October Novel Prep Challenge

I'm not saying those who "publish" get to set the rules. If that were true, there would be a lot of crap rules out there. "Published" does not equal art. Even "popular" does not equal art. Most popular books are fads; their popularity is short-lived. Granted, their authors gain celebrity by virtue of large estates, usually because their publishers are shrewd business people who know how to make a fad lucrative, but "money" also doesn't equal art. In my experience, only literature that stands the test of time is considered "art" and defines the rules, defined by the consensus of literary scholars who have dedicated their lives to the study of literature.

The quote was meant to inspire, but since it has sparked a discussion, here's something to consider: The rules you follow should be dictated by your ultimate goals as an author. Do you want a contract with a publisher? Then you better follow the publisher's rules. Do you want to self-publish and sell millions of copies through your own marketing ingenuity? Follow the rules of the buying public. Do you need an investor to support the expense of your self-publishing venture? Follow the rules of your investor. Do you want to create art? Understand the rules that have worked for centuries, and then make deliberate decisions as to which rules to follow, which rules to break, which new rules you'll create, and why.

As authors, we would all love for our work to be accepted as is, for our genius to be recognized and celebrated across the world, and to make lots of money, all with minimal editing to the brainchild that is our bestselling masterpiece. I see a lot of would-be authors complaining that someone made them change something about their books.

I'm a business person, and I'm here to tell you that if you want to make money at anything, ever, then you have to follow someone else's rules. That's the way capitalism works. If you were only selling to yourself, you could make your own rules and follow them. But selling your own product to yourself is not a good way to earn a living.

If you're not in it for the money, and you choose to follow your own rules for the sake of art, then kudos to you. But if you want to work to ever be read and considered as art by anyone other than yourself, it's important to at least understand what the rules are and why they're in place. Why are Tolstoy, Dickens, Austen, Steinbeck, Bronte, Hawthorne, and Joyce still celebrated years after their deaths? What are the tricks of the trade that these authors employed, the consistent practices that permeate their works, which are now considered "rules" because they worked? If you want to be one of these authors, figure out what they did and do it yourself. And back to the point of the quote - you'll find that some of their rules were original. That's what makes their work art. But at least they were consistent in the use of their own original rules.


Regards,
Michelle