Opportunities and Updates

A few years ago, just when ebooks were becoming popular and book stores were closing in droves, people talked about the difficulties of writing and making a living. The opportunities were drying up. Things were changing and it didn’t look good.

Fast forward those few years and, it seems to me that there has been an explosion in opportunities for writers. As long as you are willing to cut your own path that is.

While traditional publishing is still viable (at least I hope so when my book is ready), there are many other options. E-publishing has grown exponentially as well as self-publishing. Each of these paths comes with their own strengths and weaknesses.

The message I have been hearing over and over is that each writer must be prepared to be their own salesperson. Regardless of the chosen path, if you want your words to sell, it is up to you.

There is help for this. Writing blogs and social media are a huge help as well as just getting out there and meeting people face to face. Community has probably never been more important than it is right now. The networking opportunities within different groups both online and off are a goldmine for getting the word out about your work.

It is not longer just about the writing. Competition is fierce and yet, here I am, writing. I’m grateful to be here at this time. It is exciting to see where this world of writing is going. As long as I am willing to work for it, my success depends on me.

How do you see the opportunities for success in writing today?

Update

I am just past the second full week of my dual challenge and I have to say, I am doing well.

The blogging challenge has been eye-opening and fun. I’m pleasantly surprised by the fact that I’ve been able to keep up. Its been fun coming up with different ideas for each day. Note to self: plan a theme next year and think of these things ahead of time. I have discovered it is a bit of pressure if I don’t have an idea and I need to get things done for posting.

Camp NaNoWriMo is still going, though not as strongly as before. This has been a slow week though I am nearly three-quarters of the way to my goal. Between work and my “regular” life, it has been difficult to find the energy to write. I’m still on track to complete the challenge, though I’d hoped that I would have gotten more of my novel done. We’ll see how the end of the month works out.