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As we sit in that muddy space of time between Christmas and New Year, I oscillate between lying on the sofa in a cheese-induced food coma, and my brain sparking with plans for my future author career. Those who know about Clifton Strengths, might spot my #1 Intellection and #4 Futuristic at play. Discovering more about my strengths has been the key in planning my future as an author. However, in a recent session, Becca Syme also encouraged us to consider what we can’t do. So, I’m starting there.
Stop Fighting Who I Am
I will never be the type of romance author who puts out a new book every couple of months. Within my Clifton strengths, I have Intellection, Input, Developer, Empathy, Learner and Maximiser in my top 10. What does this mean for me as an author?
It means:
I’m the sort of writer that needs to sit and think about every aspect of my story in great depth.
I’m the sort of writer who thrives on researching different topics to include details in my small town romance novels.
I’m the sort of writer who is not only inside the story, I’m inside the character, and then I’m discovering everything they need to overcome their flaws and realistically move along their character arc.
In other words, I go deep.
Deep
into
details.
Deep
into
characters.
That all takes time.
Some people can write a book every few weeks. But I’m not that writer. In 2024, the one thing I’m giving up is fighting against who I am. Instead, I’m going to play to my strengths, which means romance novels with more depth. It will also, ironically, mean writing faster than when I’m trying to fit into a box in which I don’t belong. It still won’t be as fast as some. But I’m okay with that.
Now, I’m not ignorant of the fact that this might make my books harder to sell. They might be less marketable, less likely to go viral on TikTok. But I’m in this for the long term. There are other people like me who crave this depth. Therefore, I intend to provide them with it.
It might also have other advantages.
Publishing: The New Fast Fashion
If you are on BookTok or interested in the publishing industry, then you will have probably heard about that Bloomberg article. With the headline, ‘TikTok Is Turning the Publishing World Into Fast Fashion’ it intended to provoke a reaction. And it did. While the journalist, Jessica Karl, centred her argument on Fourth Wing and issues around the author’s use of Gaelic, it led to a much wider discussion about publishing. Much of this focused on whether the move towards rapid release had reduced quality.
I’m not here to pass judgement on the choices publishers and other authors make. I’m just happy that so many more people are discovering the joys of reading. In catering to a wider range of tastes, indie authors have circumnavigated the gatekeepers who once decided who got published. This has produced overwhelming good.
However, TikTok is not responsible for ‘fast fashion’ publishing. Rapid release has long been a concept for indie authors. We are often told that if we want an author's career, we must use this strategy. And there is truth in the concept…for those authors who can manage it. Because Amazon rewards new content. Indie authors know that a few weeks after releasing a book, it will plummet down the ratings. While Amazon doesn’t reveal algorithm details, there is no doubt that a recently published title plays a big role in visibility. With Amazon having such a huge chunk of the marketplace, it’s no wonder rapid release has resulted in success for many authors. And for readers like yourself, whether or not you intend it to be the case, you are more likely to buy the ‘fast fashion’ titles, because that’s what Amazon is showing you in your search results.
But for other authors, this form of publishing fast tracks burnout and illness. It has also left some authors unable to get the next book out on time, disappointing their readers. While rapid release strategies can prove successful, there are alternative routes to success. Platforms such as Kobo and Barnes & Noble, for example, work the other way around. They reward longevity. While some say slower releases lead to slower success, rapid release rarely leads to rapid success these days. Plus, there is another problem looming on the horizon.
The Rise of the Robots
It is probably one of the most divisive topics of the year: artificial intelligence. I think many have not realised how long we have been using it in our day-to-day lives already. But with the colossal advances it has made this year, many are realising just what it can do, and how many jobs are at risk.
Author is just one vocation it threatens. Amazon has already had to deal with an influx of AI written books. The dramatic increase in non-fiction books published on the platform in 2023 highlights the issue. And don’t let it fool you into thinking it can’t write fiction. The quality is improving quickly, especially for someone who can ‘train’ the AI and who understands prompting (both of which are also becoming easier).
Most readers would probably say they’d prefer books written by people rather than machines. But in reality, readers just want powerful stories. How that happens is less relevant. There will be a time when you can ask AI to write you a story to your own specific requirements, such as the names and events you want it to include, and it will produce it for you. We’re not there, yet. However, AI written novels are already available.
If we want to talk about publishing becoming the new ‘fast fashion’, then we can’t ignore the role AI is already playing, or how it will increase on a vast scale.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m AI positive. I’ll use it as a creative partner, testing out ideas and quizzing new characters to go even deeper. But I love writing, from coming up with the initial idea to editing. That means I don’t want AI doing it for me; it would take away the enjoyment.
But where does all this leave me as an author? We’re potentially only at the start of the ‘fast fashion’ era of publishing. And yet I am suited to neither rapid release nor AI writing. I could be in real trouble if I was the doom and gloom type.
A Different Future in Publishing
Fortunately, I’m not.
Instead, my Futuristic strength recognises that every major advancement that threatened publishing, brought new opportunities. Fast fashion didn’t decimate other types of fashion, just as the e-book didn’t kill off the paperback, despite the predictions. In fact, TikTok has created a revival in paperback sales.
Rapid release doesn’t mean the end of slower writers.
AI doesn’t mean the end of human authors.
But authors must distinguish themselves.
If I am to write at a slower pace but still be successful, I must offer something different.
If I am to continue writing my own words rather than asking AI to do it for me, I must offer something special.
And what follows is how I intend to do that.
What Makes Us Human
AI can only ever mimic being human. In The Creative Penn podcast, Joanna Penn talks about leaning into the human element of writing. She’s even released a book, Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words, which aims to support writers to do just this. I supported this book on Kickstarter, because I knew Joanna was right (and because of my strengths, I love information like this)!
But how else can I differentiate myself? How else can I bring the human into my writing? Well, my character driven stories with emotional depth and complexity mean I already rely heavily on this. It’s where my natural strengths lie.
But, as I discussed earlier, I’ve often felt like I needed to fight against these natural tendencies. Not anymore. Now, I will lean into them. While this might make my romances deeper and more complex than the average, there are readers who crave the combination of story depth, romantic escapism, and real-life grit. And they will be able to find it in my spicy small town romances.
Quality Collectibles -v- Bingeable Fashion
But there are other ways in which I intend to differentiate myself. When I heard about the ‘fast fashion’ debate applied to publishing, I considered my book buying patterns. I am someone who consumes books in a variety of formats: hardback, paperback, e-book and audio book.
My e-reading has probably increased this year as shelf space becomes tighter. You could argue that the books I read on my Kindle or phone are the more bingeable content (although, I always tend to want quality writing).
But there’s been another change in my book habits, too. Not only am I a reader, but I’m a book lover, too. Just as I’ve bought shoes ‘only to look at’, the same is true for books. I’m a sucker for sprayed edges, foil on covers, and all the other pretty things that can come with a physical book. And as my shelves fill up, I find myself searching for something special in physical form. This isn’t represented by one thing.
It has been ergodic fiction such as S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst (images 1 and 2), or House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (images 3 and 4).
Sometimes, it has been a clothbound classic to add to a collection.
It has even been a book box subscription in a genre I rarely read (the special editions were so pretty!).
These high quality, beautiful items are a world away from fast fashion and AI written novels.
Going forward, I want to cater for both these book buying habits. As well as the more bingeable e-books and paperbacks, I want to produce collectible, extraordinary versions of my small town romance novels. Creating beautiful products is something Joanna Penn has also discussed. But I want to push it as far as I can as an indie author. I won’t go into too much detail here about exactly what I have in mind, but it will truly be something special. Unique.
Will this happen in 2024? I’m not sure. I’m so excited about it and want to get started right away, but I need to get a couple of other novels written first. Plus, there’s some work to do on the logistics of producing what I want to produce. But I hope it will happen soon. The plans don’t stop there, though.
Bundling formats
When thinking about what I wanted to offer it the future, I remembered something else about my reading habits. I will often want a book in more than one format:
Sometimes, when I’m tired, I like to read a book and listen to it at the same time because it’s easier on my brain.
Then there are times when I go out, leaving my paperback at home, and wish I could continue reading on my phone.
And, of course, I would never want to spoil my beautiful collectibles by actually reading them…which means I need an e-book or paperback copy as well.
Buying more than one format of a book can soon get expensive. And that can also mean buying fewer books overall!
But selling direct offers a solution. In the future, as I create my books in more formats, I can bundle these together and sell them at a reduced price. For example, you could buy the audio book and get the e-book as well, for an extra dollar.
Setting up a shop on this website (it’s already in progress), will allow me to offer you a far greater choice at far more affordable prices.
Balancing marketability and uniqueness
Straying from the well-trodden path of market conformity carries risks, but it also opens a world of possibilities. Most indie authors make a living with rapid release novels written to market. Straying too far from this, becoming too niche or unique, makes it incredibly difficult to sell enough books to pay the bills.
There is a balance to be found, though. The publishing industry is rapidly transforming, and I think this will create space for an even wider variety of writers to find success. By leaning into my strengths, I hope to create stories with layers, each of which appeals to different readers. Most of all, I am excited about the future and how AI will push me to be an even better writer, producing stories and books that are truly unique.
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