And I’m not talking about dashing werewolves or evil serial killers. Today I’m talking about writer jealousy.
Between rejections and trends and opportunities we never see (and people who started the publishing game before us) it’s hard not to be jealous. And really, why bother? Jealousy is a valid emotion, as much as depression or elation and let’s face it, none of us is perfect. So it’s okay to feel frustrated or depressed or even jealous. What you can’t do is let these feeling override your professionalism.
First that’s because they very often go hand in hand. Many times jealousy sparks because right when you’re facing a new batch of rejections someone else posts on their Facebook or blog or Twitter about their latest sale. While you struggle to get full reads and get noticed by editors at the big wigs of genre publishing someone else is boasting hundreds of credits. But jealousy is as much genuine jealousy as a new face of frustration and self-doubt. Its always helpful to step back and ask why you’re jealous because it could just be that you’re overwhelmed and frustrated with your own career.
Second there’s also a HUGE chance that there is nothing to be jealous about. This is a twofold point because sometimes you need to remind yourself that just because someone’s sale LOOKS effortless doesn’t mean it is. I know a few authors like this that simply don’t talk about how hard it was to get published. One bestseller I know spent over ten years trying to sell, and had to deal with a completely horrible agent experience (hmm, come to think of it I know many authors who could tell this tale) before they ended up with a contract. Just because you don’t see them doing blogs online about how hard it is doesn’t mean that it isn’t hard (see my What They Don’t Tell You About Writing post for an idea on how things change after people think you’ve “made it”). Point is, it looks effortless when you see the product and not all the work behind it. And just because someone lands a sale doesn’t mean they haven’t worked every bit as hard as you have for it.
The second side of this one starts similar; don’t be jealous because you don’t know the full story of the sale. But it continues with the knowledge that presses close all the time. And projects bomb all the time. And there is a massive pile of really low quality magazines and anthos out there. I won’t name names (and the sad fact is that the lower the pay scale the more likely it is that these projects will end up filled with stinker stories. In my last post Maurice Broaddus, editor of the acclaimed Dark Faith mentioned that for every 100 stories about 2 were good. High paying markets attract crap fiction and good fiction, a lot of both. Lower paying markets tend to attract less of the good stuff. Not that they don’t attract any, just there are fewer good stories proportionately.) but I will give you possibly the best piece of advice I’ve ever learned writing: It is better (career-wise) to be rejected than to be published poorly. Rejections do not hurt anywhere as bad as being embarrassed of your fiction or the company it keeps.
So take into consideration where these sales are coming from, what they’re doing for their authors–if anything. A lot of people see some measure of success and end up spending some times spinning their wheels at a level they’re comfortable with and have seen some success with. It’s hard to decide whether to aim for something you might not reach, or go for the sure thing, but if you want to advance, you have to always aim for higher than where you are.
Furthermore writing careers are not set advancement paths. Writers and careers do not mature at the same pace or time. I know several artist types who put in a lot of work, then were forced to take a break, then came back to some success. Some hit big with their first book, some with their fifth. Tor’s (well-deserved for being so awesome) darling Cherie Priest published six novels before hitting it bigger with Boneshaker. Clearly some readers and publishers saw her skill and continued to buy her work until the rest of the world caught on last year. And it happens like that all the time. The fiction force that is Charlaine Harris had two whole series before the Sookie Stackhouse hit real big.
Careers take different paths, influenced by things completely outside of the realm of a writer’s control. One more example from my own favorite genre; There’s no doubt that Laurell K Hamilton’s Anita Blake books contributed to the rise of urban fantasy. But Hamilton and Blake can’t be given credit alone for the popularity of the genre because the series was joined quickly by a number of other really good authors, some of which only copied Hamilton’s work, or outclassed it completely, or connected with readers looking for something different. You can’t separate Hamilton’s career from the rise of urban fantasy, but neither can you give it all the credit.
The truth is that the only thing your career can be compared to is your goals. Those are the only standard that matter.
So next time you feel jealous take a step back, rant to a friend who won’t repeat what you say, then look at what’s making you jealous again, because you might see something new. Or you might be able to reshape your own reactions so that every sale of a friend is a triumph you can share in. Life is more fun when there are more triumphs and celebrations rather than crushing blows. How you take the sales of the writers around is one way to make your writing career smoother, easier to handle, and more satisfying.
