IN THIS ISSUE
- From the Editor’s Desk: Turning hyperfocus into a superpower
- On The Wordling: 200+ markets for writers
- News & Views: The impact of publishing on an author’s mental health
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
Hiya writer friends,
The thing I most struggled with in the early years of my writing business is the aspect of my personality that I have now turned into a superpower.
The cool kids call it hyperfocus.
That is, an intense level of focus on one thing, sometimes for days at a time, while ignoring pretty much everything else (including eating and sleeping).
Before I knew how to channel it, hyperfocus was a curse. It’s not as though the hyperfocus was on the thing I was meant to be doing. Nooo, that would be far too easy. Instead, I’d get hyperfixated on redesigning my website or proofreading every blog post I’d ever written or sending out dozens of pitches right before a deadline for a breaking news story or an important assignment for a prestigious publication. I’d struggle through it back then, gritting my teeth and forcing myself, sometimes through tears and often through high levels of anxiety, to get shit done. I’d often miss deadlines—usually only by an hour or so—but the shame of it, added to the anxiety and the adrenalin, would have me spiraling for days.
Now, that same hyperfocus is one of my biggest blessings. First, because I acknowledge its existence. Second, because I manage it. And third, because I make space for it and have learned to channel it when it shows up.
Last week, for example, I wrote 6 articles in 2 days. I don’t run my life by deadlines anymore, so instead of being stressed out by this turn of events, I was able to get excited about it. All I wanted to do was write articles, and I had several assignments that were waiting to get done. So, I cleared my schedule of everything else and got on board with the prospect of working on articles for as long as the feeling lasted.
I got a week’s worth of deadlines done in about two days. And then, because I was feeling incredibly happy about having finished all my work early and had nothing left to do, my husband and I took our son to London, where we went for a virtual reality gaming session (which I loved) and the Science Museum where we got to be in an RAF Typhoon jet simulator (which I hated).
The aspect of my personality that used to give me the most grief for years is now the aspect of my personality that helps me thoroughly enjoy my work when I’m doing it, and clear up my days and give me time freedom when I’m not.
Before I could see it as a strength, though, I had to stop looking at it as a limitation.
And that’s the thought I wanted to leave you with today.
Enjoy the issue!
Natasha Khullar Relph
Editor, The Wordling
ON THE WORDLING
Have opinions you’d like to share with the world? Send them here:
- Financial Times (Pay rate unspecified)
- LA Times (Op-ed) (Pay rate unspecified)
- The New York Times (Pay rate unspecified)
- The Washington Post (Pay unspecified)
Our How to Pitch page now has 200+ pitching guidelines, including National Geographic, The Economist, Financial Times, Wired, and more.
NEWS & VIEWS:
Can publishing a book screw up your mental health?
In April this year, the Bookseller ran a survey for debut writers in the UK in which more than half of the 108 respondents (54%) said the process had negatively affected their mental health. This was not a surprising finding, but it’s kicked off some positive initiatives from various corners of the publishing industry.
According to The Guardian, some of these efforts include:
- Canongate, an independent publisher, is creating an authors’ handbook in partnership with the Society of Authors and a resource pack for publishers in conjunction with English Pen.
- Canongate is also reducing the number of books it publishes so it can give more time to authors.
- Orion publishing group is establishing an academy for debut novelists to demystify the publishing process and set clear expectations.
- The Publishers Publicity Circle (PPC) is launching free media training and crisis communications sessions for publishers.
I want to applaud the efforts of publishers. But I think they’re largely missing the point.
First of all, the survey isn’t representative. 108 debut authors do not paint an accurate picture. However, we can assume, from hundreds of authors I’ve personally heard from and thousands of stories that are out there, that the publishing experience isn’t fun for most authors. So, for the sake of argument, let’s assume writers are experiencing some sort of negative mental health impact when they’re publishing their books.
If so, it’s certainly not because of lack of knowledge.
It’s because of lack of care.
The truth is, for most authors, traditional publishing is a frustrating and disappointing experience not because they don’t realize how publishing works, but because the people they’ve trusted with years of work are too underpaid and mentally drained themselves to provide any sort of roadmap or care.
Many of the solutions being offered by the publishing industry put the onus on the author to learn and do even more. But that’s exactly the problem. Debut authors are already doing a bulk of the work on their books and shooting in the dark with marketing, often with no support, guidance, or sales numbers from their publishers.
So, if you’re an author releasing your first, second, third, or tenth book with a traditional publisher, don’t rely on them to take care of you through the publishing process. Do this instead:
- Learn about the publishing industry. Take courses. Get coaching. Talk to other authors about their experiences. Don’t rely on an agent or publisher to teach you how it works.
- Set clear expectations. Ask for a publication schedule with clear deadlines, preferably before you sign the contract. Ask questions, even if you think they’re irrelevant. You’re in a business relationship and you need to be clear about how it works. Make sure you receive coherent answers. If your emails go repeatedly unanswered, consider it a red flag.
- Go solo. Traditional publishing isn’t right for everyone. If you like having creative control, want ownership of your business, and enjoy doing things on your own timeline, you may be far happier as an indie author.
- Don’t hook your entire self worth into one book or project. Many authors I’ve spoken to have said that the problem is not that their book didn’t do as well as they’d hoped, but that they knew it could have done a lot better if their publisher had put time, effort and care into it. Learn what went wrong and take steps to improve that experience for next time. This could include an honest conversation with your publisher, changing publishers, or doing it independently.
Also: Be clear about what you need from this business relationship and what your options are if you don’t get it.
ALSO SEE
Creative Artists Agency is in advanced discussions to sell a majority stake to Francois-Henri Pinault, the French billionaire behind luxury fashion house Kering SA, Bloomberg reported last week. The agency could fetch a valuation of at least $7 billion.
In other news, Amazon’s new sourcing policy, which it says is to meet its sustainability goals, is not going down well with American publishers. Amazon now requires US publishers to make their books available closer to the point of sale in Europe, rather than shipping them from where they are printed. This will increase costs and make it harder to keep popular books in stock.
Also, speaking of Amazon, Writer Beware has this warning about how scammers are using Amazon trademarks to rip writers off.
GLOBAL REPORT
ISRAEL: “Several Israeli newspapers went to print on Tuesday with blacked-out front pages, in a furore over the Israeli government’s planned overhaul to the judicial system. The plain black pages, which appeared in Yediot Aharonot, Calcalist, Israel Hayom and Haaretz, were paid for by the Hi-Tech Protest movement. The Hi-Tech Protest movement is a group comprising of representatives and employees from hi-tech companies.”
FRANCE: “’Le Journal du Dimanche’ has not been published in over a month as its journalists protest the nomination of Geoffroy Lejeune as editor-in-chief. Lejeune was previously the head of a far-right magazine and endorsed Eric Zemmour during the 2022 presidential election.”
UK: “The arrest in London of a radical French publisher under counter-terrorist powers has been referred to the police watchdog after the reviewer of terrorism legislation found that it was wrong. Ernest Moret, 28, was held for almost 24 hours by counter-terrorist police and asked about his opinion of Emmanuel Macron and participation in anti-Macron protests after he arrived at St Pancras station in April for a book fair.”
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul, and that, I am sure, is why he does it.”
– Roald Dahl
SHARE THE WORDLING
And show us you love us.