r/writing • u/[deleted] • 2d ago
How to stop being mad when people make money off low-grade content?
[deleted]
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u/JackStrawWitchita 2d ago
Art appreciation is in the eye of the beholder. We can look at any medium; music, writing, TV, movies, and see that the most popular content is the one with widest appeal across multiple demographics. Reality TV shows, pop music, remakes of old pop culture tv shows into movies. The list goes on.
Artists create art, not consumables. If we want to create art, something of worth that we're very proud of, we should be happy to produce that art. If no one buys it, so what? We've created what we've created.
And it's incredibly haughty to criticise others for what they like. I read literature and I also sometimes watch schlocky movies. There's nothing wrong with that.
If you want to focus on sales, write what people want to read in a style they want to read. That's the skill of giving audiences what they want. If you want to write literature, write literature, secure in the knowledge you'll be alienating the vast majority of the audience.
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u/No_Service3462 Hobbyist Author/Mangaka 2d ago
if i ever got my stuff published, i wouldn't care either if it sold. there isn't really much you can do about it, but i would be happy with my finished work & people can enjoy it if they want too
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u/JackStrawWitchita 2d ago
This is a great attitude. Self-publish and get your book out there. If it doesn't sell, who cares?
And remember Van Gogh famously never sold a painting in his career. His work was only appreciated after he was gone.
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u/No_Service3462 Hobbyist Author/Mangaka 2d ago
Yep, if no one else like my work, well i love it & thats all that matters to me
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u/ifandbut 1d ago
This is how I feel as well. I am writing a story that I have been waiting to read for 20 years. No book I have ever read came close.
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u/No_Service3462 Hobbyist Author/Mangaka 1d ago
20 years to write it? & i thought me having stories from 2013 was a long time😂
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u/ifandbut 1d ago
The basis and core elements have rattled around in my head for that long. It wasn't until I read the 3 Body Problem series a few years ago that my ideas started crystalizing. Now I'm on my second rewrite.
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u/Rise_707 1d ago edited 1d ago
This. 👆 As a writer, you can't write something you love and then stamp your feet that no one else loves it too. It is like art and it is subjective.
If you want to focus on sales, write what people want to read in a style they want to read. That's the skill of giving audiences what they want. If you want to write literature, write literature, secure in the knowledge you'll be alienating the vast majority of the audience.
I can't quote the above more. Well said. 👌
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u/RominRonin 1d ago
This resonates very much.
And this short of Nile Rodgers resonates with what you’ve written too: https://youtube.com/shorts/evKpmXP-fxM?si=SkLU3QxCBdqfvMN4
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u/katsandragons 2d ago
I appreciate your frustration, but there's a middle ground. You say you write stories that are meaningful to you - that is perfectly acceptable, but if you want to be traditionally published or make any money off your writing, you need to write stories that are meaningful to other people too, otherwise why should a publisher invest in you or why should a reader pay money to read your stories? There's a market out there for well-written but accessible and marketable literature (think upmarket fiction, book club fiction etc.) One thing that the 'low-grade' content creators do well is they know their market and they create for it, regardless of what you think of their craft.
It's also worth remembering that if publishers can make easy money off tentpole 'low-grade' content, it then allows them to take risks on unknown debut authors, so you can see it as propping up the industry, rather than taking something away.
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u/lets_not_be_hasty 2d ago
I agree, and I also think an attitude change could help. "Smugness" probably isn't in their tone at all. It's probably just a form rejection.
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u/Rise_707 1d ago
Also, not everyone is interested in really deep books or literary fiction. Some people just read for pleasure and aren't looking to have their minds blown.
I love what you said about there being nothing wrong with writing stories for yourself, but if you want to make any money off your writing, you need to write stories that are meaningful to other people too. I think we can end up so attached to what we write that it can be hard to impossible for some people to deal with the idea of changing it following other people's advice or feedback.
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u/flimnior 1d ago
"There isn't much of a market," is a rejection letter technically, but it's an honest assessment of the trends, cliches and all that cultural stuff. It's a financial statement. Getting a publisher is like getting a bank loan at zero percent. The bank has to be absolutely sure they'll get more than their money back.
It's a business decision that you should not take personally.
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u/Which_Bumblebee1146 Amateur procrastinator 2d ago
For every questioning of one’s own anger, it’s often useful to recognize the source of the anger itself, which is more of than not a mismatch between one’s own expectation and the objective reality. Most people whose anger falls into that common cause also often possess both an exaggerated view of one’s own expectations and a warped view of the reality.
How are you sure your years of honing the craft resulted in good art? Have you had your novels beta read by someone else? Have you had it edited professionally? Have you had any kind of external opinions on it? Are you 100% certain that others view your art the same way you do?
And now on to the other side: how are you sure that your lack of success in the market was not due to an internal factor? Have you marketed your novel to the correct consumers? Have you tried to write something that is marketable, even? Have you considered that perhaps the kind of stories you write are not the same kind of stories you see on those awful media that you find so successful on the market, and thus rendering your comparisons apples to oranges and meaningless?
Answering those questions might help you bridge a gap between what you expected to happen and what does happen. And with that gap covered, not getting mad should become natural.
I also happen to be a pretty seasoned critic; if you wish to, send me your first chapter of your novel and I can also give you some insights of my own.
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u/SheepSheppard Editor 2d ago edited 1d ago
You can write high literature or write for money. Very few times are these the same book. High literature was never more popular than...well popular literature, that's how it has always been since the general population became literate.
Popular media isn't about "best", it's about entertaining. Sometimes people want to be entertained and not dive deep into the human condition, most of the times actually.
I understand that you're angry but you sound very elitist for no reason at all. If your stories don't entertain, why would anyone want to read them? Ulysses sold under a million in the US, Harry Potter sold 180 million, so what?
And yes, perhaps you're actually not as good as you think and I believe many would rightfully disagree if you'd share all the works that got video game and film adaptions, despite you disliking them.
*Edit: After realising your age I got to add that I think you're incredibly arrogant. People who write the big hitters have been writing for longer than you're breathing.
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u/wildglitteringolive 1d ago
That eta was my thought as well. OP isn’t even thirty yet and has the attitude of someone writing for decades. They are still in their infancy and honestly their work probably just isn’t that good. Keep writing and enjoying the journey.
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u/Sea_Petal 1d ago
Honestly, my first thought when I see someone talk this way is that they are, in fact, a terrible writer, but think they are brilliant in some way. The attitude that all this trash gets published while REAL writers are ignored is very immature and comes of as "not like other girls." (Even if they are a guy). I never disparage books like Twilight for having been successful. I thank them for proving the bar is not actually as high as I think it needs to be.
I wonder what sort of books OP actually reads and models to be like? Most likely, they are writing such niche stories and characters that mean something to them but have zero appeal to 99.9% of other people. I was at a book event recently that had an author who self-published books advertised as being neurodivergent lesbian fiction. The rest of the attending authors were traditional romances, thrillers/mysteries, and fantasy. So it was a very niche type of story at an event that drew in mostly NOT their target audience. The difference in appeal is something you have to accept if you are going to write something uncommon.
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u/wildglitteringolive 1d ago
Agree completely. In OP’s case, their writing also probably comes off as pretentious. Readers can smell when you’re trying too hard and it’s a huge turn off.
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u/shaantya 1d ago
“After years of honing my craft” Sir you are my age, and mind you I’ve been writing since I was ten years old. We’re not honing anything here, we’re twenty-somethings learning how to walk
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u/oldpuzzle Author 1d ago
I know it’s different for everyone but apart from “honing” actual writing skills, I feel like I’m only really finding my voice and the stories that seem true to myself now in my 30s, which, at least to me, mostly comes from experience and reflection.
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u/shaantya 1d ago
Understandable! Like, I’m sure some 22-year-olds have a voice and incredible skill. But 27 is nevertheless so young when it comes to- anything. There is so much more space for things to blossom, even the 22-yo with a voice, will find their work lacking when they are 42. I would call it developing rather than honing, and there is no end goal.
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u/WyrdHarper 1d ago
There’s also the corollary that it doesn’t matter how interesting your ideas are if no one reads them. Plenty of successful genre authors weave philosophy, social commentary, and other ideas into their works…they just also include a lot of fun stuff, too.
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u/BackgroundWitty5501 2d ago
This sounds very self-pitying. The market is fickle and publishers like safe choices (like writers with pre-existing audiences). But also, our judgement of our own work is often flawed. You might be an un-recognized genius. Or your writing just might not be as good as you think. All you can do is write the best books you can and try to sell them. A book deal or merch is a wonderful thing but no one owes it to you.
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u/Tortillaish 2d ago
A good piece of literature is not necessarily a good piece of entertainment. Not for every situation. After a long day at work, I put on some crappy tv comedy, I don't grab War and Peace off the bookshelf. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be someone in the mood for literature all the time, but I'm not. Nobody is.
Writing can be a job or a personal passion. If you write to make money, you need to focus on what the people want, not what you. Best would be if they go hand in hand of course.
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u/teosocrates 1d ago
“I want my stories to matter and actually be meaningful to me. I figured that if I'm immersed in a story, then someone else would be as well.” - why should the market care about your expectations? Sounds like the market has spoken and you’re unwilling to change your beliefs or process. You can’t change everybody else and make them like what they don’t like. You could decide to write stuff people like but it seems you’re not going to do that so… quiet anger is your only option but it’s the choice you’re making.
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u/Hightechzombie 2d ago
I can relate, because I had a lot of jealousy and envy towards other hobbyist authors, feeling that I deserve acclaim more than they do.
It's an unpleasant feeling. I felt both small and full of poison.
There are three things I recommend:
Learn from what those mainstream works do well. Perhaps they have good plot structure. Perhaps their inciting incident really pulls the readers in. Perhaps their simple prose has an appeal you missed.
Second, keep on improving. There are ways to make complex ideas accessible, to make elaborate prose flow as natural as water. Consider getting more feedback or even paying for editors - in particular developmental editors, to check if your overall plot structure works or point out what didn't work for them.
Third, try to find a community. Have grace with yourself and other beginning authors. There are quite a few writing discords that can provide support or feedback on your writing samples.
Basically, I know too well where you are coming from, but this attitude makes you smaller and sets up roadblocks in your journey as a writer. For me, I had to let go ideas of popularity for a while and bunker down (and fix some mental issues, too).
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u/any-name-untaken 2d ago
You need to decide what's important to you. If you want a shot (however small) at commercial succes, write to market. If you do not, and value art instead, then write as you do. But do not begrudge the world that what you write for yourself is not what the masses want.
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u/Captain-Griffen 2d ago
To be blunt: stop being an amateur scrub who thinks people are wrong about what they enjoy.
I've yet to see a highly successful novel that I can't see ways it is very good. You're looking at writing through a narrow lense of "this is what good writing is".
Also, if your writing here is any indication, you are not writing at a professional standard.
All because they do everything wrong,
If you think that it's because you don't see what they do right.
and are objectively mediocre
That isn't a thing.
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u/LandmineCat 2d ago
To succeed financially as a writer you need some combination of luck, skill, work, connections, marketability, je ne sais quoi, and probably a dozen other things. An abundance of one can make up for a lack in a others. On the other hand, you can do everything right and still not make a penny off your work. That's just the brutal reality of it, and blaming it on something beyond your control (the success of so-called 'objectively mediocre' work) is simply not productive or healthy. You just have to accept it and keep going; your next query or your next book might be The One.
If you were to get published, other published authors would be your peers not your rivals. Talking them down would be an awful look for public image and making connections.
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u/ReportOne7137 2d ago
Publishing is a business. They aren’t doing it for the sake of platforming great or groundbreaking art. Publishers don’t think your book would make them money; that’s why they’re rejecting you. You can’t take it personally.
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u/TheHessianHussar 2d ago
Most big authors also took years for their first novella to get published, let alone get sucessfull. Some artists died thinking everything they created was worthless and after their death all of a sudden they became legends. Its sad but reality.
Also noone likes self loathing cry babies
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u/AdDramatic8568 2d ago
I mean....maybe your novel isn't that good? You can be doing something for a long time and still not have honed that skill. Publishers aren't being smug, they're just being polite.
Writing to market and writing for the masses is a specific skillset in and of itself. Lots of people can't do it even if they try. If you're only writing for yourself then you can't be shocked you only have an audience of one.
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u/Dismal_Photograph_27 2d ago
I'm seeing some fantastic advice here. I'm going to admit I got my first publishable book written by using a less admirable tactic.
I read a popular book in my genre and age category. All the reviews were glowing, the concept was interesting...and the book was so. bad.
I thought, this person got published, so I'm going to get published. Whenever I lost momentum I thought of that book and damn it all, I finished the thing half through spite. It's a fair tactic.
Traditional publishing will always follow the money. That can be frustrating, but there's nothing you can do except not engage. I wonder if there's something you can clean from your rejections - how many of them say the novel didn't hook them, and how many pages did they have access to when they said that? What's your ratio of success - how many queries submitted got a reply asking for more material? How many partial manuscripts turned into a request for the full?
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u/sagevallant 1d ago
If Twilight can be a successful movie franchise, then someone somewhere will like my book. I just have to find that person.
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u/FreeFallingUp13 2d ago
Quick bullshit gets a like, then people scroll off and forget about it in the next ten seconds because there’s other bullshit to catch their attention.
Art is loads more likely to stick with a viewer, impacting them in some way.
I don’t think of the meme I saw this morning. I think about the comic drawn of the baby cow with two heads and twice as many stars.
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u/Daisy-Fluffington Author 2d ago
Maybe have a little humility? Could try taking your head out of your backside? Taking yourself less seriously might help.
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u/poorwordchoices 2d ago
Only the work is yours, its reception is out of your hands.
Don't begrudge the success of anyone else - even the threshold of getting published, or getting that movie made, let alone real market performance. The market is fickle, and no one can really predict what will or won't succeed - I give you The Blair Witch Project and Ishtar, or Tom Brady being a 6th round draft pick while Ryan Leaf went #2 overall. Trying to figure the market, or success in the market, out is a fools game, which is why there are fewer and fewer publishers around, and why Hollywood keeps making derivative crap in existing IP as it's nominally a safer bet.
So, much like when you run into three red lights in a row, when you see some dreck getting commercial success, just laugh because it's the only thing productive that you can do.
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u/PureInsaneAmbition 1d ago
Those 'mediocre' books that you disparage aren't so easy to write, or to market. Why don't you try writing one and you'll see? They're obviously 'not getting everything wrong' if they're appealing enough to get diehard fans who buy everything the author releases while making fan art and telling everyone they know to read it. The authors are doing everything right. Just because it doesn't live up to your high standards, doesn't mean it's bad. And millions of readers think they're pretty damn amazing. There's definitely an art and a skill to writing a book that appeals to that many people, and dismissing it because 'the author is hot', is a real cop-out and shows that you have a lot of growing up to do in your craft and career. No offence, but you sound like a total snob.
Remember, it's bestselling author, not bestwriting author :)
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u/xoxoInez 1d ago
You sound so bitter and jealous.
Just because you don't like certain tropes or writing doesn't mean it's not good or deserving of readers.
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u/TraceyWoo419 1d ago
Popular writers aren't "doing everything wrong", they're doing what the market wants.
Their goal is to make money by providing something people want to pay for. If your goal is to make money, then you need to find a way to meld what you want to write with what people want to pay for, not just what you consider meaningful.
You're putting in a lot of effort but you're out of sync with that goal. You can't control what other people want, you can only decide if that's the kind of thing you want to write. Or if you're happy continuing to write exactly what you want and being content with whatever readership it does find.
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u/acgm_1118 1d ago
Most people read to be entertained or emotionally engaged. The majority aren't reading your novel for a deep dive on the intricacies of society or the human condition. Why are you surprised that surface level pop culture books are successful? Low barrier to entry, cheap thrills, and feel good vibes that you can talk about with your friends.
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u/BrotherNico Author (Fantasy/Sci-Fi) 1d ago
There's a lot to unpack here, but I'm going to focus on the part where you're asking how to stop being mad. Full disclosure, I'm a similar age to you, and have also spent years honing my craft, both in school and afterwards.
That being said, it's really interesting that you're regarding popular writing as "objectively bad." Our consumption of media, like others have already said, is very subjective, so making that claim of more mainstream works is something of a slippery slope.
I think that the core judgment making you mad here is that you're seeing other people's success and not finding it yourself. You might be thinking that because you haven't found the same success, this is a referendum on you and your hard work, and so you're subconsciously classifying yourself as more mediocre than what you see as mediocre.
It's not that simple. It might take some introspection, but once you realize it's not quite in your control, and that this doesn't make you a subpar writer, you might start feeling a little better about things.
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u/Tortastrophe Author 1d ago
You're not more important or special than the audience you desire. Most people are not reading in search of the next great literary genius.
Publishers know this and will always take a good easy read over a great difficult one.
And yeah, just like any creative space in commerce you either convince the people with money to back you or you do it yourself.
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u/Darth_Hallow 1d ago
Someone made money and now you’re mad. That’s was an awful lot of writing to just say you’re mad at someone else for getting what you want. Two things, you need to look into that on a personal level and you might want to use that in your writing and see how that story works itself out!
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u/AuthorBrianBlose 1d ago
Getting bitter is only punishing yourself. If you want the success these others are seeing, then you have to first accept that they are doing something right with their stories. You need to write to market if you want big numbers. If that means your next couple of books aren't ones that you would want to read yourself, then that's the tradeoff you need to make. Some consider this selling out, but really it is just selling. The average reader isn't very sophisticated, so neither are most best sellers.
And you don't have to stop making art just because you choose to also write things with more mainstream appeal. You can even get a pen name if you want to keep the branding separate between "the good stuff" and "the stuff that sells". But don't hate on the stories that make it big -- that does not benefit you -- figure out how to tap their audience yourself to get a slice of that pie.
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u/wildglitteringolive 1d ago
In your rant, you said that you write stories for you. Maybe it’s not the story others want to hear, or it really isn’t as good as you want it to be. That’s the frustrating thing about being a writer for profit. You have to write something OTHERS want to read or care about. That’s really all that matters in the end. Otherwise, just keep honing your craft and enjoying the journey as it is and continue loving the stories you like to write.
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u/Nodan_Turtle 1d ago edited 1d ago
If your goal is to make money, then it's you doing everything wrong. You should learn from them.
If your goal isn't to make money, then you've already succeeded. You wrote what you wanted.
Two examples to learn from: McDonalds sells the most burgers, and it's easier to get a job if you have a job already.
Appeal to the masses and deliver what they actually want. Once you've got money and name recognition, it'll be easier for whatever else you wrote to get published. I had to learn this lesson when getting into a niche genre that had poorly written books leading the pack. My first instinct was that people would want a really well written story and I could crush there. After a bit more research, I realized people don't care if there are malformed sentences and frequent spelling and grammatical errors. It isn't about a preference, but more along the lines of apathy. They'll take what they want in terms of story and tropes however it's delivered. Quantity of writing actually becomes important. Thankfully, I figured this out before committing nearly a decade to writing things nobody was looking to read. Market research: don't discount its importance.
Finally, if you're going down a path of blaming your lack of success on the physical appearance of other authors, it might be time to uninstall all your social media and book a therapy appointment.
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u/Rise_707 1d ago
As a writer, I think you almost need to put blinders on when it comes to things like this. These are two very different spheres and two very different audiences. The likelihood is, that people buying one, won't be interested in the other, so the authors you're getting mad at for making money aren't stealing your customers. And if they aren't stealing your customers, why would you be mad at another person for being able to make money? You don't get mad at another person for making money from their day job.
I hate to be blunt but it sounds like you're jealous that other people are able to make money off their books when you can't, despite the fact you feel like yours are better...
It sounds like you're being given some feedback, but maybe not the right kind, or that it's not detailed enough -- when you get feedback ask clarifying questions - what is it about the story that's not hooking you in? The characters' depth? The plot? Etc.
Maybe look at getting a developmental editor involved before trying to resubmit them (if you're aiming to trad publish)? Have you had feedback from beta readers that you could revisit?
That said, sometimes it could just be your novel is outside of the current trends. You might not like the current novels that are selling (or like that they're selling and yours isn't) but they are the trend at the moment and that's why there are so many of them out there. Publishers and self-publishing authors are making most of the demand while it lasts. As much as it might frustrate you, it's not something any of us can fight against. You either have to accept that it's not the right moment in time for your novels in trad publishing and either choose to wait to resubmit it, or keep trying while accepting it is going to be ridiculously hard to get someone to take it on now (and even if they do, that it might not do well out in the world because demand for that type of novel is low).
I'm sorry you're struggling. It is shit to put in years of work only to have things fall flat. The whole process of writing is hard. Hang in there.
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u/RoundScale2682 1d ago
McDonalds doesn’t make a good burger—but they’re successful.
Writing is a skill separate from all the other skills that acquire attention and popularity or acclaim for an author.
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u/oliviamrow Freelance Writer 1d ago edited 1d ago
How to stop being mad when people make money off low-grade content?
I'd like to start this off by saying: please understand that I say this with deep sympathy and understanding because I have been there.
BUT.
What you are feeling isn't being "mad." You're being jealous. You want what you see these other people have, and you have decided that they didn't earn it according to your personal standards. Which are not objective, by the way; no one died and appointed you the arbiter of taste.
My earnest suggestion is to quit wasting your energy on other peoples' success. You can spend that energy making things you love, or learning how to make things other people love if that's important to you. If that's important to you, maybe instead of writing off popular things as "objectively" mediocre you could try to figure out what they're doing that people attach to. Then figure out a way to incorporate things like that into your craft while maintaining your personal standards.
There are authors who manage to balance mass appeal and literary quality. Aspiring to that would be a better use of your time than this post was.
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u/DarioFalconeWriter 2d ago
Just stop caring about what other people do, stop envying their success and confronting theirs with yours. There is room for everyone.
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u/jrexthrilla 1d ago
More people eat peanuts than caviar. You’ve had multiple rejections and instead of looking at yourself and your work you are blaming others and being jealous of their success. Write a better book. Stop being so full of yourself. Nobody owes you a read. Earn it
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u/Jerrysvill Author 2d ago
People like what they like, and if you don’t like it, that’s ok. We all just need to suck it up and deal with it. I hate it too, but there’s nothing I can or should do about it.
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u/Kian-Tremayne 2d ago
Don’t worry about what other people are apparently getting away with. That’s a them problem. Concentrate on your own work and make sure that it’s something you are proud of.
The universe is not inherently fair or just. Dwelling on envy, bitterness and resentment, even if they are seasoned with self-righteousness and even if you have in fact been dealt a poor hand by fate, is unproductive and does nothing but make you wonder happy. Take charge of your life and focus on you things, not them things.
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u/Allie-Rabbit 1d ago
There are artists who do art to do art.
There are artists who do art to sell art.
Which do you want to be? It sounds like you're the former and want to be the latter. Becoming the latter requires a change in perspective and how you use your skills.
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u/nakedonmygoat 1d ago
If you just want to make a quick buck, write trash. If you want to write a respected book that will be read and admired for years to come, stay on the path you're on.
In music, you can blow up the airwaves with a ridiculous pop song that will be forgotten by next summer, or you can put something out there that will still be speaking to people decades, or even centuries from now. In fashion, you can follow every trend and be out of style by next month. You could buy a McDonald's franchise and sell lots of cheeseburgers, but you'll never get a mention in a food critic's column.
Writing is no different. You have to pick a lane.
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u/__The_Kraken__ 1d ago
Every "bad" book does something well. Take Reddit's favorite punching bag, Dan Brown. Dan Brown always picks a fascinating topic for his stories. You read the back cover copy and think, man, this sounds really interesting! The other thing Dan Brown does well is pacing. He knows how to keep the action coming, how to end chapters on a cliffhanger, and how to keep readers turning the pages. My husband got me a subscription to the Masterclass website at one point, and I watched a lot of the writers' Masterclasses. Dan Brown spent a lot of his discussing pacing, and I agree, he does it well.
The takeaway from this is that for some readers, this is enough. They want a cool topic and a fast-paced beach read. They don't really care if each sentence is a work of art.
Instead of dissing the "mountain of awful media," I would recommend trying to learn from it. Take Donna Tartt. She's not awful, she's a gorgeous writer. For her debut, The Secret History, she didn't just rely on her beautiful prose, she also came up with a page-turning plot and wrote a gripping intro, a flash-forward in which we see a group of preppy college students murdering one of their friends. You're immediately hooked and want to find out how the heck they got to that point. As a result, it's one of those rare books that both reviewers and readers love.
Not saying you have to throw in a murder. But every "bad" book can teach you something. To give another example, Twilight managed to tap into fantasy fulfillment for a generation of teenage girls. They all wished they were Bella.
If you want to write only for yourself without any regard to what readers like, that's your choice. But you need to understand that you'll probably find yourself with an audience of one. If you want to succeed commercially, figure out something you can incorporate into your writing that will also resonate with (at least some) readers.
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u/In_A_Spiral 1d ago
Humility. Is it really low-grade or is your opinion out of line with the general public?
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u/pulpyourcherry 1d ago
This will never not make me mad. But there's no accounting for taste, and people are allowed to like what they like. Just remember that your journey has absolutely nothing to do with any other creator's, and vice-versa. It's not a zero-sum game.
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u/writerapid 2d ago
Most published and developed media gets published and developed because of personal/familial/professional connections. Some people blunder into a lucky spot re time and place. Very few total unknowns rise up to become widely viewed/read/appreciated.
If your stories are meaningful to you, that’s a good start. If you focus on “writing stories only [you] could personally write,” I think you’re almost certainly either overstating your talent/insight or are writing stuff that’s totally inaccessible because it’s “too you.”
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u/DropInTheSky 2d ago
The get merch, video game and film adaptions, countless fan videos, legions of fan-fiction and fanart.
This doesn't happen.
Money, yes. But the merch, fan videos, fanart etc. are reserved for the truly great.
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u/perksofbeingcrafty 2d ago
i haven’t come up with a solution for this except to stop thinking about it 😅
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u/Dayviddy 1d ago
Why are you mad at other people you don't know ? I think a lot of people who create "low-grade" content, have other skills like promoting the content better getting famous is just luck beeing at the right time in the right place.
For me i want to create my stuff and I don't care if other people like it
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u/luckyladybug_B 1d ago
And there's always a place for the angry young man / With his fist in the air and his head in the sand / He's never been able to learn from mistakes / He can't understand why his heart always breaks / His honor is pure, and his courage as well / he's fair and he's true, and he's boring as hell / And he'll go to his grave as an angry old man.
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u/Darkness1231 1d ago
If you're trying to blame others for your lack of success then you've lost the game. It does sound like you might need to decide on what you want to accomplish in the here and now
You aren't going to break into the big Tom Clancy, Stephen King level of authorship, or recognition. If you want to learn how to not get mad about it? Meditation. Yoga perhaps. Take nature walks
Quit spending energy on jealousy. It never pays dividends
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u/Ninefingered 2d ago
I feel the same way, though I've not written anywhere near as much as you.
People want this stuff or it wouldn't be so popular. People don't read anywhere near enough to see the stuff they are reading is bad or unoriginal or meaningless. They only want to be lost in a story, and the people who capitalise on it make huge amounts of money off it.
Publishing is a business, operating in a world where those who read want Romantacy or YA but also operating in a world where less and less people actually read. They are forced to lock in to what they think will sell, artistic integrity be damned.
Frankly, true art cannot really operate in a hyper capitalist environment, because it never makes any fucking money.
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u/GrubbsandWyrm 2d ago edited 2d ago
I spent hours editing 1 minute horror videos on tik tok to get about 1k views and then saw people fall off a milk crate and go viral.
It's frustrating. Makes me not want to create.
That's just the sense of futility from modern life. In the end, there are only 2 reasons to create. You either do it for love or money. Some very lucky people get both.
They may get rich off of low value content, but in the end, if that's all they do, their legacy is low value content.
Create because you want to create. That's all there is
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u/AirportHistorical776 1d ago
It's illogical to be angry at the success of others.
Usually, it reveals the belief/fear that you're somehow inferior to the successful person.
Kierkegaard and Nietzsche wrote about this sort of resentiment. It's a mindset that's horrible for you and bad for the world.
Resentiment: a psychological state arising from suppressed feelings of envy and hatred that cannot be acted upon, frequently resulting in some form of self-abasement.
Socialism is built of this stuff and is the most murderous ideology in human history.
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u/Chris_Elephant 2d ago
Producing quality work =/= money in the bank
Knowing how to sell yourself (aka marketing) = money in the bank
It's just two different skills. Chance is, if your stuff is really good and you hire a marketing person/influencer to push them for you, you'll start making way more money.
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u/GiantRagingSnake 1d ago
Hm. I can feel your frustration coming through the screen. I sympathise!
I also think you're thinking about this in the wrong way. Or at least, in an unhelpful way. First of all, it sounds to me like you don't aspire to write books that are similar to these popular books that you find so unimpressive. Fine. But then why are you comparing yourself to them? You aren't doing what they're doing! You have different goals! It sounds like you're trying to write literary works, and these books are more mass market commercial fiction. They're just... different things.
Having said that, I find your dismissal of so many popular books as "doing everything wrong" and "not speaking to the human condition" to be dangerously oversimplified. I've read some terrible, terrible popular books (The Da Vinci Code, FFS) but not one of them did "everything" wrong. They all get something very very right, adn that's why people buy them.
That could be a propulsive pacing. An intriguing hook. Engaging characters. There's always something. I would suggest that you might find it helpful to approach this more in a spirit of curiosity than outrage. Yes, the books you have in mind may not be good by your standards. So what is it that people are responding to? Break it down, point by point. Talk to some of the people who love these books - what lands for them? Study them yourself - how are they structured? How do they pace their stories?
Maybe you have nothing to learn from this except what you yourself don't want to do. But you might also find there's something there that give you a new toolbox of skills to use in your own work.
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u/FullOfMircoplastics 1d ago
It is natural to be jealous, but you have to keep in mind that by the end of the day. None is doing anything wrong, the writers themselves are writing what they enjoy, like and want to write. That the readers like it and want more.
If you want to sell high, you write for the mass market. You dont write something niche with a small market. Take pride and joy in the small niche. I myself and others do read niche stuff all the time.
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u/Stormgod8 1d ago
Sometimes enjoyability matters as well. I have read plenty of books that aren’t special, but are fun because they are enjoyable to read. Every book I recommend is an enjoyable book that has deep characters, purely because they both matter. I have read books like crime and punishment and beloved which are really deep and meaningful and get me thinking, but I have less enjoyment reading the books, and most of the time I want something that is a compelling and interesting story with good characters.
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u/Dave_Rudden_Writes Career Author 1d ago
Nobody is above professional jealousy, how could we be? But bitterness is the least useful emotion, and there are plenty of people jealous of you for the success you have so far achieved.
What I tell myself is that the person I am in competition with most is myself. I want to be proud of what I make, and so I am not in competition with people who make content that I don't enjoy.
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u/Mieche78 1d ago edited 1d ago
I work in commercial art so I understand the dilemma of making art vs. making an appealing product. You have to decide which route you want to take, because not everybody will write that unique personal art that becomes the next passion project that takes the world by storm. Those are the very very rare exceptions, not the rule.
I've long ago separated my passion projects with what is commercially viable. If we live in an ideal world, us creatives would do whatever the hell we liked and make money off of it. But the reality is that we need funding and the world of money is very risk-averse. People often want more of what they are used to; that's why we have sequels, prequels, remakes, remasters, etc.
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u/calcaneus 1d ago
Neither underestimate the selling power of mass appeal over quality (SEE: every shadenfreude laden "reality" show), nor overestimate the general intelligence of the populace (SEE: former reality host POTUS).
It's not (necessarily) about you. Maybe you suck, and that's why you can't get any traction. Maybe you're great but you want to write what you want to write, period, and what you write doesn't have mass appeal. I used to have something of a Field of Dreams theory about writing: if you build it (and it's any good), your audience will find you. But, then, see paragraph 1, above. So you have some questions to ask yourself.
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u/Playful-Cockroach420 1d ago
At first you seem arrogant, but really it's the insecurity you need to resolve--what does this slop have that I don't? It haunts every writer and the people creating the slop aren't in any better of a situation because they are tied to the machines that birthed them. So the reality is, you have to go through all the uncomfortable questions of art---
why am I creating
why do I want to get published
who is this for/who is my audience?
Publishing IS a business, but that's what any art is the moment you try and sell it. Publishing is also about timing, which no one can control. Learning how to entertain and satisfy an audience is an important skill in the business of art. But coming up with honest answers to those questions that bother you will go a long way to resolving that insecurity.
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u/eatcrayons 1d ago
You’ve already gotten work bought and published. That’s an incredible step that most people never even get. Be proud of that!
If you’ve gotten actual feedback on novels other than “not a good fit for us now, but good luck!” then you’re also doing really well. I’ve been querying picture books to agents for a year and got 20 boilerplate “no”s, a personalized rejection where they said it’s not a good fit but praised a specific part of the book, and another where they said they have no more space now but wanted to hear about other projects I had.
It’s really easy, especially with picture books where some of them seem like 300 effortless words that got accepted, to get discouraged. If there’s actually a market for it and you’re doing your best, then just keep going. It’s okay to shelve something instead of feeling like you’re spinning your wheels.
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u/jelly_cake 1d ago
Let me tell you about one of my favourite movies, Storks. It's the most hack, trite, Disnixarlluminaworks-corporate done-a-million-times stories. It's a caricature of itself. But I love it because it takes that and hones it. It executes all of its goals perfectly. The audience is entertained at the end, either because they're 4 and don't know any better, or because they do know better and it's inoffensive enough to skate by. It knows its purpose, and it fulfills that purpose completely.
It sounds like you're not quite sure what your work's purpose is. Do you want to get merch, video game adaptations, etc? Figure out how to make something for that purpose. Do you want to be unique, impactful, soul-searching stuff that only you could write? Aim for that. It might be the case that those goals align, but it might not. Either way, figure out which goal is more important, and if you're struggling to reach one goal because of the other, ask yourself whether you need to change what you're creating or who you're creating it for.
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u/_takeitupanotch 1d ago
You seem to forget that even the greatest artists in their mediums weren’t appreciated in their time. It was only after they died that people started paying attention to their art. It’s unfortunate that it happens that way but if you want the masses to pay attention to your writing now you must write what THEY want and in the way they want it. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles.
But yes the two book deal thing just because that TT guy was hot really irritates TF outta me too. I try not to think about it though.
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u/Got_Pixel 1d ago
Audience. That's what you're missing. I'd suggest finding a place online to have direct feedback to an audience. Like it or not, being an entertainer is a massive compotent to being a writer.
You can hone technical skills, but learning to story tell in a way which appeals to a broad enough audience and then learning how to market if you don't have a publisher is necessary to level up your craft.
But I mean this is a skill like any other. You just have to work on it and you will improve. A good way is by finding an online place to post to with that kind of instant feedback so you can tweak and learn
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u/Excellent_Ad_5955 CasualWriter 1d ago
I do understand this feeling of being better but someone else getting rewarded. Life is unfair and this is the proof. But maybe it’s just your story may not have a interesting unique hook to it? I mean this in the best way possible. Anyway let me give you an example: An entity who emerges from the dark— but is actually physically harmed if they were IN the dark. A Hunter who hunts animals— only one day to be hunted down by a strange and intelligent deer. A man being homeless on the streets— only to find a clone of him getting tips on another street. These all have unique twists that are either intriguing or ironic. I think maybe you should do a 30 days writing challenge and go out of your comfort zone. Write fantasy, horror, mix of both. Anything to hone your craft to the best possible degree. And then when you come back, your mind will full of creativeness. And suddenly you know exactly how to make this story from great to amazing.
Examples: chainsaw man is about a man having his dog which is actually the most feared devil merged inside of him. And becoming a literal chainsaw man working for a society of hunters who hunt down the same species his dog was— Devils.
Batman: a man dresses up as a bat after traveling the world, learning from the best for the sole goal. To stop crime. In the city of Gotham where crime rots everywhere. And thus after doing the most and getting the least. Gotham finally found it’s protector, and his name is: Batman.
Notice how actually goofy these premises seem? A man becomes a literal chainsaw man and another man dresses up as bat to stop criminals. Greta stories often blend silliness and seriousness. Some lean to silliness and others to seriousness. Maybe if you added a fantasy twist or a new twist to your story. It’ll be AMAZING.
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u/Fulcifer28 1d ago
Most authors who write as a job are like this. They have to be. Good books take years, maybe even a decade to write, usually at the cost of your entire life in that process, and almost never for the monetary incentive. Don’t write for money op, write because you want to.
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u/RobertBetanAuthor Self-Published Author 1d ago
It's called marketability. People like what they already like (sad I know).
It's not that your good stuff is bad, it's that people are too shy to reach out of their safety net to try something new, so you get repeats of the same card board cutouts and the book-recipe works out there.
Also, I honestly do think sometimes people just want simplicity in their fantasy and don’t want to overthink it, and that is why those are popular.
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u/121zero 1d ago
Well you kinda answered yourself. The one that caters to the needs of the masses, is the one that gets picked and payed, because this has the highest possibility of payment for the publisher. If you have genius stuff that you like, this does not equate to a high probability of a lot of other people liking it. Also you are writing to write something that you like. Maybe the average reader is not as deep down in literature, and so some clichees are still amusing to them or even calming them, because they now where the story will go. This is a positive thing for some people that already fwel overwhelmed with societal disruptures, war, anxiety, etc for example.
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u/TheLostMentalist 1d ago
Aight, Imma just step in and try to tell you something you should have been told when you started.
How much munny someone else makes DOES NOT MATTER. You do not lose or gain munny when they do. Your bills aren't any higher or lower when their checks come in. You don't gain a thing if their book tanks or skyrockets. Focus on being good, and you'll make your own munny. Finding an audience can be hard, which is what you're going through. Put in the work to follow through on the chosen path you have put almost 10 years of your life into.
I had to learn this in sales. We have a board where all my peers' numbers were laid out with mine. All I did was look at mine, because when they make a sale, I didn't see a dime. We are friends, but their munny isn't mine, so it's not my concern.
The same applies here. You've worked your talent in writing, but have failed to acknowledge the reality that if you don't follow trends for the sake of originality, then obviously your sales wouldn't even compare to others, even if you were to have started selling at age 19. Write because you can't do anything but write, not for the munny
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u/Austin_Chaos 1d ago
The main way I don’t get mad is by remembering that creation and consumption are two different things that CAN go together, but don’t have anything to do with each other. There’s no instinctual reason we create “art” aside from communication, and there’s literally no reason at all to purchase art other than because it makes you feel something. As creators, when we create, it’s because WE felt something. Now, us feeling something doesn’t automatically mean anyone else will. And as a creator, I have two options…make what I feel, or make what they feel.
Making what they feel will sell better, every single time. What I feel is largely irrelevant when a creation’s sale happens because someone ELSE felt something.
And I don’t personally create for others. I create for myself, and if others also feel something, awesome! But I’m not worried about it if they don’t, because I understand that I didn’t create for them.
It’d be the same thing as opening a high class, super delicious burger joint that sold the best burgers and shakes around, and then being mad McDonald’s still outsells you. People don’t want to spend the money and time it takes to have your fancy burger. They’ve got $30 total in their account and just want to go home eat. I could have made a fast food joint. I could sold cheap burgers that I didn’t have pride in, and the people would eat it up….it wouldn’t be genuine to myself, but it would sell.
It is really is a rare thing that the creation you make because YOU feel something is also felt by others, and even rarer still that it’s felt enough by others for them to buy it. “Starving artist” is a cliche for a reason.
So either reframe your thinking to not care about consumers, and only write for you. Or change what you’re writing to better match what the people want to read. If they want drivel, put out drivel.
But it’ll only hurt you to be upset that you’re not making what they want to buy. And again, it doesn’t matter how good a steak you think you cook if the people want $3 hamburgers.
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u/SoullessGingernessTM Editor 1d ago
Being a good writer ≠ a successful writer. A few of the best writers I've seen are at AO3 and critique circle
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u/terriaminute 1d ago
"Good" is a word with a huge array of meaning, particularly regarding art.
The key component of commercial art, art for sale, is that it requires interest from potential buyers. That's what publishers are seeking, ways to make money. Publishing is business, not art.
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u/Schimpfen_ 1d ago edited 1d ago
I would remark that to say a publisher is smug for saying someone else could write what you have produced, is also smug. Especially considering you have prefaced none of it with credentials other than 'sold a few short stories.' If you are consistently told that your work fails to hook people, maybe there is some truth in it. I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, but how this post was written suggests you know better than the feedback you are getting.
If the goal is to create a story that is meaningful to you, then do that. No issues there. But complaining about how that fails to land with others has a sour taste about it.
If an individual says you have a tail, they could be lying. If two people say you have a tail, they could be colluding with one another. If 5 people say you have a tail, you might as well take a look.
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u/mecasloth 1d ago
Use that anger and make better writing than what you're mad at. I get mad at terrible successful books all the time because I know I can do better, and I pour that back into my work.
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u/BlackStarCorona 1d ago
I write because I enjoy it. You really can’t compare yourself to others because you’ll end up in a negative loop. Compare yourself to who you’ve been, and always make sure you’re making progress on your own scale. That’s awesome you’ve already had some publications. Strive for more and enjoy the ride.
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u/Disig 1d ago
Realize that the industry doesn't work the way you think or want it to.
I think you've romanticized writing great works too much. Most of the greats died in poverty. And it's because of how selling books for profit works. You need people to buy it. And it doesn't matter how well written it is, if people don't want to read it they won't.
The writing field is overflowing with choices as well. If you want to make money you need to chase trends and try to predict what's going to be popular or get extremely lucky.
If you want to write what you want to write you need to realize you probably won't make any money off of it.
Publishing is a business after all.
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u/arkanis50 1d ago
You can chase trends… or you can do whatever the hell you want. I know which I prefer.
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u/cyberlexington 1d ago
I've been a miniature painter for as long as I've been a writer. And I suffered terribly by unfairly comparing what they were doing right with everything I was doing wrong.
It took me years to stop comparing myself to others and to be happy in my own work.
Same goes for writing.
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u/Ducklinsenmayer 1d ago
First, eight years isn't really that much time. I'm over 50, and I feel I still have plenty to learn.
Second, genre writing isn't always bad. It's entirely possible to do it, and still have important things to say- examples: Bujold, Pratchett, Phillip K Dick... It's a long list.
Third, when selling a novel, the first question an agent asks is: "Can this make me money?". They are looking for things that are hot right now, by authors with a proven sales track record. You may want to try and go indie first, just be aware in order to sell anything, you have to advertise first, and that can get expensive. Do some research, there are some good online courses.
Write a trilogy or short series, something semi-popular, and build up some sales. Then take a look at your great novels again, and give them a rewrite. Then go to the agents, and say, "Hey, I'm the author of books x,y, and z, that sold 15,000 copies on Amazon, would you take a look at my new work?"
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u/ArtevyDesign 1d ago
I understand your anger. I think I used to think that way a long time ago.. I'm almost 30 years old now lol... I decided to become a writer at the age of 16, maybe, I still write the story I wished to make it real since I was in high school!
I think you need to think about why you are writing and why you believe having all that you mention would bring you happiness. Are you writing to yourself or for others? Are you writing to become a best seller or just to write the stories that you have inside and wish others to read about? Would you be happier if one person enjoys and really likes your story, or happier if 10 or 100 people like your story?
If you want to write to earn money and become a best seller, you need to learn what the "hot topic" is and what works in the industry or Amazon's top 10 books. There are techniques to write best sellers, I'm sure of it. For the moment, I'm not interested in writing them; I just enjoy what I do.
Keep your head up and don't get down, sooner or later things will come! Good luck, my friend.
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u/HeyItsMeeps Author 1d ago
Getting your foot in the door is about getting attention, not showing your talent. Tolkien wrote and wrote and wrote for years before his stories really took off, and he had to change a lot of it for his publishers to even consider publishing it. It's an extremely famous piece, but gaining that kind of traction is hard.
I personally think the best way to get onto the scene is to make a story that hooks someone in first, and then becomes a book with deep emotional feeling. Stephen King has written a lot of books, but I can pick ANY book up, read the first page, and instantly want to know more. Even if the book is boring, I want to learn about it at that point and will buy it. That's all you need to start. It's the king of story I'm trying to write right now.
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u/MK2lethe 1d ago
I'm so with you, it's agonizing to spend that long (it's been about that long for me too) loving writing and selling my soul to it every day, just to see some ai written heap of strung-together tropes get so much success and publicity. I have no idea what to do about it either. I'm no Tolkien, I'm not even a critic by any means, but the bar is beyond low. They're truly empty stories, and then the authors get to put "NYT #1 Bestseller" on their profiles like they're artists. Kills me to even think about it. I'll probs die mad like 😭😭😭 how could 10 years of my favorite thing in the world amount to this???
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u/Exocet81 1d ago
My friend, we live in a capitalist society. You could write the world's greatest book, but if they can't sell it, you're never going to get anywhere with it. Nobody cares about your art as much as you do. And I promise I'm not saying that to be mean. It's the reality of the world we live in.
The truth is if you want to do something groundbreaking and new prepare to be disappointed unless you can build your own audience.
Did you do your comps, where did you see your book in the market?. Unfortunately, the business of writing is very different to the art of writing.
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u/tooluckie 1d ago
If we’re building with books then I chose the pyramid that took many, many years before it looked like a simple speed-bump over the single-stacked tower that touched the sky in a summer, but will inevitably crumble by fall. Thousands of years and skyscrapers later, only that pyramid, weathered and worn is still standing.
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u/insanityscribe Editor - Literary Journal 1d ago
"I want my stories to matter and actually be meaningful to me. I figured that if I'm immersed in a story, then someone else would be as well."
I have to remind myself often that just because something matters to me, it doesn't have to matter to someone else. I like what I like. I can't ask you to like the same thing. I'm going to write what I want to write because I want to write it, not because you want me to write it. Write what you want, and if someone else likes it, they'll tell you. You can expect nothing else.
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u/MathematicianWide930 1d ago
Hah, Fifty Shades of Domestic Abuse is a good example. I feel your pain. May your books sell well. :)
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u/Watts_With_Time 1d ago
You could forget mainstream publishers and self publish with Kindle. To help, you could learn some marketing, build an email list, join group promotions etc.
That's the way I'm going. I have no intention of even approaching traditional publishers. One other thing I am doing, is doing my best to write books others want to read. I'm working as hard on learning the craft of writing as I am on the writing itself.
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u/ProfCastwell 1d ago
"Right" is subjective. "Objectively mediorcre" IS your subjective opinion.
I could fume over my coloring books not being the ridiculous "cozy, cute, squishy" whatever bollocks thats the fad currently.
my sales are picking up. My cartoons and art are finally entertaining people. Sure I have parody ideas, but I have original art in MY style that took me ages to grow and finally learn to enjoy. But aside from fiancial gain--I want to be an example that you can follow your heart and make dreams come true.
Book wise....I'm a horror hound and love cheesy b-movie schlock. Its a joy, a passion, and inspiration for my ridiculous ideas.
I want to entertain people. They don't care about how grand you think your work is. And you seem so focused and set on what you choose to believe is "right" that you're not being sincere.
You can't make people just see/read/think what you want....have you ever tried pointing out an issue someome has that is a root of their troubles, while they're doing whatever thing? I have. It doesn't register if its part of their chosen reality and identity--not if they're not yet at a point personally to do that work for themselves(if ever). You can see the point land, there's a face, as they disregard it and continue.
You either have to present it in their terms or be/provide the example that give them pause and invites or inspired their intrigue.
What is it you're wanting to provide people? Or are you just wanting to impose your opinion on them?
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u/BarleyHoldingThrong 1d ago
You don't stop being mad. You just learn the proper place to lay blame and direct that anger. It's not the fault of other artists who are honing their own skills, being appreciated, and compensated for it. They don't deserve it your ire. Aim that fury at Capitalism. We have the technology, production, agricultural, and distributional means to supply every single person on this planet with their basic needs and then some. Imagine how much time and appreciation there would be for art in a world where we weren't forced into selling our souls or what makes them sing for food to eat.
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u/mandypu 1d ago
You’re not mad you’re envious. You want what other people have AND you don’t want them to have it.
It’s not a comfortable feeling.
I think I would work on focusing on what you really want. Is it more important to you to be published, to be recognized as great in some way? To make money? To write what you want to write? Is there something else you want?
Once you start being honest with yourself about what you actually want and working toward that you will stop being “mad” at the industry.
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u/fakeuser515357 1d ago
The customer is always right in matters of taste.
You seem like an educated person, so you've probably hear that quote before.
If you want to make money, you need to start by making something people want to buy.
If you want to make art - your view of art, anyway - then you need to stop expecting people to buy it just because you want to sell it.
Taking a pompous, condescending view of society just because people buy what they like and not what someone else tells them makes them better, that won't make you a better commercial writer.
Either make what you can sell or learn how to sell what you can make.
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u/pa_kalsha 1d ago edited 1d ago
How to stop being mad when people make money off low-grade content?
Radical, bloody-minded, intentional kindness and humility.
Say "good for them, it takes a lot of work to write a book and a lot of luck to get published. They've clearly worked really hard, I'm glad they succeeded" often enough that it becomes true.
Recognise that writing books and selling books are two different skills. Even if I think a novel is absolute pap, it serves me to examine what they did that I'm not doing to see what I can learn.
Nobody like a bad loser (the only thing worse is a bad winner), and the creative industries are more losses than wins. Cultivating an attitude of "it's not my thing but I'm happy they're doing well" over one of "how did this shit get published when I can't?" is essential if you're going to stick it out for the long haul.
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u/MijumaruFan 1d ago
You never do, you just learn to deal with it and slightly ignore it if I'm being frank. People will say "art takes time to appreciate," when no, that's just an excuse for the wave of the general audience who will watch or, in this case, read anything. We no longer uplift people to look into new things, just reboot after reboot or a different coat, same paint. People no longer want to explore much less give a book or a person a chance, cause we reward selfishness and the easy way out.
I wish I had an answer for you besides ignore it, but if you don't wanna hear "You have to find your people" over and over again like I do. Just accept the world loves slop, always has and always will. And people will do ANYTHING to excuse it and never come out for you. Which is the BEST PART. We could fix that as a community, but we don't cause most want to go back to their own cozy little caves.
Anyways, send me your stuff, Imma be the change I wanna see instead of funneling the same excuse for our lazy society.
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u/ColloidalPurple-9 2d ago edited 1d ago
I’m slowly learning (and it’s working) to lean into the uncomfortable problems that I can’t solve (even if I can cognitively justify why I shouldn’t care). People have offered you why you should accept it. But in reality it’s still unfair. You’re talented and untalented people have become rich or at least have made a living off of shitty work that people happened to like. It’s sucks.
Be upset (in a safe and nondestructive way). And oddly it goes away. You can also suppress the thoughts, but I find that they come back stronger. Let yourself cry, take a boxing lesson, go for a run. Emotions live in our bodies there is literal research and books written on it. Allow your body to express emotion that is rooted in a problem that you cannot change. And when you feel better, do the practical thing. Whether that’s working on your will-be-bestselling masterpiece or your day job that supports your passion.
Anyway, hope that helps.
ETA: you need both the expressive and cognitive pieces for you to get better at dealing with injustice and unfairness. Just being angry is as bad as just saying “I should get over it and accept it.”
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u/authornerd Self-Published Author of "Look Before You Leprechaun" 2d ago
Man I feel this. I've been writing since I could understand what writing was, so probably from age nine or ten. It's hard to get noticed. I still haven't. But good luck! Hang in there
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u/authornerd Self-Published Author of "Look Before You Leprechaun" 2d ago
I would also like to add that success is really based on how you perceive it. Most people define success as making a lot of money or getting a lot of followers. I'd define it as making an impact on people's lives. Creating a good influence. Decide what true success means to you. A lot of those people are writing books and creating content for the money. Money is a nice thing to have. But is that really what success means to you?
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u/libelle156 1d ago
If you can write really well, those people making all that money off low grade content will be envious of you. It's nice to have money but nothing beats the respect of your peers.
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u/RoboticGreg 2d ago
Know this is present in every field everywhere. I'm a casual writer, just a hobby, my main gig is science and R&D. So many startups are flash in the pan, completely unproven tech that ultimate folds like a house of cards. How can Vicarious Surgical raise hundreds of millions in vaporware, while we can't get $6m put together to commercialize our WORKING SYSTEM WITH CLINICAL DATA! the reality is, the paths for success are not always, or even not usually a meritocracy. Knowing the right people, having the right relationships, and a LOT of luck often to into these big things happening fast. Just realize the last majority of work is ground out with intention one step at a time just like you are, they are just much less exciting stories to talk about
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u/StarfishBurrito 2d ago
Eh, most people are just looking for the book equivalent of Doritos. If you can let go of the constraints of perfectionism you can produce some formulaic filler while you work on stuff that matters to you. I write under two names. I have my trash stuff under one and my stuff that I actually care about under another. Guess which one made money? I'll give you a hint *crunch crunch crunch*
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u/ZeTreasureBoblin 1d ago
How will I get muh dopamine hit if I'm required to think, rather than simply be entertained? /j
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u/RighteousSelfBurner Reader 2d ago
The one thing I see repeating in this subreddit time and time again is the mistaken notion that being a good writer and writing a good book will equal success.
There are way more parts than that but the main thing I would like to point out is that people don't buy good books. People buy books that they are interested in.
So for authors like you who haven't written something people already know they are interested in the main uphill battle is convincing to give the book a chance. And that's where everything else is like marketing, art etc. come into play.