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2009
Posted by Trey Baird. Follow me on Twitter!
Everybody’s Writing Nowadays
So Much Writing…
It seems that more and more people are choosing to begin writing every day. For example, as of this writing, there are at least 112.8 million blogs in existence. With services such as print on demand and self publishing, anyone who wants to be one can be an author and publish a book. Nowadays, it seems like you can’t look anywhere without seeing someone writing. If you don’t believe me, try going to Starbucks!
Personally, I think it’s great that anyone that wants to, has a chance to be an author. It’s a throwback to the times in which anyone who was compelled to write could do so. In the past, all someone had to do was sit down and write, and then make as many hand copies as he or she could. This was extremely limited distribution, but it was the only option.
Imbalance Of Power
Then came the era of the publishing house. Printing technology had arrived, and it was conveniently unaffordable by the masses. This was done on purpose to create an imbalance of power. No sir, if you wanted to have your book published, you had better have had a publishing house on your side. Otherwise, your book would never been seen.
Books
Now, we have affordable options online to let us print books, either in mass numbers or one at a time. With the use of the internet, word of mouth can spread much more quickly than without, and anyone in the world has the ability to order your book and have it delivered to them. This is a good thing, no doubt. Now there are more choices than ever in what you choose to read. Young authors are coming up all of the time, and all it takes to find them is a little bit of effort.
Blogging
With the popularity of blogging as it is, more people are jumping on the bandwagon every day. People are realizing that blogs are more than a bunch of losers with too little time and too many opinions. Blogging has become a culture, and a way of life. It has become a ray of hope for those who have had none. Now that it’s possible create a career out of blogging, it’s become a very popular form of media.
Some people such as Leo Baubata have been able to quit their job, and make a full time living off of blogging. This is not unheard of. Other writers are able to supplement their income very nicely. Blogging is no longer just a hobby. It has become an actual career, and the lines between it and journalism are blurring by the day.
Preaching To The Choir
Some writers are far less organized though, and do the majority of their writing on discussion boards and comment sections. If you’ve ever frequented a discussion board before, you know what I’m talking about. There are always at least a few veterans of that board who assert themselves as the dominant member whose opinions are “better” than everyone else’s, at least in their opinions. Just think how effectively all of this energy could be used with a more concentrated effort!
Simply put, these people set their goals in writing extremely low. Instead of honing their writing skill and using it to entertain or inform a wide range of people, they choose to share their skill with an extremely limited niche market. Never has the phrase “Preaching to the choir” been so true as people who go onto specialized boards with the intention to change other peoples’ minds.
No matter how popular you are on your favorite discussion board, you will never be more than that… “a popular person on an internet forum”. You need to set your sights higher. Maybe try discussing your concepts with someone who isn’t already familiar with them? You could try to step outside of your comfort zone and try discussing things with people who aren’t as familiar with the subject matter as you are. Open up a dialog and encourage people who disagree with you to come forward and debate with you.
Are You Going To Shine?
One thing’s for sure. With the goldmine of writers that are out there in this day and age, there is NO excuse whatsoever for the book industry to not be able to scout and find the new generation of writers. There’s NO excuse for magazine and newspaper columnists to have a comfy cushy care-free desk job. And there’s NO excuse for websites to ever have a shortage of material. The writing game is as competitive as it’s ever been, and if you intend on shining in this game, then you had better come correct with you’re A-Game, and think outside the box to stick out.
11 February 2009 at 1:29 pm
Trey,
I liked your wording – A-Game.
Share some craziest thoughts on how you are going to shine and win the competition.
Here are mine (not very original though):
- daily writing (i publish on 3 blogs).
- concise writing – easy to read
- each post must have a value in it vs just rant.
- lift another writter/blogger as much as possible
11 February 2009 at 6:42 pm
The point is gotten across smoothly here, and it lets people know that competition is here to push out material that doesn’t provide benefits for others. Someone in a high position will have a harder time making it in the level playing field if they don’t bring content that is relevant. Also, according to that link and general feeling, counting blogs at this point is a bit unnecessary.
Armen Shirvanian’s most recent blog post..Quote Analysis – Preparation, Ambition
11 February 2009 at 6:46 pm
Trey – Yes, it’s very easy to self-publish your writing. There is no reason to wait until someone says you are good enough. And with all the self-publishers out there you get all different levels of writing on many different topics, which I enjoy.
Amanda Linehan’s most recent blog post..Are You Afraid To Be Alone?
11 February 2009 at 7:01 pm
Unfortunately, the book industry rarely finds new talent. Not for nonfiction, at least. They usually go for someone with a famous name or an established person with a base who they know can sell books.
The great thing about blogging though is: it gives lots of talented people a chance to build a following and make a name for themselves without much funding. Then, of course, the book publishers will come a calling.
Gennaro’s most recent blog post..Travelers Must Help Free Rice And Kiva
12 February 2009 at 11:59 am
@ Alik
As for how I intend on shining and winning amongst the competition. I have a few strategies.
- Not being afraid to “Stick Out”. I intend on being different, and being public about my endeavors.
- I don’t want to be complacent about anything. Anything I do, I want to get better at it. This includes everything I do, from my debating skills to my artistic skills.
- I intend on shocking people by demonstrating new skills out of the blue that they aren’t even aware that I have.
I enjoy your writing, and I think that if you continue with your strategy, you’ve got a great future ahead of you.
@ Armen
I’m not so sure that the competition pushes out the weaker material more so than it pushes out the impassionate material. If your passion doesn’t shine through, you’re not going to have a place in people’s memories. And if you can provide good value to your readers on top of that, you have a really good shot. Thanks for commenting!
@ Amanda
Thanks for you comment. I agree with everything you said. The idea of not waiting for outside approval is conducive to the message I wrote in my article “Don’t Ask For Permission”. If you love to write, don’t let anyone discourage you from doing it.
@ Gennaro
I agree, and in this day and age, the book industry could be scooping up talent left and right, and truly revolutionizing the book industry. If a book deal is what a writer wants, blogging is a great way to build that dream. Good point!
12 February 2009 at 12:20 pm
This is almost like a way of people taking back the power from the big media elites. And social media is introducing a new perspective on marketing, permission marketing.
tom’s most recent blog post..The Blame Game
13 February 2009 at 1:46 pm
Love this post. I have recently attended a conference about the future of media and will be doing a post on it soon. I can’t agree more with the line “lines between it and journalism are blurring by the day”.
Your spot on about those forum gods who donot want to break out of their niche.
@Tom. This is exactly what is happening and the media elites are very very scared.
13 February 2009 at 9:03 pm
I’m really enjoying your blog, Trey, and the wonderful discussions of contributors. Each of you give me great hope for the future. I’m a semi-retired journalist and author, and it’s good to see you all finding ways of expression that can reach an audience without needing to conform to the mainstream rules. It’s the beauty of the Net, and the promise of a more healthy society. Thomas Jefferson would absolutely love this openness of expression among people. He remains every journalist’s hero because he knew we can trust the people far more than the institutions which claim a corner on information. Write on!
Bob’s most recent blog post..Sorry, Tom Petty, But Sometimes You Do Have To Live Like a Refugee
13 February 2009 at 11:46 pm
@ tom
I’m not sure what you mean by “permission marketing”, but I am intrigued. I’d like to read more about your thoughts on this. And you’re right, we’re in the beginning of a major revolution. The common person is becoming more powerful than in the past. Thanks for commenting!
@ Saeed
I’d love to hear about your experience at the conference regarding blogging becoming more like journalism, and vice versa. And you’re right, the media elites can’t hide their heads in the sand anymore, and that makes them uneasy. Thanks for your input.
@ Bob
Believe me, you are witnessing a major part of history right here. I don’t claim that this blog will make history, but rather that this blog will be part of history. I’ve got a job to inspire many people, and that’s what I intend to do.
Thomas Jefferson happens to be an inspiration for me, and I wish that there were more people of his wisdom in power nowadays. If he was alive, he would be very ashamed of how his baby, America, grew up. Thanks for your input and compliment!
14 February 2009 at 10:36 am
Trey,
What I mean by permission marketing is referring to someone landing on your site, liking it and putting their name and email.
Before we never really had that, it was direct to mail, tv, radio.
I am referring mostly to internet in terms of marketing. Although companies should start combining online marketing to initially get customers and send them packages in the mail, based on permission.
I am really sick and tired of getting flyers and all this crap 3 times a week with my newspaper.
tom’s most recent blog post..Do you focus on the result or the process?
14 February 2009 at 5:43 pm
Hi Trey…
Thought I’d just stop in..and how wonderful to find this post!
Indeed! Writers are everywhere and I believe that a published book does not make a writer true…funny, I address this very thing on my lastest blog:)
Writers simply must write to better their craft. What better way to do this than blogging.
Alas for the demise of newspapers with the advent of citizen journalism!
Write on! (sorry couldn’t resist)
Henie
Henie’s most recent blog post..Passion 101
15 February 2009 at 2:25 am
@ tom
That’s something that I’m enjoying at this stage in my writing career. I’ve been watching my blog grow alongside blogs like yours. I’ve sent visitors your way, and you’ve sent them my way. I’ve also done this with a few other blogs. It’s great because we’re building something from the ground up, instead of asking for a handout from some big corporation. I may get 1 regular visitor for every 50 blog comments I leave, but the value that each visitor gives my posts makes every second worth it. You don’t get that value when you market the way big companies do. Thanks for your comment!
@ Henie
Always great to see you around! I enjoy your colorful optimism. I have addressed the need to practice your career skills in some of my earlier posts, but it’s probably time that I went over it again for my newer visitors. Reading about something won’t get you very far. You’ll learn SO much quicker if you just jump in. For example, I could sit here and spend all day trying to teach you how to swim, or I could just push you in. *lol*
And as for the demise of newspapers (along with the rest of the establisment) I say bring it on!
18 February 2009 at 9:12 am
Excellent post. The “Imbalance of Power” is something I never thought about before but you are so very correct in your assertion.
Also the Internet has opened a great opportunity for more than just writers. Before podcasts talented speakers had to try working a radio station to vocally broadcast news and opinions.
And of course there is YouTube for the film and video makers.
True it is still competitive but the playing field is available to anyone who wants to try it. The balance of power is back in the hands of the masses. Where it should be.
Lawrence Roth’s most recent blog post..Use Daydreams to Write a Great Short Story
18 February 2009 at 1:28 pm
@ Lawrence
Thanks for the nice words. I guess I might be something of an “Entertainment Conspiracy Theorist” but I firmly believe that the entertainment industry tries to hold the newer talent back.
You hit the nail on the head with your comment. No matter what your venture is, you now have more options to get your work seen by people around the world. And yes, it is very competitive, but it’s also HIGHLY conducive to learning.
08 March 2009 at 8:37 pm
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