One of my favorite books is Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton. He takes a tour through history to discuss how humans can deal with feeling inferior to one another. I find it of particular relevance to writers, since so much of what constitutes success is about appearances (e.g., which publisher is more prestigious, who’s getting the “right” reviews or awards, who gets invited to speak).
So I especially enjoyed Melissa Yancy’s essay for the latest Glimmer Train bulletin, where she discusses the irresistible urge to look up:
Writer Anthony Doerr once told me something his father told him, and I’ll paraphrase it poorly here: You’re going to get your neck sunburned looking up all the time. I don’t think he was just speaking of ambition and envy, but focus—about where your eyes actually go. And if you’re focused on the literary lottery, you’re looking off in the distance, spending that unearned fortune.
She goes on to discuss how your story is where “the hidden owl is perched”—and that’s where you should try looking. Read Playing the Odds.
Also in this month’s Glimmer Train bulletin:
- Dialogue: Something to Talk About by Gregory Wolos
Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.
Thank you, a timely piece for me as I wonder how I’m going to market my next work of fiction which I haven’t yet written. I woke pre-dawn with the realization that I need to narrow my focus — way down. No star-gazing, indeed. But I can disturb the hell out of ten thousand people along the remote west coast where I live. Compare myself to whom? I’m the only one.
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