Worry Less about Labeling
1st July 2016 | for Creatives | reading, artist integrity, J.A. Konrath, writing, publishing, agents, feedback/criticism/rejection |
"Now I believe a writer is someone who writes. Maybe you get paid. Maybe you don't. Maybe people agree. Maybe they don't. You don't need anyone's approval or acceptance or imprimatur or validation to consider yourself a writer. But legacy pundits like agents and publishers don't want you to believe that. They want you to feel that the only way you can call yourself a writer is if they agree. And their approval comes at a high cost. The legacy world doesn't want you to feel like you're a writer if all you do is self-publish. Because they need you to make money. Your peers may not consider you a writer if all you do is self-publish. Because they need to protect their own identities, and that means dismissing yours. You may not feel like a writer until you meet certain criteria. But consider this: who sets those criteria? You? Or an industry that wants to make money off of you? Readers don't care. Readers just want a good book. Maybe we all should worry less about labeling, and more about writing. ...Writers write. Depending on your identity, that could empower you, or scare the crap out of you."
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