A useful book on this subject is Joseph Bottum's The Decline of the Novel. In it he points out that the novel has ceased to play any role in public intellectual life. He refers to what he calls the Cocktail Party Test and ask what book you would be embarrassed to turn up to a cocktail party without having read. He suggests that the last such book Bonfire of the Vanities in 1987. "If novelists themselves don't believe there exists a deep structure of morality and manners that can be discerned by the novel," he writes, "why should readers believe it?"
Getting novelists to believe it again is one thing. Getting readers to believe it again is something else entirely.
Yes! This is exactly what I have been thinking. I have a book I am writing, but I want to write what's on my heart and not what a publisher dictates. So, I'm choosing to self-publish so that I can control the narrative. I want it to be my authentic story and not someone else's. Thanks for the inspiration!
I do think publishing for others change how some authors think. It becomes a skill to try and frame your writing as if you are writing for yourself and no one else. That's the only way I see an author being true to their craft. I wouldn't call it easy most especially at a time where it's easy to get caught in the whole social media game of fearing on missing out or playing catch up with the trendsetters.
I wrote my first fiction novel, an 88K word sci-fi mystery, in 207 scenes (not chapters). Grammar is spot on, but it breaks many style conventions and “rules.” The mysterious narrator isn’t the main character, or is it? Story flashbacks begin almost immediately. Prose is so minimalist, so tight, that skimmers miss ample subtext. Dialogue is paramount. I did all this without knowing what the market wanted, or caring, with every intention of giving it away free. And I paid for pro editing (twice). A third of beta readers love it, a third hate it, and the rest tell me it’s interesting yet unmarketable. I might be on to something! And it’s here … on Substack: Who Will Save Her?
Being able to write what I want to write whether it's 'on trend' or even remotely close to what a publisher would consider 'marketable' is one of the reasons I went the indie route. I've published two books so far and I doubt either would be to market preferences. I write what I would like to read and I simply hope and trust that there are others out there like me that want to read the same kind of stuff I do. I've posted the first five chapters of both books on my page plus have links to where the full books can be found 🙂.
I don't have anything profound to add to this conversation, but I do want to say that I have been getting a lot out of your Substack and value what you have to say. Thank you, and keep going!
I'm currently writing crime novels set in my locale, which is a tourist haven. I am writing in a popular genre aimed at mainly a summer reads audience. And I am toning down the violence and swearing about 20%, to make the books more palatable for that audience. It's working: I'm selling lots of books and I am not regretting it a bit. But I am sneaking in social criticism and questioning the skewed priorities of tourist havens. I don't believe that my books are disposable escapism, and I don't believe that there is a stark divide between being an artist and selling books. I never had any ambitions to write literary fiction but that doesn't mean I don't pursue perfection of my craft and that my books are empty of meaning.
I love it. I think if I edit my post, I'll add a discussion of the implication of the fact that we are indeed writing for an audience and have a responsibility to entertain them if we claim to be writing for them.
Jeff Warren's THE HEAD TRIP: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness (~2008) really impressed me, with its mix of science, memoir, and hand-drawn comics. Out of print now.
I don't know where I stand on this. I've never written for a specific audience. I've always written what interests me -- stories I like to read. That's why I write long stories. They give me the time and space I need to get my story out. I don't keep up with trends. I also write serials that interest me. I like King Arthur, so I'm writing a story that takes place toward the end of his reign. It's not like other "Arthur" stories. And I'm using Le Morte D'Arthur as my only source book. I get to play with language. If they like it, they like it, if they don't, well, I can't help that. I've long felt that whatever genre I write in, if the reader likes what I have to offer, he'll follow me. I don't know if I'll ever try to publish traditionally. If I can make my page work, why would I ever bother? 400 paid subscribers would help pay the bills and give me a life of luxury, but then, does that mean I have to write my stories for what that audience wants? I doubt it.
I don't think anyone's trying to influence my decisions. I get a majority of my subscribers through my email, and the rest through the substack app. Like I said, I'm doing okay, it's just slow. I did get one paid one today. Still, you'd think for $6 a year, a lot more people would want to slip in.
Fantastic article, thank you so much for writing this. I have shared it with my book club. Look how passive we are as consumers when it comes to the latest Netflix series, or Marvel installment...willing to watch anything, so long as it's there. And that's all very well, but as you highlighted in the quote from UKLG, if we complain about the market, we have to accept that we are responsible for being the beast that it feeds, too...!
I really enjoyed this post, Clifford! I have experienced this tension as both a writer and a reader: what I *want* to read/write vs. what I think I *should* read/write. One book that I think bridges this gap well is *In Pieces* by Rhonda Ortiz (Chrism Press, 2021). It's a historical romance published by a small Catholic press. It features memorable characters and a fast-paced plot (like a lot of the mass market genre fiction I like reading) plus a beautiful writing style and thematic depth (like a lot of the literary fiction I think I should be reading). In other words, I wanted to binge this book, but I couldn't. I couldn't put it down, but I had to savor it. It was both entertaining and thought provoking. I'm still trying to figure out how Ortiz created that type of magic on the page!
I'm subscribing, thanks to this piece. You've done a wonderful job articulating what writers struggle with so much. When you read book "marketing" advice, so much of it is about writing to the market. Find out what sells, and then write that. (or have it written for you, but that's a topic for another time.) I struggle with that since my stories aren't really easily pigeonholed into an SEO friendly niche. But then, you just reminded me that maybe it's better to speak to readers who want to be challenged and enchanted at the same time.
Totally agree. So many writers start by writing to market rather than trying to write well. Write well, follow your vision. And honestly I don't care if someone tweaks their project a little to suit an audience, but I think there's a difference between writing to market and writing for an audience.
A useful book on this subject is Joseph Bottum's The Decline of the Novel. In it he points out that the novel has ceased to play any role in public intellectual life. He refers to what he calls the Cocktail Party Test and ask what book you would be embarrassed to turn up to a cocktail party without having read. He suggests that the last such book Bonfire of the Vanities in 1987. "If novelists themselves don't believe there exists a deep structure of morality and manners that can be discerned by the novel," he writes, "why should readers believe it?"
Getting novelists to believe it again is one thing. Getting readers to believe it again is something else entirely.
Yes! This is exactly what I have been thinking. I have a book I am writing, but I want to write what's on my heart and not what a publisher dictates. So, I'm choosing to self-publish so that I can control the narrative. I want it to be my authentic story and not someone else's. Thanks for the inspiration!
Awesome!
I do think publishing for others change how some authors think. It becomes a skill to try and frame your writing as if you are writing for yourself and no one else. That's the only way I see an author being true to their craft. I wouldn't call it easy most especially at a time where it's easy to get caught in the whole social media game of fearing on missing out or playing catch up with the trendsetters.
Right? It’s devilishly tricky.
I wrote my first fiction novel, an 88K word sci-fi mystery, in 207 scenes (not chapters). Grammar is spot on, but it breaks many style conventions and “rules.” The mysterious narrator isn’t the main character, or is it? Story flashbacks begin almost immediately. Prose is so minimalist, so tight, that skimmers miss ample subtext. Dialogue is paramount. I did all this without knowing what the market wanted, or caring, with every intention of giving it away free. And I paid for pro editing (twice). A third of beta readers love it, a third hate it, and the rest tell me it’s interesting yet unmarketable. I might be on to something! And it’s here … on Substack: Who Will Save Her?
Thanks for sharing!
Being able to write what I want to write whether it's 'on trend' or even remotely close to what a publisher would consider 'marketable' is one of the reasons I went the indie route. I've published two books so far and I doubt either would be to market preferences. I write what I would like to read and I simply hope and trust that there are others out there like me that want to read the same kind of stuff I do. I've posted the first five chapters of both books on my page plus have links to where the full books can be found 🙂.
I don't have anything profound to add to this conversation, but I do want to say that I have been getting a lot out of your Substack and value what you have to say. Thank you, and keep going!
That’s so kind of you, Michelle! Thank you for reading. More to come!
I'm currently writing crime novels set in my locale, which is a tourist haven. I am writing in a popular genre aimed at mainly a summer reads audience. And I am toning down the violence and swearing about 20%, to make the books more palatable for that audience. It's working: I'm selling lots of books and I am not regretting it a bit. But I am sneaking in social criticism and questioning the skewed priorities of tourist havens. I don't believe that my books are disposable escapism, and I don't believe that there is a stark divide between being an artist and selling books. I never had any ambitions to write literary fiction but that doesn't mean I don't pursue perfection of my craft and that my books are empty of meaning.
I love it. I think if I edit my post, I'll add a discussion of the implication of the fact that we are indeed writing for an audience and have a responsibility to entertain them if we claim to be writing for them.
Jeff Warren's THE HEAD TRIP: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness (~2008) really impressed me, with its mix of science, memoir, and hand-drawn comics. Out of print now.
https://jeffwarren.org/books/the-head-trip/
I don't know where I stand on this. I've never written for a specific audience. I've always written what interests me -- stories I like to read. That's why I write long stories. They give me the time and space I need to get my story out. I don't keep up with trends. I also write serials that interest me. I like King Arthur, so I'm writing a story that takes place toward the end of his reign. It's not like other "Arthur" stories. And I'm using Le Morte D'Arthur as my only source book. I get to play with language. If they like it, they like it, if they don't, well, I can't help that. I've long felt that whatever genre I write in, if the reader likes what I have to offer, he'll follow me. I don't know if I'll ever try to publish traditionally. If I can make my page work, why would I ever bother? 400 paid subscribers would help pay the bills and give me a life of luxury, but then, does that mean I have to write my stories for what that audience wants? I doubt it.
It depends on how you attract the subscribers I think. If they expect to be able to influence your decisions, it’ll be harder work to keep them.
I don't think anyone's trying to influence my decisions. I get a majority of my subscribers through my email, and the rest through the substack app. Like I said, I'm doing okay, it's just slow. I did get one paid one today. Still, you'd think for $6 a year, a lot more people would want to slip in.
Robert Owen Butler calls it “entertainment garbage” (that includes King) in his “From Where You Dream”. A bit harsh…
Yeah, like it does serve a purpose, just, I'd say, not a super high one. And one that's really easy to oversaturate.
It is completely oversaturated.
>Me repeatedly doubling down on anything that triggers the NPCs
Fantastic article, thank you so much for writing this. I have shared it with my book club. Look how passive we are as consumers when it comes to the latest Netflix series, or Marvel installment...willing to watch anything, so long as it's there. And that's all very well, but as you highlighted in the quote from UKLG, if we complain about the market, we have to accept that we are responsible for being the beast that it feeds, too...!
Love it! Yes, I think it comes down to, “Do we want to grow?” Or do we just want to be “fed”? Both involve eating but one makes use of the food.
I really enjoyed this post, Clifford! I have experienced this tension as both a writer and a reader: what I *want* to read/write vs. what I think I *should* read/write. One book that I think bridges this gap well is *In Pieces* by Rhonda Ortiz (Chrism Press, 2021). It's a historical romance published by a small Catholic press. It features memorable characters and a fast-paced plot (like a lot of the mass market genre fiction I like reading) plus a beautiful writing style and thematic depth (like a lot of the literary fiction I think I should be reading). In other words, I wanted to binge this book, but I couldn't. I couldn't put it down, but I had to savor it. It was both entertaining and thought provoking. I'm still trying to figure out how Ortiz created that type of magic on the page!
That sounds amazing! I will check it out!
I'm subscribing, thanks to this piece. You've done a wonderful job articulating what writers struggle with so much. When you read book "marketing" advice, so much of it is about writing to the market. Find out what sells, and then write that. (or have it written for you, but that's a topic for another time.) I struggle with that since my stories aren't really easily pigeonholed into an SEO friendly niche. But then, you just reminded me that maybe it's better to speak to readers who want to be challenged and enchanted at the same time.
Totally agree. So many writers start by writing to market rather than trying to write well. Write well, follow your vision. And honestly I don't care if someone tweaks their project a little to suit an audience, but I think there's a difference between writing to market and writing for an audience.
Thanks for subscribing by the way. :)
Every piece I read of yours gets better and better - thank you for taking the time to write them :)
That’s the nicest thing anyone said yet. Thank you so much. ❤️