NOTE: I was late in responding to comments earlier because I had recently received a new tablet, and notifications were not coming to it. I have since fixed the notification issue, so now I can respond to comments far more quickly.
NOTE 2: Fixed a tag error that caused most of the article to look like one big hyperlink.
No one plays video games anymore.
It can sure feel that way when no one purchases the indie game you worked so hard on. All those sleepless nights, all that time, effort, and money — all of it is ignored. You feel like you did nothing of value.
But I’m not here to talk about video games, I’m here to talk about books. It’s easy to think that no one buys your book because “no one reads anymore,” but I believe that perspective is very mistaken.
We’ve all read the articles: reading is declining across the board as electronic distractions eat up all our time. Audiovisual content is where it’s at. Pretty soon, no one will be reading because it requires too much concentration when movies and video games can give you that dopamine hit right here and now with an image. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Thus, being an author sounds like a sucker’s bet. You’re just trying to grab a growing share of a shrinking market. You’ll put out your great indie book only to sell less than 100 copies as you languish in obscurity. Nobody cares because nobody reads; why bother writing novels at all?
And yet, indie video game developers and indie filmmakers have the exact same woes. How could this happen when these are the types of content people allegedly want?
I believe it’s because when we say that “People don’t read anymore; they want to watch films and play video games instead,” we don’t mean obscure indie films and low-budget games. We mean major Hollywood blockbusters and AAA video games.
I think that too many authors compare themselves to expensively produced, high-budget audiovisual work. Those authors consume such media like everyone else, and it skews their perception as to the level of success they could get. Big-budget films come from trusted brands, strong corporate legacies, and massive marketing blitzes; the same is true for AAA video games. In contrast, most indie films and video games end up obscure, just like most indie books, even though everyone is allegedly watching movies and playing games.
It’s not that everyone is generically “watching movies” or “playing games.” It’s that everyone is consuming big-budget corporate content. If you’re not part of a large corporation or you don’t get a good write-up in big media, you’ll have an uphill battle regardless of what creative content you make. It makes no sense to compare your indie novel to a hit movie made by pepole far richer than you and with far better connections.
Besides, if nobody read, 20 Books to 50K wouldn’t be a viable strategy.
Rawle
That’s a great insight. I hadn’t thought about this factor. Usually I regard the problem stemming from not catering to reader’s expectations thus not entertaining them.
Ok so what should be the appropriate mindset? What’s an acceptable number of sold books? How to move the needle properly?
Usually I regard the problem stemming from not catering to reader’s expectations thus not entertaining them.
I think that’s also true, but my comments are aimed more at those who are frustrated at low sales to begin with.
What’s an acceptable number of sold books? How to move the needle properly?
I’m not entirely sure. All I can say is, write the best work you can and find your audience.
Really good way of distinguishing between the two types of entertainment, and what those bemoaning the supposed lack of readers or moviegoers actually mean.
We’ve got to be better, we’ve got to serve our markets, and we’ve got to remain true to our principles and our fans and readers. We’re all in this together and have to act as such. We’ve got to build our network of writers and reviewers and fans and support each other and present a unified whole.
Yes, this means hyping other’s works. This is what we have to do. Praise publicly, criticize privately. And it means making sure we don’t fall into the same traps as the converged big publishing houses. They can HAVE their own realms. We have ours. And we have to gatekeep it as strongly as they gatekeep theirs.
They don’t want us? Fine. We don’t want them. “Build your own platform!” we hear all of the time? Okay, we are, except we’re building our own movement.
“Nobody reads!” They’ll read US, in time.
Really good way of distinguishing between the two types of entertainment, and what those bemoaning the supposed lack of readers or moviegoers actually mean.
It’s quite revealing when you see all independent media go through the same challenges as books. It’s not that “nobody reads,” it’s that corporate IPs have better marketing than any indie anything, as well as massive social proof from decades of past success.
We’ve got to be better, we’ve got to serve our markets, and we’ve got to remain true to our principles and our fans and readers. We’re all in this together and have to act as such. We’ve got to build our network of writers and reviewers and fans and support each other and present a unified whole.
We’ll never be featured in mainstream outlets, so it’s up to us to support each other. Disney wasn’t built in a day, after all.
Yes, this means hyping other’s works. This is what we have to do. Praise publicly, criticize privately.
A good way to go about it. Trashing each other in public serves no purpose.
“Build your own platform!”
The only real option, it seems.
“Nobody reads!” They’ll read US, in time.
Well said. I think so too.
Rawle
English language indie authours needs some perspective.
Take Catalan authours. If any authours sell 10 000 copies that’s a phenomenal bestseller. And this out of a population of 6 million.
So most authours can’t live off just writing so they’re journalists, screenwriters, talkshow host, university profs usually all these at once.
So English language indie authours should take solace they get paid for entertaining people.
xavier
Indeed; authors’ jobs are much harder if they don’t speak the global lingua franca. If your native language is English, you already have a built-in advantage.