In my author consultations, I’m hearing more often about the pressures that writers feel to produce more product more quickly, in order to keep up with the competition and stay front-of-mind with readers.
Sometimes authors think there’s a secret to producing more that they don’t know yet.
There isn’t one.
Whenever you produce titles fast, you’re making trade-offs. This is the topic of my latest column at Publishers Weekly, where I recall one of the first business principles I learned: “Fast, cheap, and good—pick two.”
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.
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An excellent reminder which comes at just the right point for me! My editor at Lake Union is recommending Kindle Press for my latest novel saying that KP can get it into the market faster. Hmmm.
THANK YOU JANE!!!!! i’ve been told time and again that i need to write and release more and faster. But i just can’t do it. I spend a lot of time digging for [obscure] details to lend texture and credence to my stories. (not to mention i don’t write short) I’ve rather shrugged it off but you have given me validation! thanks so much!
[…] https://janefriedman.com/pressure-release-titles/ Are you producing books too fast? Is the quality suffering? […]