May is National Capture Reading Month. Will people be caught reading? you book? Are you writing a book? Do you want to write one in the future? Today’s publishing industry is radically reinventing itself. Experiencing success as a writer and author requires a new mindset and assertive professional management. Internationally famous media list writer Jeff VanderMeer captures the profession’s direction in Booklife: Survival Strategies and Tips for the 21st Century Writer (Tachyon, 2009).
Booklife focuses on two main elements, your public and private Booklife. Both are necessary to enjoy a productive writing career, says VanderMeer. Encourage readers to question your point of view. “Part of achieving your unique Booklife will be rejecting parts of Booklife as well.” It also informs readers that Booklife is not a technical manual. Its purpose is not to teach the art of blogging or engaging in social media. Booklife is also not a writing instruction tool.
Public Booklife illustrates how, as a writer today, you are more responsible for your own success, mainly due to the advent of the internet. Your Public Booklife generates several qualities, including vision, adaptability, and risk-taking. VanderMeer highlights the importance of having one- and five-year career goals. You need to feel comfortable promoting your own work. Advocate for facing one or two things that make you uncomfortable so that you can grow and change. VanderMeer highlights the power of blogging and the importance of personal branding. Having worked on both sides of the editor’s desk, he defines a successful editor-writer relationship.
Private Booklife defines Part II of the VanderMeer text; and it is the basis of your creativity. It is made up of various qualities, including curiosity, imagination, and stamina. Rejection of other writers, editors, and reviewers is endemic to the trade. VanderMeer says it’s an important part of improving your writing, strengthening you for a long-term career. Envy can also stain career advancement. “The only true balm can be taking care of our own work, our own business, and being as solid and honest as we can,” he says.
VanderMeer exudes transparency in detailing how he splurges on a book advance, including buying 13 pairs of expensive shoes. They chase him today from the back of his closet. The original Booklife submission deadline was also missed due to over-commitment. These stories, and others, demonstrate VanderMeer’s literary challenges; elements that all writers experience in variation.
VanderMeer collaborates with other industry leaders to introduce the Booklife Appendices. Five agents share their perspective on the agent / writer relationship. Answered questions include: “What do you look for in a client besides talent?” Other topics include bookshelves and public relations plans.
Although VanderMeer primarily writes fiction, any writer will benefit from reading his text. Enhance your narrative with inspiring moments, including “You now have a greater ability to control your career path and the breadth and depth of your opportunities than ever before in publishing history.”
The cover of Booklife shows three; golden-yellow open-faced books, majestically perched on vibrant green stems. For a thriving writing career similar to the Booklife illustration, customize the VanderMeer message. Cultivate the seeds of your private and public literary life and watch your literary achievements flourish.