I was thinking yesterday that the world of publishing, for me, is kind of like living in a boom town. You know, it’s the concept of growing up in a small town that, due to a gold strike or major development, booms almost out of control. Suddenly there are thousands more people milling around, attending local schools, shopping, driving throughout all the neighborhoods, etc.
Almost everything changes. There are more opportunities. But there’s also more competition for parking spaces, movie tickets, jobs and so forth and many newcomers are using innovative new processes and tactics to get a parking space, movie tickets, jobs, etc.
Newcomers with little knowledge of the community and the residents set out to take leadership positions. Some have enough flamboyance and/or charisma to garner followers, even though they have only limited understanding of the place and the heart of the people.
Some of them are actually effective in what they teach and share, but others are premature in their exuberance to guide others. They don’t have enough sense of the place and what makes it work. They only know what their own limited experiences have taught them, which is valuable to a degree, but certainly not necessarily something others should base their future on.
If you are new to the world of publishing—you’ve only been involved or interested in publishing within the last ten years—you are not aware of the changes that have taken place within this industry. You are accustomed to the enormous competition; failing bookstores; growing infatuation with ebooks; HUGE array of publishing services, programs and websites and other phenomena that currently represent this industry. You haven’t seen the changes occur.
For example, when I started writing for publication, I did not know another writer. I knew about some in far off places such as New York, Baltimore, Cincinnati and even Cottonwood, Idaho because I read their articles and stories in magazines. I read their books. I read about their careers in my writers’ magazines and rare newspapers articles. But I did not personally know another writer who was publishing outside of the small local newspaper or for the church bulletin until around 1995, after I’d put in over twenty years as a freelance article writer and author.
Now practically everyone I know or meet is an author. And they are experiencing the world of publishing with fresh senses. Many of them are starting from scratch. They have opportunities, but also obstacles, that were not available to me when I began my writing journey. While I was out there with a machete clearing the path to publication with very little guidance, newcomers need only turn on their computers to find an enormous array of guides, mentors, instructors, etc. And only some of them are credible.
If you are new to the world of publishing, welcome. Now take your time and educate yourself about this vast and complex industry before getting involved. Let me know if you need a crash course in the best way to become educated about the publishing industry—what you need to learn before diving in—let me know and I’ll get that information to you.