"I consider myself a writer, but the last thing I want to do is write a book....I’d rather write anything else and most days you’ll find me reading anything else—mostly long-form journalism, essays, and countless newsletters." Ok this blew my mind a bit and comes at a welcome time. Reminds me of Haruki Murakami's observation that many smart people write one book then discover it is long and boring and move on with their life to do other things. 😅 Oh the welcome sacrilege! Thank you for being bold and honest, love hearing more from behind the Jane Friedman curtain!
Jane, you nailed it. I so appreciate your honesty and your willingness to risk telling the truth. So many feel like if someone doesn't have a book, they aren't a real writer, but the book publishing industry is too broken for that to be real. We live in an age where books can take a back seat to the many other ways there are to share good writing. I'm exploring serializing a micro-memoir "Accidental Mentors" here on Substack and am finding it much more rewarding than putting time into publishing a book. We'll see. Thank you for putting this out there.
As someone who is trying to write a book right now, this actually made me feel a lot better. I’ve been reading books in the genre I’m writing for and feel kind of meh about them, and I was wondering if that means I’ll feel meh about writing my book. But books can often be over romanticized - it’s good not to put them on too high of a pedestal.
Totally! I remember when I was at the height of my self-help career, and it was great but I really wanted to be writing fiction (silly me) and a woman who wanted my life got so mad at me for not being more grateful. It's hard when you are in any field that has a lot of cache and aspiration attached.
Good read. I had the aggravating experience of interviewing a local author once who told me she didn’t read when I asked her what authors inspired her.
Her English professors had advised her to stop publishing and to get some experience with peer review in creative writing classes, which she dismissed.
Writing is a skill and a craft; if multiple people give you the same feedback, it may be time to check your ego.
This is the best article I've read on writing and books in a long while! This coming from an evidently crazy person who has "delusion, ambition, and determination that defies good sense" in spades. Thank you for the hearty laugh today!
I love your classes and insights...and, I absolutely love books, all my life, all day long. Couldn’t/wouldn’t live without them. But I’m curious where take this new project, so I subscribed. Always interested in new dimensions.
This took some courage to say. Thank you. I wonder how common your perspective is within the publishing industry. I'll bet it's more than people admit.
But it's not just books.
As a child I loved computers, I grew up when they were new and nerdy and programming was something a nine year old could learn. So of course I grew up to be a software engineer. And... Well, I no longer love computers. Sure there are aspects of the job I enjoy, but it's far from my passion. And yet, I do still love books.
I bet of the 20% who are book consumers, 75% are aspiring writers 😂
So many good, honest insights here. Lately I’ve thought a lot about how I’ve read several hundred books where maybe 5 of them still resonate in my soul.
I think about this with short stories a lot. I’ve worked at some lovely lit mags and helped publish ones that went on to win all the good awards, and still only a couple have ever resonated in my soul, as you say. Books have a better chance, probably bc I spend more hours with them and choose more carefully.
Jane, first, I promise never to send you a book. Second, while you have certainly written and continue to write, I tend to think of you as both a resource and a facilitator. Your book on the business of writing is terrific, however I didn’t sit down and read it front to back. I hopscotched through it so I could find the things I needed in the moment. Your Saturday roundup email is one of my must-reads for the week, because I never know what nugget I will find. That’s half the fun of reading it!
I admit to being a book lover, whether hardcover, paperback, or ebook, though not indiscriminately. While I read a lot (I don’t have tv at this point), I also do other things as well. I only get obsessive in my reading when I find a book that I can’t put down. The day I read the final volume of Harry Potter I could barely force myself to go get food so I could read while I ate, and only got up for the bathroom when the danger of an accident was imminent. That happened the first time I read Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, as well.
While I’ve published three books, there’s way more unpublished work than published. Writing and reading are both ways I make meaning of life and the experience of living it, so I don’t intend to stop either anytime soon. At the same time, I don’t expect to share all of it. 😵💫 Thanks so much for this post - I’ve enjoyed what you said, what others said, and how it got me thinking about it. Take care!
Thanks so much, Doc—greatly appreciate your response. I admit to being on the couch for many hours while reading that final volume of Harry Potter as well!
By the way, I took one of the seminars through your website in which you intro someone and they teach. It was on your author brand, and I apologize as I’m spacing on her name, however, it was terrific. What I appreciated most was the process she presented, and that she didn’t insist you had to do everything (including all social media), but that you could figure out what suited you and your way or willingness to engage, and still present an effective brand. Really well done!
This validated me as an author ❤️❤️❤️ I can’t stop won’t stop. The delusional drive that defies good sense is my candy and ice cream. I love it. It’s ridiculous. I also think 90% of the novels I try to read are mediocre at best, and am allergic to the idolization of books and authors. So I guess I’m on the right track 😂
This was just shared by someone I follow and I got a kick out of it. I went a bit further and wrote an essay about how excessive reading is actually UNHEALTHY and might contribute to mental illness and "autistic" traits. You might appreciate it.
"I consider myself a writer, but the last thing I want to do is write a book....I’d rather write anything else and most days you’ll find me reading anything else—mostly long-form journalism, essays, and countless newsletters." Ok this blew my mind a bit and comes at a welcome time. Reminds me of Haruki Murakami's observation that many smart people write one book then discover it is long and boring and move on with their life to do other things. 😅 Oh the welcome sacrilege! Thank you for being bold and honest, love hearing more from behind the Jane Friedman curtain!
Murakami is dead on. :-)
Jane, you nailed it. I so appreciate your honesty and your willingness to risk telling the truth. So many feel like if someone doesn't have a book, they aren't a real writer, but the book publishing industry is too broken for that to be real. We live in an age where books can take a back seat to the many other ways there are to share good writing. I'm exploring serializing a micro-memoir "Accidental Mentors" here on Substack and am finding it much more rewarding than putting time into publishing a book. We'll see. Thank you for putting this out there.
As someone who is trying to write a book right now, this actually made me feel a lot better. I’ve been reading books in the genre I’m writing for and feel kind of meh about them, and I was wondering if that means I’ll feel meh about writing my book. But books can often be over romanticized - it’s good not to put them on too high of a pedestal.
I love how honest you are. I do love books but sometimes I love TV just as much. Or more.
Me too, but boy it's hard to admit in certain circles!
Totally! I remember when I was at the height of my self-help career, and it was great but I really wanted to be writing fiction (silly me) and a woman who wanted my life got so mad at me for not being more grateful. It's hard when you are in any field that has a lot of cache and aspiration attached.
Preach! I legit all caps LOVE this. I don't love books; I love reading. The future of reading is a wild frontier outside of books.
Good read. I had the aggravating experience of interviewing a local author once who told me she didn’t read when I asked her what authors inspired her.
Her English professors had advised her to stop publishing and to get some experience with peer review in creative writing classes, which she dismissed.
Writing is a skill and a craft; if multiple people give you the same feedback, it may be time to check your ego.
The only thing that matters is was she any good?
....No.
Is there an emoji for inappropriate laughter?🤭
If I could link the work or remember her name I would. I don't consider myself a great auteur, but it was bad.
Also, I think you found it.
This is the best article I've read on writing and books in a long while! This coming from an evidently crazy person who has "delusion, ambition, and determination that defies good sense" in spades. Thank you for the hearty laugh today!
Now I like you even more.
I love your classes and insights...and, I absolutely love books, all my life, all day long. Couldn’t/wouldn’t live without them. But I’m curious where take this new project, so I subscribed. Always interested in new dimensions.
To be a writer and not feel obligated to write a book? This is so freeing! Thanks Jane. 🤸🏼♀️🤸🏼♀️🤸🏼♀️
This took some courage to say. Thank you. I wonder how common your perspective is within the publishing industry. I'll bet it's more than people admit.
But it's not just books.
As a child I loved computers, I grew up when they were new and nerdy and programming was something a nine year old could learn. So of course I grew up to be a software engineer. And... Well, I no longer love computers. Sure there are aspects of the job I enjoy, but it's far from my passion. And yet, I do still love books.
I guess my point is, wanna trade? ;)
I bet of the 20% who are book consumers, 75% are aspiring writers 😂
So many good, honest insights here. Lately I’ve thought a lot about how I’ve read several hundred books where maybe 5 of them still resonate in my soul.
I think about this with short stories a lot. I’ve worked at some lovely lit mags and helped publish ones that went on to win all the good awards, and still only a couple have ever resonated in my soul, as you say. Books have a better chance, probably bc I spend more hours with them and choose more carefully.
Jane, first, I promise never to send you a book. Second, while you have certainly written and continue to write, I tend to think of you as both a resource and a facilitator. Your book on the business of writing is terrific, however I didn’t sit down and read it front to back. I hopscotched through it so I could find the things I needed in the moment. Your Saturday roundup email is one of my must-reads for the week, because I never know what nugget I will find. That’s half the fun of reading it!
I admit to being a book lover, whether hardcover, paperback, or ebook, though not indiscriminately. While I read a lot (I don’t have tv at this point), I also do other things as well. I only get obsessive in my reading when I find a book that I can’t put down. The day I read the final volume of Harry Potter I could barely force myself to go get food so I could read while I ate, and only got up for the bathroom when the danger of an accident was imminent. That happened the first time I read Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, as well.
While I’ve published three books, there’s way more unpublished work than published. Writing and reading are both ways I make meaning of life and the experience of living it, so I don’t intend to stop either anytime soon. At the same time, I don’t expect to share all of it. 😵💫 Thanks so much for this post - I’ve enjoyed what you said, what others said, and how it got me thinking about it. Take care!
Thanks so much, Doc—greatly appreciate your response. I admit to being on the couch for many hours while reading that final volume of Harry Potter as well!
By the way, I took one of the seminars through your website in which you intro someone and they teach. It was on your author brand, and I apologize as I’m spacing on her name, however, it was terrific. What I appreciated most was the process she presented, and that she didn’t insist you had to do everything (including all social media), but that you could figure out what suited you and your way or willingness to engage, and still present an effective brand. Really well done!
Thanks, Doc. That was Andrea Guevara—I agree, she's wonderful!
This validated me as an author ❤️❤️❤️ I can’t stop won’t stop. The delusional drive that defies good sense is my candy and ice cream. I love it. It’s ridiculous. I also think 90% of the novels I try to read are mediocre at best, and am allergic to the idolization of books and authors. So I guess I’m on the right track 😂
I celebrate you and this mindset. Keep going!
This was just shared by someone I follow and I got a kick out of it. I went a bit further and wrote an essay about how excessive reading is actually UNHEALTHY and might contribute to mental illness and "autistic" traits. You might appreciate it.
https://thecassandracomplex.substack.com/p/the-dangers-of-reading-too-much-part
(Ignore the lousy URL, it was one of my first Substack posts and I didn't know I could edit those yet).
I still read a fair bit, but mostly non-fiction and audiobooks.
Excellent, thank you.
So so much to think about here!!
Mission accomplished. :)