Surviving a crazy publishing world

Last month, Jim Huang–publisher, editor, writer, bookseller, and more importantly, reader—gave the keynote address to the Midwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America about the strengths and fallacies of conventional publishing wisdom and how writers–aspiring and especially published–can understand them, counteract them, and fight back to build a sustainable career. I don’t agree with all of what Huang has to say, but he says them with conviction, uses concrete examples to either support his claims or refute others, and his ultimate point practically makes me stand up and cheer:

[T]he way to be successful is to stay true to your vision. I get asked all the time what I think the hot trends are in this genre, usually by writers or publishers or other booksellers (especially booksellers who don’t specialize in mysteries) who all are hoping to find a bandwagon to jump on — as if I have any insight into what’s hot. I hate the question and I always try to resist answering, especially because the real answer is one that no one asking the question will believe. What’s hot in this genre? Good books. Jason Epstein and I agree on little, but we do agree that at some point and at some level, this is still a business where what succeeds is what’s good.

It doesn’t matter if cat mysteries are hot right now or medieval mysteries or thrillers with biblical roots. The surest way to get burned in this business is trying to chase today’s trend. By the time your book comes out, you’ll be too late. That’s a bit of conventional wisdom about this business that I do believe in. If only publishers would act as if they believed it too.

Fifteen months ago, no one would have guessed that Dan Brown would sell nearly six million copies of the second novel in his series about a Harvard symbologist. Did any of us know even know what a symbologist did? A couple of years ago, the Columbia University Press imported a trio of odd-looking trade paperbacks, gentle, well-mannered novels about a hefty woman in Botswana named Precious who decides to open a detective agency. Would you have guessed that these books and the two that have followed so far would hit The New York Times bestseller list?

You know what, you might not have guessed it from a description. But once you opened the books and fell into Alexander McCall Smith’s world, you probably did know.

Because when you have a concept you believe in, readers know. When your characters are real, when your writing is assured, readers know. When your publisher does a good job of packaging and presenting your book, readers will find it. When you do everything that readers expect in a mystery and still surprise them, or when you do exactly what they expect but do it with grace and conviction, readers will respond. No, that’s too weak a way of saying it. That’s when you’ll steal readers’ hearts.

Anyway, go read the rest, and see what others are saying on Jim’s newly launched blog.

(Thanks to Miz Jen for the link.)