Is it worth writing a novel nowadays?

[Lakey]

And here is another question. Today everybody is writing a novel. There are millions of novelists out there, almost all unpublished admittedly. But not GREAT novelists. Why is that? Why are there no Faulkners, Hemingways, Steinbecks, Hawthornes, kEmersons, Poes, Melvilles, Frosts, Whitmans, just millions an millions an millions of novels, screenplays poems, but not GREAT work anymore it seems. Vast quantity, rare or nonexistent quality.

Cute. How many authors do you think were publishing books 100 years ago alongside this handful you mentioned, whose works are now forgotten in the mists of time? (Hint: it’s a lot.)

Time is a filter. To ignore that fact is such a tired old stupid fallacy it’s hard to believe that anyone capable of reasoning still trots it out with a straight face. Get back to me in 100 years and I’m sure we will have the exact same tedious conversation about why there‘s a sea of junk these days but no more Atwoods, Ishiguros, Morrisons, Mantels, McCarthys, Allendes, Adichies, and on and on.

Here’s a suggestion for you: Go read a book.

 

[Unimportant]

You read my mind.

And, sorry, I found a typo.

 

[Jazz Club]

There just aren't enough dead white writers writing today.

They're really letting the side down. Dead writers have got so lazy recently, it's shocking.

 

[Unimportant]

They're really letting the side down. Dead writers have got so lazy recently, it's shocking.

No kidding. When somebody who ought not be writing at all (and should instead be in the kitchen making me a sammich) produces Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and people actually buy it and read it.... well, all I can say is, not only are there no great contemporary writers, but reading tastes have gone down the gurgler. If Hemingway were writing today I bet people would say his stuff is old-fashioned and not something they can relate to.

SAD!!!!!

ETA: Still, there's always The Art of the Deal. And Liberal Privilege. And 1945. At least those authors look the part.

 

[mccardey]

If Hemingway were writing today I bet people would say his stuff is old-fashioned and not something they can relate to.

If Hemingway were writing today, I'd ask for a sammich. Just if he had time. And if he was in my kitchen, which I guess he prolly wouldn't be, hey?

But wouldn't it be lovely if new, undead, young, not-as-white-as-all-that, mostly female writers (esp ones with difficult pronouns or children or other challenges) had old dead writers in the kitchen, making them sammiches and cups of tea?

Think of the work they could get done!

 

[Sage]

As requested, this is the mod coming in to say officially: Respect Your Fellow Writer.

All of them.

Even if you don't like what they wrote. Or haven't read them and don't plan to for whatever reason. Or they haven't even written a word yet. Or they wrote centuries ago. Or they have all/none of the privilege. Or you think they have an agenda. Or they're self-published. Or they're trade published. Or they wrote a book on a phone. Or whatever. Doesn't matter. It's the rule.

 

[CWNitz]

But not GREAT novelists. Why is that? Why are there no Faulkners, Hemingways, Steinbecks, Hawthornes, kEmersons, Poes, Melvilles, Frosts, Whitmans, just millions an millions an millions of novels, screenplays poems, but not GREAT work anymore it seems. Vast quantity, rare or nonexistent quality.

I thought Amélie Nothomb's l'Hygiène de l'Assassin was great. Why didn't you like it?

 

[Al X.]

And here is another question. Today everybody is writing a novel. There are millions of novelists out there, almost all unpublished admittedly. But not GREAT novelists. Why is that? Why are there no Faulkners, Hemingways, Steinbecks, Hawthornes, kEmersons, Poes, Melvilles, Frosts, Whitmans, just millions an millions an millions of novels, screenplays poems, but not GREAT work anymore it seems. Vast quantity, rare or nonexistent quality.

I shudder when the word 'quality' is used when what you really mean is 'taste.' I can't suffer myself through the works of any author from your list with the exception of Hemingway, and even he's not my first choice.

But getting back to the original question (I know, right?) I don't think there is a yes or no answer, but I will say that if I had gotten in to the self-publishing scene ten, or even five years before I did, things would have gone very differently for me.

 

[Infinimata]

I admit, "time is a filter" is a good part of why I like to give the hype about a current book a few years to die down before seeing what the screaming is all about. But the idea that nobody today is writing anything good parallels similar discussions around popular music. It's not that music unilaterally sucks now; it's that the good stuff takes some digging to unearth. (The amazing stuff happening in jazz right now, for instance; I suspect part of why we have such gems like Kamasi Washington's The Epic is precisely because the mainstream doesn't pay such things any mind, and so they have the freedom to do as they must.)

 

[Moontowers]

Completely agree that time is a filter. The kind of art that resonates widely across cultures/continents/generations/walk of life/etc. is naturally going to be the kind that either retains or builds a large readership over a long period of time.

I find it exciting to be part of the debate and discussion over which new works of art are going to stand the test of time, but I also get that it can be tiring sometimes to sift through the enormous quantities of art being produced try to find something you enjoy, especially when you feel like you've been having a hard time finding something good lately. The way I like to avoid getting too burnt out is when I've been on a streak of disappointing books/music albums/movies/etc. I'll return to old classics. Let the "story chop shop" in my brain relax a little and enjoy something that I already know is good. Then get back into the game (and I guarantee you will find something great in the modern literary landscape if you look hard enough for it).

 

[bjefferson]

Becoming a novelist is a grand self-image. Hemingway-esque. World beater, individualist. Artist of the written word. But nowadays it is an illusive dream. True, despite the deluge of Internet fiction, many people still read hard-copy published novels. The market is still there, but the problem is getting the damned thing published. Without connections in the publishing industry you are reduced to a fate of almost infinite one-page "query letters" trying to curry favor with agents who don't know you or want to know you unless you have some kind of celebrity or a history o royalty checks-in-the-mail. It is a years-long gamble to write a novel, the odds of getting it published by a reputable publisher are very low, and even if it is published the financial rewards are miniscule. Is it worth the year-long, or multiyear, slog, really?

I would LOVE to have a book (many books) published someday, but I've had the strict conversation with myself many times that I love writing, and if I don't do it, I'll regret it when I die. Yes, I want more than anything to share my stories with the world, but they're for myself first. When I started thinking like that, writing regularly became less daunting, and I started getting more fulfillment from it.

I'm sure others feel different, and that's okay! It's just food for thought, I guess, if the current state of publishing is overwhelming you.

 

[Username Required]

Problem is, there are millions of novels out there, and each novel requires the reader to be willing to invest hours in reading it. How do you get your novel to be the one a reader chooses? Tough call.

 

[Undercover]

Is writing worth it? If I want to survive the rest of my life, then yeah.

I never thought once about writing a single thing. Nothing. I mean, I kept a steamy notebook in high school, journaling my first romance, but I burned that soon after. Anyway, it wasn't until I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder that writing began. My doctor recommended it. And so I tried it, and liked it and everything. This was when the internet was first booming. And somehow I got the idea of wanting to get it published. My first poem was accepted like right away and I was hooked from then on. I guess the feeling of acceptance was a big deal to me.

I struggled in school and had a learning disability. I'm sure I'm dyslexic, never fully diagnosed, but it's apparent. So I struggled with reading and speech and my parents never did a thing. I was the third and last child of three girls. My mom favored my oldest sister and somehow I got neglected. This was in the 70s and 80s. I don't blame my mom or anything. But I was bullied, picked last. You know, the misfit that always gets pointed out for being different?

So my point is writing is my survival guide to living. I first started out with poetry, and it eventually expanded into novels. Because I was always yearning for more. By then, writing completely filled the void that my mental illness carved in my mind. Writing helps me with communication, speech, and helps me train my mind into positive thinking. So yeah, it's pretty much worth it to me. I'm the type of writer that needs to do it like eating every day. If I don't write, or at least work on my writing, reading skills, my brain starves. And goes wild, and into the danger zone of manic territory. Writing was meant for me.

I think you have to ask yourself that instead. Is writing meant for me?

 

[Chris P]

Problem is, there are millions of novels out there, and each novel requires the reader to be willing to invest hours in reading it. How do you get your novel to be the one a reader chooses? Tough call.

Not only a tough call, but writing the book is the easy (and fun) part. I've written seven. Two have been published, but neither had more than a trickle of sales, like a dozen or so for each. The first was a vanity publisher I chose before I understood what those were, and the second was a well-meaning but ill-prepared outfit that I chose because I saw what I wanted to see (even though I should have known better and people who did know better told me to stay away and see how this place did--it went belly up with 18 months of opening).

Writing might be the art, but getting it into the hands of willing readers is the business (and a bit of an artform too). There's marketing to consider, publicity, knowledge of contracts, and lots more that I'm not even aware of. I'm a better writer because because I have a better understanding of the business. If I wanted to go the self publishing route, I would need to know more about this part of the business. I don't have the desire to learn the business enough to go it alone with self publishing, although many, many people on AW and elsewhere have been hugely successful at it. I'd rather let someone else get a portion of the revenue to use their skills in doing this for me.

 

[Unimportant]

Not only a tough call, but writing the book is the easy (and fun) part.

It should be the fun part!

The OP appeared to be of the mindset that writing a novel is a despised, hated, horrible task. And that the likelihood of achieving trade publication is infinitesimally miniscule. And that, even if it is achieved, the likelihood of fame and fortune being bestowed upon the published author is likewise minimal. And, even if the author gets published and becomes famous and wealthy, it won't matter in the long run because their book will soon be forgot on the rubbish heap of history since, in his opinion, all books being published nowadays are shite quality. And, since the hope of fame and fortune and being remembered for having written "classics" are the only reasons anyone would write a book in the first place, it's a waste of time and ought not be attempted.

He's not been back, so we can't ask him for clarification, but if that is his reality then yes, writing a novel would not be worth it for him.

I'm glad@ Chris P and everyone else is enjoying their writing, as it can and should be a fun, rewarding activity.

 

[Brigid Barry]

The OP appeared to be of the mindset that writing a novel is a despised, hated, horrible task.

It can be challenging to do well, but if I hated it, why would I do it? I don't seem able to not.

And that the likelihood of achieving trade publication is infinitesimally miniscule.

I agree...

And that, even if it is achieved, the likelihood of fame and fortune being bestowed upon the published author is likewise minimal.

Statistics agree...

And, even if the author gets published and becomes famous and wealthy, it won't matter in the long run because their book will soon be forgot on the rubbish heap of history

Go on...

since, in his opinion, all books being published nowadays are shite quality.

Annnnnnd you lost me here.

And, since the hope of fame and fortune and being remembered for having written "classics" are the only reasons anyone would write a book in the first place, it's a waste of time and ought not be attempted.

I get stories in my head swirling around and around "wouldn't this be a cool thing to read?" and the only way to make them stop is to write them down. Which, in itself, sounds like the start of a novel of its own.

The only guarantees in life are death and taxes, everything else is a bonus.

 

[capricornair]

If Hemingway were writing today, I'd ask for a sammich. Just if he had time. And if he was in my kitchen, which I guess he prolly wouldn't be, hey?

But wouldn't it be lovely if new, undead, young, not-as-white-as-all-that, mostly female writers (esp ones with difficult pronouns or children or other challenges) had old dead writers in the kitchen, making them sammiches and cups of tea?

Think of the work they could get done!

As someone who is writing while my daughter is napping, and shoving a sandwich into my mouth, thank you.

 

[Scribblestick]

To me, this really comes down to one question. Does writing a novel make you happy? Do you enjoy it? Although I dream big, I've accepted that I will likely not become a household name for my writing, nor do I expect to retire off my earnings as an author. I write because I like writing, so for me, the answer is yes. Any other success or accolades I find along the way are extras.

 

[DarkWriter223]

To me, this really comes down to one question. Does writing a novel make you happy? Do you enjoy it? Although I dream big, I've accepted that I will likely not become a household name for my writing, nor do I expect to retire off my earnings as an author. I write because I like writing, so for me, the answer is yes. Any other success or accolades I find along the way are extras.

I concur most definitely. +1

 

[bunny hugger]

I think the view at the beginning makes it look a bit like spitting into the wind. But as you go along that can change. I started as a novelist who needed money to pay bills right now, and small press publishing was sufficient. Each novella made a few thousand dollars. I got more serious and did my research and found my niche was probably textbooks. For the one I am writing now, I estimated the chance of contracting it to my first-choice publisher was about 50%. Look how much the odds have changed! (They did accept it). Writing as a career is like any career, it develops. In my case, I might be a full-time writer around the time I retire LOL. But its been worth the effort in many different ways including making me much better at my salaried job and letting me move to a salaried job I enjoy.