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Blogs by Terry D. Robertson
Reach For The Stars, Then Fall On our Face 2/16/2009 5:06:45 PM
Some of the finest and most creative writers are unknown. They do not follow a formula prescribed by the large book houses. Since many of the best selling novelists are losing their grip, who do this major houses turn to? It won't be you or me. Once, the doorway to these large houses were opened, just a crack. Now with the recession/ depression, they are firmly locked and relying on what is safe--writers that sell. To find a new best selling writer on the best seller lists is a rare sight. The last one only made it due to an endorsement from Oprah's Book Club. The book was a dud.
We, the struggling writers who reach high, work hard, self-promote until we become dizzy, does not get us very far. This is because we do not have the backing of a major publisher. Book houses large or small, are interested in one thing....MONEY/PROFIT. I write what I please, and it doesn't sell. I do have a 250 page draft (a half book) that panders to the trends of the readers of today. If the book got published by a mainline house, would I be selling out? Yes and no. Yes, because I am pandering, and no because I still write what I want. I will always continue to explore the "Human Condition". Sure, I want to make it. Just as much as the rest of the struggling authors out there who read this.
William Faulkner who wrote so many of his best works in his early days, did not receive much remuneration. Critically acclaimed, yes. But that didn't put food on the table. So he decided to write the famous "potboiler" SANCTUARY. He came up with some of the most bizarre incidents/characters in literature, and spoke as truthfully as the 30's would allow and made a little money. Ironically, the book is considered a classic today. I am sure other authors of his stature have done the same.
So would I sell out. Most definitely. And like Faulkner, ON MY TERMS ONLY. That may limit me. But in today's market with it's explicit exploitation of sex, political scandal or "Harry Potter Wannabees", I don't feel so bad about the idea. I wouldn't actually be selling out, but I would have to be very graphic....and that is something I am not sure I could live with for a buck.
Yes, I am vacillating back and forth. I don't know what to do.I am not concerned about what my family thinks anymore. They disowned me on my first published novel, FILL MY EYES (a mild PG at best). I wonder how they'd feel about an R rated book? Hmm?
I know am grasping at straws. I hope those who read my blog will give me some honest feedback. We've been through the same publishing game. But aren't you getting a little tired? At times, like in the moment, I am.
I respect the writers of The Author's Den. This site has some of the finest this world will ever hope to see. And why? Because they don't fit into the cookie cutter mold the large publishing houses expect.
