badly written episode or something on TV and the first reaction isn't "they could do better than this" it's "I could do better than this."

Add to this all the other influences people have mentioned, and you have a perfect recipe not only for an massive influx of queries, but of would-be authors whose egos are so inflated that they are truly shocked when agents and editors aren't grovelling at their feet to represent their artistic masterpieces.

Hi Gordon, I mentioned people not all being that ...

2009-11-19T13:48:58.421-08:00

Hi Gordon,

I mentioned people not all being that same in that it seemed (to me only) that you feel books should just be abolished. How awful a business is looking to sell books prior to the kindle . . . Thus make them and the author some money, possibly help some of the economy,..

I first saw a reader over 2 years ago and thought it was brilliant. Especially now that I need glasses. If you can increase the font size. Yaa

And if it gives you the meaning of the word right there, fantastic. When I don't know a word, I look it up then, or dog ear the page so I can look it up before returning the book. {I am a library girl}

I am all for tree hugging, I am guilty of getting the paper in 2008. I finally let go of my love in 2009. I can read on line. And I am sure I will read an e book one day.

I miss my paper. Especially Sunday. I have comics I cut out from as far as 1980. Gary Larsons The Farside =} I miss holding the paper and falling asleep on it only to wake up later with ink all over my face ! I enjoy not knowing a word, and not knowing NOW. I tend to look them up later in mass when I am done with the book. It sort of lets you enjoy parts of the book a second time.

Reading a book is not my job. I get to read when there is time and it is a "fun" break for me. As todays efficiency blog continues, the day I have to effectively have efficient fun, it will no longer be fun.

Sheesh! 303 blog posts, many by the same folks. ME...

2009-11-19T13:21:34.521-08:00

Sheesh! 303 blog posts, many by the same folks. MEGO from trying to read all that firestorm.

Couple points I want to add that NOBODY will get far enough in this mess to read:

(So, um, why am I writing it at all?)

1) You can blame the glut of writer submissions on whatever you want, but it seems to be a huge alignment of the planets - Nanowrimo, the plethora of writing and agent blogs, places like AbsoluteWrite and AgentQuery and tons of Self-pubbing sites, along with the accessibility of the internet, unemployed people, and a bunch of Babyboomers in midlife like me.

2) Though Nanowrimo has 167,000 entrants, and their site boasts 1.3bil words written, (that's 8300 per person) less than 10% will finish those novels. Many people have already written their 50k, so imagine there are tens of thousands that haven't written much at all if any. And less than 10% of those finished novels will be worth revising at all, and of those, many people will opt out of revising because they aren't motivated to let the work see the 'light of day'.

But to say that whatever comes out of Nano is garbage is unfair, because serious and published authors use it to motivate them to work up a first draft, then go edit, revise, rework, polish, and market a good book.

3) Thanks to some who say self-pubbed books do not all suck. There is a stigma attached to them by the publishing industry, and the math usually works out where the self-pubbed book sells perhaps 100-200 copies, mostly to family, friends, or the author, who then tries to sell them from the trunk of their car.

Versus trad pubbing, where the book may sell 12,000 - 100,000 copies dependent on the publisher, the marketing, and ultimately the quality of the book.

3) If e-books (kindle, etc) become the defacto standard, the physical publishing industry will suffer for it, because any author can go through Amazon and a self-publishing house to get their book into an e-reader. It may not be good, it may not be found under all the other books, but it will be there.

And when it does, authors will be more likely to take the easy way out, even well-known authors, because they will net a higher percentage via the self-publishing route, especially if they are doing more of the marketing.

I think it is simply a new group of "readers" who ...

2009-11-19T13:10:26.752-08:00

I think it is simply a new group of "readers" who have finally grown up enough to have something to write about. That is my excuse anyway.

I started devouring books when I was eleven and have wanted to write a book since I was twelve. I wrote lots of worthless drivel for many years and trashed all of it. Now that I'm in my mid thirties I've lived enough life to write something worth reading (hope! hope! hope!) and now is a good time in my life to give it a go.

I write science fiction with a heavy dose of fantasy thrown in. I love my make believe worlds. :)

Maybe we're using writing as a self-healing tool. ...

2009-11-19T12:54:48.233-08:00

Maybe we're using writing as a self-healing tool. Prozac only works on the symptoms. Writing can be a cure. At least it was for me. Think about it... we're pretty messed up, on the whole, even the "normal" among us. Technology has given wider, easier access to a great outlet of human expression - writing.

And a bit of opinion: It doesn't have to be great literature to have a great impact. My favorite books aren't classics. The have real characters with real suffering and real triumph that I relate to and helps me believe I can triumph, too. To be truthful, a few of the most beloved classics so often referenced as icons of great literature are yawners (come on, a lot of you agree, if you're honest).

I write to feel better and if, one day, I benefit financially, that's a bonus. I'd wager I'm one of a large, like-minded group of writers out there. And if we don't produce any great American classics that's okay; however, I predict we do produce some touching stories with real characters that resonate with our modern day peers. Maybe that's why so many well-educated, literary types fear the lowest common denominator effect. But they shouldn't. Current evidence proves there's plenty of room for us and the literary elite in this big world.

Nathan, You may have covered this in a post I mi...

2009-11-19T12:30:25.936-08:00

Nathan,

You may have covered this in a post I missed but I woudl be curious on some stats: the number of queries you receive, the number automatically rejected, the number of partials requested, the number ofbooks accepted for representation - compared for the past 5 or so years. Similar info on other agents or just your agency would be appreciated to show us trends, growth rates, etc...

Gordon: Thank you for your opinion. You're welc...

2009-11-19T10:58:09.312-08:00

Gordon:

Thank you for your opinion.

You're welcome.

After reading it and some of your blog please try to keep in mind that we can not all be the same or we would be a right boring lot.

I'm really not sure how you came to give that advice after reading my blog, but I will try to keep in mind how boring it would be if we were all the same. In fact, that most people are all the same is very boring to me.

ps I still enjoy holding a book. 3 lbs or more does not matter

I noticed last night as I was reading it (because I want to read the darn story, and as a bailout to the brick and mortar bookstores it won't come out on Kindle until after Dec. 24 [Under the Dome by Stephen King]), that I could smell the paper and/or ink. Also, he used a word I wasn't familiar with. On my Kindle, when that happens, I just go to the look up function and it goes to that word in the built-in dictionary. But I wasn't about to get out of bed, go to the bookcase, get a dictionary and look up the word. Not to mention the thing just looks silly. It's bigger than a Bible. It's bigger than a dictionary. What a tremendous waste of resources.

And now that I've been using my Kindle so long, it's strange to open the cover of a book to get at the printing inside. I know that sounds strange, but it really is starting to feel strange; I imagine like it would feel to open a scroll and read from it today.

I was at the doctor today with my wife (no biggie, just routine opthamology), and I brought my Kindle with me. I read about formating books for Kindle from a book I have on that subject, then I read some of On Writing by King, then I went on-line to Amazon to check out new horror titles, then I read a bit from J.A. Koranth's Afraid.

I didn't watch the TV once. That's the power of e-books.

The words: the computer. Okay, that and near-univ...

2009-11-19T10:32:01.071-08:00

The words: the computer.

Okay, that and near-universal literacy. Lots of people assume that because they can put a reasonable sentence together, they can tell a story.

But really, the major hurdle in the mid-20th century for a writer was that they had to be able to type. (Before the typing days you didn't have universal literacy.)

With the computer, you overcome two major physical obstacles: First, many more people have been forced to learn to type, or can use dictation software. Second, they don't have to *retype* everything in revisions.

There have always been people who dreamed about being writers but never tried it. With this one major roadblock removed, they can now spill their words onto paper much more easily than before.

"...One thing I'm becoming very irritated about is...

2009-11-19T10:27:50.019-08:00

"...One thing I'm becoming very irritated about is the putdown of the self-published writer and calling their work crap..."

Of course not all of it is, but it's pretty much common knowlege that "most" self-published work is ONLY self-published because the author couldn't find an agent/editor/pubhouse that deemed it worthy of publication.

Yet you want me to spend (what very little) money I have to buy books that haven't been professionally edited and have no publisher support?

It's asking too much of a reader, frankly.

A writer cyber friend was considering self-publishing. I asked her: "How many self-published books did you read last year?"
Her answer: "None."
Exactly! Even writers that believe in self-pubbing their own works DON'T read self-pubbed books?!

All your base are belong to the internets.

2009-11-19T10:02:27.351-08:00

All your base are belong to the internets.

1. More people as time goes one = more possible wr...

2009-11-19T09:50:37.108-08:00

1. More people as time goes one = more possible writers.

2. False hope based on unique successes of recently published authors.

3. More unemployed = more time to write.

4. With the internet barrage of information about writing, publishing etc... I think more people have access to the questions that otherwise kept them in the dark about how to do it. Less legwork = more writers

I don't feel like I have anything important to say...

2009-11-19T09:41:59.475-08:00

I don't feel like I have anything important to say, but I feel like I can entertain the hell out of people. Sold my first a few months ago. Been trying for 12 years. First sold was 3rd written, and that one had drastic rewrites and many revisions.

Much of the interest in publishing right now is just web 2.0 "noise" created by casual dabblers who have no doubt written more words on blog posts than they have in manuscripts. These people are not competition. The actual number of competitive subs has probably not increased in the last 20 years, certainly 10 years.

Barbara Walters once said, and I paraphrase: There...

2009-11-19T09:37:47.510-08:00

Barbara Walters once said, and I paraphrase: There are a lot of fourth-class writers, but there are a lot of fourth-class readers. Take from that what you will.

I vote for economy as the reason. Perhaps with th...

2009-11-19T09:24:10.658-08:00

I vote for economy as the reason. Perhaps with the high unemployment rate, more people are trying their hand at writing that novel they always wanted to but never had a chance to do while they were employed full time.

I know while I was unemployed I wrote more than I do now. However, I think I wrote the most when I was holding down a 30 hr work week. Probably due to better spirits while employed and due to time being more precious, I had to be on the ball with my writing.

Jodi

Marilyn Peake made an excellent comment about self...

2009-11-19T09:21:20.547-08:00

Marilyn Peake made an excellent comment about self-publishing. Just as in traditional publishing, in s-p, there's a vast range of quality, from darn awful to amazing. Among the latter: the Western Writers of America gave their 2009 Spur Award for Best First Novel to the self-published novel God's Thunderbolt: The Vigilantes of Montana by Carol Buchanan.