Cintia asked Rachel Caine:

I'm an aspiring writer, but I'm dealing with two things: I get discouraged every single day because 96% of manuscripts are rejected, and I haven't had an idea for years, literally. There's too many people wanting to be writers, and knowing there's so much competition just kills me a little every day. When I get motivated, immediatly something appears about the industry that kills it. Any tips on how to deal with this?

Rachel Caine If it helps, just know this: we ALL struggle. Yes, it’s hard, no doubt about that, but the percentages are actually BETTER today for writers than they were in pre-self-pub days. There’s a proliferation of small presses, and always the self-pub option. Is it tougher now to get traditionally published? I don’t think so; more books, on average, are being published than ever in most genres.

Don’t focus on what you can’t control: competition, number of people wanting to write, the industry, etc.

Focus on what you CAN control. That means writing what you love, and writing it to the absolute best of your ability (knowing that your ability will grow with you). Find your joy in storytelling, and stay there. Don’t worry about what other people are doing. If you want to write vampires, write vampires. If you want to write heart-wrenching contemporary, do it. You may hit a trend, you may not, but if it’s well written and compelling, it always stands a good chance regardless.

There are no guarantees in this business. Even if you get published, it’s tough to stay published; I’m a bit of a dinosaur, considering that I first published in the early ‘90s, and I change genres frequently. But what carries you through is joy and determination. Focus on those things, and please YOURSELF first. It’s tough to please anyone else if you don’t do that first.

I wish you well. You can always email me at rachelcainewriter@gmail.com if you need more info.

— Rachel

flag