One of the things we learn as psychotherapists is to interpret what clients are actually saying versus the words they speak.
This is not to say that clients lie. I have found those with whom I have worked to be incredibly honest. They were investing a substantial amount of time and money into their sessions to learn more about themselves and how they could achieve their goals and dreams.
And yet we all have our defenses.
As a client myself, I have benefited enormously from psychotherapists who could see through my defenses and careful choice of words and lead me to the heart of the truth ebbing or perhaps bleeding through.
When we are close to something or an aspect of our life under introspection it is often hard to see the forest for the trees.
Much as with an impressionistic painting we gain clearer focus and greater perspective when stepping back.
Doing that often requires that the psychotherapist translate the actual meaning of our words.
Four literary agents in the October 2010 Issue of Writer’s Digest, Evolution of the Literary Agent offered much insight into not just the changing role of the literary agent, but the entire publishing industry.
Authors and other interested parties who glean the messages underneath their words, the true meaning of what these agents are saying, find the agents’ comments packed with useful information.
Here is what the agents said, and then the translation of what I heard.
[Writer’s Digest]: “Advances are shrinking, and there are reportedly fewer traditional deals to go around. How has this affected your business?”
[Agent–Wendy Keller]: “It’s horribly true that advances are down and so are the numbers of books publishers are buying. Dramatically. In the long run, this is a good thing because we’ll return to publishing fewer, higher-quality books, in whatever format in which they are released.”
Translation:
The economic crisis and poor business model utilized but publishing houses has driven down the amounts publishers are willing and can pay to authors in the form of advances– advances from which agents derive their salaries.
This is a good thing.
The publishing of fewer books will naturally return the industry to bringing to print high quality books.
Authors who are aware of these changes and are willing to bend and shift strategies will survive as career author.
These are the authors with whom I am seeking to work.
Now for my personal thoughts:
I do believe that choosing to publish less numbers of books certainly makes it even more difficult for poorly written books to gain traditional publication.
I do not believe that the poor quality of books has solely contributed to the economic challenges presently facing the traditional publishers and the industry at large.
Many factors have played a significant role, one of which has been the huge disconnect that exists between consumers and publishers.
Books are first and foremost entertainment. Readers buy and read books to escape the daily routine of their lives.
In this way books are like movies and music.
The publishing industry has not kept up with the needs and desires of readers and consumers and how they gather, purchase and consume their entertainment.
To survive authors, agents and publishers must study those who constitute our market, human individuals.
Successful entrepreneurs of industries that have weathered all economic clients and endured follow this strategy.
Publishers and authors must set about doing the same.
While there are some agents who, rigid in their thinking like publishers and authors who refuse to change, others are eager to work with the shifting tide.
Agents of the later thinking are making changes and preparing their businesses to work with like-minded authors.
What are you ideas on establishing and maintaining an active, viable, and informative website?
Do you blog? Why or why not?
How do you connect with readers and potential consumers of your writing?
What do think of the effect the Internet has had on reading, writing and the entire publishing industry?