On the importance of J.K. Rowling
Not too long ago, Lynn Shepherd wrote an article advocating that J.K. Rowling give up writing.
Her point was that writers like Rowling were dominating a shrinking market and that no new voices could break through.
I respectfully disagree with my colleague, Ms. Shepherd, but I understand where her frustration came from.
The problem is, her premise is flawed by two fundamentally false assumptions.
1. That readership is dwindling
2. That readers will only stick with one author
I'm not sure where the perception that readership is down came from, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
It's true that book sales dropped slightly in 2013 according to Nielsen Bookscan (which is a product by the Nielsen company-of television fame-that tracks how many books are sold from year to year) but Bookscan has a history of under-reporting sales numbers. Also, their total sales numbers were just below 550 million copies sold. 550 million, or just above half a billion books sold. That is a staggering number. Since 2005, book sales in the United States have been robust and healthy. Stronger, even, than that "golden age" of reading in the 1950's.
There are several reasons for this: literacy is up, the population is up, there are more types of books.
One of the biggest reasons, though, is J.K. Rowling.
Harry Potter created a revival in children getting excited about reading books. Those children are growing up, and while their tastes may have slightly changed, their love of reading is still alive and well. Because here's the thing, when you love reading you don't just stick with one author. In the same way that you don't just watch one kind of movie or listen to one singer.
I was introduced to the world of literature by The Hardy Boys. I read all of those books and I loved them. Do I still read Hardy Boy books? No, I didn't end my reading maturation there and I didn't end it after I read Stephen King. King was my first brush with fiction meant for adults. I fell in love with that writing in the same way that I did with the Hardy Boys. I still read Stephen King, but now I also read a myriad of other writers, including a great many indie writers.
And that's the point. J.K. Rowling was a gateway writer to a whole generation of potential fans. And children and adults alike continue to discover her books and are ushered into the world of literature.
So why do so many indie writers struggle? Well, there are a lot of indie writers out there today. Some of them are god-awful. I don't say that trying to be mean, that's just a fact. Bad writing, repeated phrases, poor sentence structure.
But there are so many hidden gems out there too. So many books that are wondrous and beautiful. You must have the conviction to keep searching out new and better books, even if you've been burned in the past. That way, the good writers will make money and continue to publish and the bad writers won't make much money and fade off into obscurity.
A type of social Darwinism is going on in the indie community right now. Things are still new and fresh and people are still elbowing around, trying to get in.
If readers are sufficiently adventurous and seek out new voices and new books, then the voices who deserve it will flourish.
This is an important time. Things are changing rapidly in the publishing world. We aren't too long from seeing the birth of many wonderful writers who will entertain us for years to come. If you have a story, you could be one of them.
Her point was that writers like Rowling were dominating a shrinking market and that no new voices could break through.
I respectfully disagree with my colleague, Ms. Shepherd, but I understand where her frustration came from.
The problem is, her premise is flawed by two fundamentally false assumptions.
1. That readership is dwindling
2. That readers will only stick with one author
I'm not sure where the perception that readership is down came from, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
It's true that book sales dropped slightly in 2013 according to Nielsen Bookscan (which is a product by the Nielsen company-of television fame-that tracks how many books are sold from year to year) but Bookscan has a history of under-reporting sales numbers. Also, their total sales numbers were just below 550 million copies sold. 550 million, or just above half a billion books sold. That is a staggering number. Since 2005, book sales in the United States have been robust and healthy. Stronger, even, than that "golden age" of reading in the 1950's.
There are several reasons for this: literacy is up, the population is up, there are more types of books.
One of the biggest reasons, though, is J.K. Rowling.
Harry Potter created a revival in children getting excited about reading books. Those children are growing up, and while their tastes may have slightly changed, their love of reading is still alive and well. Because here's the thing, when you love reading you don't just stick with one author. In the same way that you don't just watch one kind of movie or listen to one singer.
I was introduced to the world of literature by The Hardy Boys. I read all of those books and I loved them. Do I still read Hardy Boy books? No, I didn't end my reading maturation there and I didn't end it after I read Stephen King. King was my first brush with fiction meant for adults. I fell in love with that writing in the same way that I did with the Hardy Boys. I still read Stephen King, but now I also read a myriad of other writers, including a great many indie writers.
And that's the point. J.K. Rowling was a gateway writer to a whole generation of potential fans. And children and adults alike continue to discover her books and are ushered into the world of literature.
So why do so many indie writers struggle? Well, there are a lot of indie writers out there today. Some of them are god-awful. I don't say that trying to be mean, that's just a fact. Bad writing, repeated phrases, poor sentence structure.
But there are so many hidden gems out there too. So many books that are wondrous and beautiful. You must have the conviction to keep searching out new and better books, even if you've been burned in the past. That way, the good writers will make money and continue to publish and the bad writers won't make much money and fade off into obscurity.
A type of social Darwinism is going on in the indie community right now. Things are still new and fresh and people are still elbowing around, trying to get in.
If readers are sufficiently adventurous and seek out new voices and new books, then the voices who deserve it will flourish.
This is an important time. Things are changing rapidly in the publishing world. We aren't too long from seeing the birth of many wonderful writers who will entertain us for years to come. If you have a story, you could be one of them.
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