Something Else I Should Have Confessed To…

After yesterday’s post, I heard from some other authors. They said things like this:

@novaren @barrylyga YES. Everything you said, Barry.

— Malinda Lo (@malindalo) November 24, 2014

Other folks chimed in, as well, with similar sentiments, making me realize that in my confessional zeal, I neglected to mention something good in all of this.

Namely, that, for all the chaos and upheaval in publishing, the fact remains that it is still a field in which any random day can possibly bring a staggering life- and career-changing moment. Your book can be plucked from obscurity to be mentioned on a TV program. A hot actor can be glimpsed with a copy tucked under his arm. A movie producer can happen upon your book and decide that this will be her next big project. Suzanne Collins wrote other books before The Hunger Games, y’know.

These things don’t always happen. They don’t happen to and for everyone. And they don’t happen often. But they do happen. And they can be game-changers.

I have a book coming out in the summer. And another coming out after that. And I am confident that I will sell more after that one. The apocalypse isn’t here quite yet, and while I can write, I will write.

So, I’m not going anywhere. Every book is a new opportunity, and I’m gonna take as many of them as I possibly can.