In the middle of this pandemic, I find many authors are suffering from what I call Submit Query Fatigue. This means being sick of the many loops they must jump through in order to submit a query, get a review, or in general, get their book read. This doesn’t include the stress of looking for an agent or seeking a traditional publishing contract. Everywhere I turn, I find another writer is throwing in the towel or closing up the shop.
Around June 2020, I started noticing a sweeping change. I know that it’s impossible to keep up with the same literary output as before when life itself hangs in balance. When there’s still so much uncertainty surrounding this pandemic. That’s completely understandable.
I begin noticing less and less free books being offered. That was the first indication the authors were growing fatigue and weary of all the requirements. Then I started to noticed there were less inquiries received for reviews. That was an indication they were giving up in the impossible quest to get reviews.
Finally, many independent authors have had to quit writing altogether in order to support themselves and their families.
Before the pandemic hit, I suspected this would be eventually become the case when I at first heard other authors talking about the decline of book sales that begin around 2016.
Personally, I think the Indie and Small Press industry has been nick-picked to death by those who have another agenda or don’t know what they are talking about. Everyone has an opinion in how things should be written, run, and distributed. And has the audacity to treat writers as if they do not know what’s best for their book.
Most independent authors didn’t start writing because they thought they would make gobs of money. I find that most writes for fun. They write to express themselves and most times it has nothing to do with any psychological issue the author is having.
Recently, there’s been far too much monetization of every single aspect of the writing agenda.
Monetizing of every single thing killed sales. Some things needed to have been left the way they were. If something isn’t broke, then don’t fix it. Newer, doesn’t necessarily means better.
In the business world, some things have to be done for free in order to make money. If every single thing is monetized then that cuts out a lot independent authors from making money to spend on the necessities of like promoting books, of editing books, and other thing they perhaps would spend money on.
In trade, barter (derived from baretor) is a system of exchange where participants in a transaction directly exchange goods or services for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money.
Where the public loses out in these authors leaving the writing agenda is that things will eventually revert back to the days when you only had to read whatever a big publishing company thought you should want to read. Read it or nothing at all. The vast variety of literary works will be gone. I don’t know about anyone else, but I do not want to go back to those days.
I know it may sound like I’m complaining, but in truth, I’m not. I simply hate to see so many wonderful writers stop writing when they have so much to offer.
unholypursuit
