I don’t keep precise statistics on how many queries I receive each year, but it sure seems like there are more of them every week. I’m at 16,600+ e-mails sent this year, and the vast majority of those are responses to queries. Just about every stranger I meet who finds out what I do for a living has a book they want to talk about. Writers are filling chat rooms and discussion boards, discussing their work and trying to get a leg up.
Is it just me or are there more writers out there than ever before?
And if you agree with the premise that there are more people writing (me = guilty as well)…. why do you suppose that is? What’s behind it? I mean, it sure doesn’t seem like there are vastly more people reading books than before, and it’s never been more difficult to find a traditional publisher.
Is it the meteoric success of prominent authors hitting pay dirt? Is it the economy? Is it a cultural moment, kind of how everyone learned how to Swing dance in the 90s? Is it the Internet and computers and the new transparency of the publishing industry, where it’s easy to figure out who to query and who publishes what? Is it the self-publishing boom?
Very curious to see the responses.
Anonymous says
Misconception "People getting famous off yourube."
No one has gotten famous off youtube to the point of maing $, unless they wre already famous in the first place.
Michelle says
Lovin' all the insights beyond my own.
Personally, I kept a blog during my international adoption process and enjoyed the encouragement of others in my comment section.
When my daughter came home, I embraced what had become therapy to me. Ana wakes up every night screaming in terror. Usually I grab a book when she’s left me wide awake, but one night I (gasp) wasn’t in the mood to reread anything(truly shocking) and I picked up a spiral and pen. I finished my first 77,000 word rough draft ten days later. I think writing is an amazing outlet in times of stress. (Little known secret: my hair stopped falling out when I started writing!) All that being said, I have never sent out a single query and don’t know that I ever will- so as far as Nathan’s question for discussion, that makes me full of bunk doesn’t it? But, I wonder how many bloggers found they had a voice others enjoyed and that led them to Nathan’s inbox.
Colette says
I would suggest that it's not just books… there's more data and more information out there than ever before. In the IT industry we talk about it as information explosion. The tools help. And it's easier to do research than ever before.
Mira says
Nathan,
Thanks.
And that makes sense about the blog. Starting the blog was a good thing. 🙂
But not an angel of death. Just a door closing. People will find the right door for them.
Anonymous says
anon@ 1:41
Yes they have. Singers and comedians have both been discovered that way.
Marilyn Peake says
Moira Young said:
"And then there's the culture of the individual. I forget who pointed this out, but: everyone has a story to tell … but not everyone is a storyteller. And not everyone knows the difference."
That’s a really interesting idea. I’ve heard a number of public figures refer to Twitter as being a kind of poetry. I resisted Twitter for a while, thinking how is anything intelligible ever going to be shared in 140 characters or less? But I discovered something interesting. Twitter does seem to be an art form, a kind of poetic humming from the never-sleeping virtual hive mind. There’s a kind of rhythm to it. Taken as a whole, it’s like a novel: incredible insights, political statements, excerpts from literature, links to all sorts of things, all swirling about with observations and delicacies from everyday life, tweets like, "I had blueberry muffins for breakfast. Warm with melted butter. Yummm … Now, to make coffee."
Anonymous says
every institution that formerly relied on itself as being a point source of information dissemination (i.e. Publishing, Academia, Music, Hollywood), is now under pressure from the techni-revolution which allows ordinary citizens to research, produce and distribute their own work, whatever that may be.
Universities may no longer be needed in a few more decades. everything is online. In fact, simply "knowing" things is rapidly becoming immaterial. it's DOING things that matters now. What does it do? What do you do?
Anonymous says
Yes they have. Singers and comedians have both been discovered that way.
disagree.
Nick F. says
Interesting point Michelle. I suppose there probably are other people out there who write when they're stressed. Never occurred to me because, personally, I can never write if I'm not totally relaxed. Otherwise it feels forced and very very wrong and I scrap it and get angry at myself for writing something as abysmal as that. It's pretty much why I can only write in the early morning. My favorite time of day coupled with being left alone = ability to write. As the day winds on, I have school, work around home, friends and family and all sorts of other problems that get me all wound up and then I just collapse here on my sofa and say "Enough. I'm going to watch TV. Don't bother me unless you're on fire." Stress and I are like bile and chocolate milkshakes. Not a good combo.
Anonymous says
All this is jsut talk, though, Right now there are millions of books on the shelves and thousands of people walking into B&N in a mall somewhere to buy them. Debut authors make their first sale everday, and the unwashed masses get rejected every day.
[talking heads} Same as it ever was….same as it ever was….
Anonymous says
It's hard to say that more books are being written today than, say, 10 years ago. I mean, how would you know? It depends 1) on how you define "book". 2) Does it have to be published (and what's "published"?) or just have to be a certain length (what length)? 3) Who are "people"? Americans? Anyone? Published authors, unpublished writers? the above-mentioned computer program that auto-creates books?
The question is unanswerable without these defining parameters.
Steph Damore says
Not sure. It was always my game plan.
Crystal says
I would add the gradual increase of our overall education in the country. More college grads = more people who can string together a sentence. Usually.
Anonymous says
The newest fad is the "voice novel" where people just verbalize into a recording device and upload it as an mp3. that way you don't even have to write. I suppose you could also use a voice-to-text program that will simultaneously convert it to text for you, but that's optional.
Sandra says
I agree with everyone who said technology.
I wouldn't try writing a book, or even a longish short story, either longhand or on a typewriter. I never wrote anything but poems until we had our first computer.
I like the ease of correcting. I like being able to move whole chunks around without having to rewrite (type) everything.
We need to take a moment now and then to thank all the authors in the past who did it all by hand.
Anonymous says
I think more people are trying to sell novels these days, but that most of them don't stick with it for long once they "get it out of their system" without making a sale, or even those who do make a sale but realize that if they had just worked a minimum wage job for the same # of hrs they spent on the book that they'd have way more money for the time spent.
Most people lose interest fast if there's no $ involved over a prolonged period of time. That's why the slush represents waves of newbs surfing their still-fresh optimism. Most of them fall off the wave and don't paddle back out. A lucky 1 or 2 will get barreled by that wave of optimism and ride it all the way into the shores of advance-paying, offset-printing publication, while an unlucky 1 or 2 will be eaten by sharks while paddling to catch their wave.
whitewitch says
I think it has a lot to do with the major advancement in information technology which is the creation of the internet. Using it, communication and networking are but a click away. Moreover, the information and exchange of ideas has made it easier for burgeoning writers to come up with more marketable ideas and have access to a wider, more open-minded market in the process.
Moira Young says
Now I've read what MzMannerz (and a few others) have said, and I feel like a bit of an ass because I posted before really thinking about the issue.
I completely agree that everyone should be encouraged to write, to express themselves artistically. Hopefully it will lead to the next Great Artist. This is the "wonderful" part I was referring to earlier.
The more I think about it, though, the more I realize that filters are a bad idea, are virtually impossible with art, and could do a lot more harm than good. It's a mixed blessing. Sometimes I feel run down, because getting published is such hard work, made harder by the extra competition. I want there to be an easy solution. But when I take a moment to relax, I know that I would rather have to work harder to be a better writer because there are more of us out there, than be easily published and have no impetus to improve.
JDuncan says
I think it's a combo of the economy prompting people to try writing that book they always wanted, and the continued proliferation of self-pubbing avenues, i.e. kindle, smashwords, scribd, etc. that make it seem far easier than it actually is to find success in this crazy business.
Anonymous says
I vote for technology. When I first started writing (at like 11, early '90s), most of the people I knew didn't have computers. I remember writing one summer on a typewriter I had borrowed from my uncle. Oy vey, all the typing mistakes! Now, so easy!
Of course, I wouldn't discount the runaway book sales of massive hits. I don't remember anything like Harry Potter during my childhood. The closest I remember were the R.L. Stine books and the Babysitter's club and those were no where near as huge hits as Harry Potter or Twilight.
Rogue Novelist says
Everybody has a story to tell or write: While working out at Snap-Fitness yesterday, three people approached me and told me they are writing books, personal self-help books, and that their book will become a "Best Seller".
"So, you're telling me you are writing a book, because?" I said.
"You're a popular local author, and I thought you'd have advise for me about getting my book published."
To each one I simply replied, "Write your book first then we'll discuss publishing options."
Everybody has a story to tell, or write, and they are declaring what they are doing. But will the novels actually get written?
Anonymous says
I think it's generational. Everyone under 40 has a computer and knows how to type (home row, not hunt and peck) so they have the means, whereas everyone over 45 didn't have a keyboard or the skill at the same point in their lives…the angst-riddled 20's when everyone wants to tell their story.
Nathan Bransford says
anon-
Ha, actually I'm getting a lot more angst books from over-50 set than from writers in their 20s.
terryd says
There are 6-point-something billion humans on Earth. The largest demographic in world history has entered its autumn. Enterprising young men and women are looking for ways to stand out from the crowd. At the same time, our technology has enabled instant global communication.
Authors are considered by many to be "special" (in a non-short-bus way). And aside from ego inflation and dreams of bestseller-dom, most writers also desire to give of themselves in order to enthrall, educate, illuminate, etc.
Makes sense to me that we have writers under every other rock.
Here's to us!
Anonymous says
If you take away all the vampire novels, are there still so many books being written these days?
here's my vamp idea, free for the taking:
There's this vampire who can only live on type O blood…his dayjob is as a lab technician at a hospital so he has no prob getting the testing equipment…
Sophie says
I think a lot of people are under the impression they can write, and I include myself in that comment, without really understanding just how hard being a published writer is. I'm curious to see just how long this trend will last. I think whenever a new author comes along and makes it big (think sparkly vampires) people assume they can do the same thing. I know I for one, have a much deeper respect for all published writers, and no longer believe it’s easy, or it’s something just anyone can do.
Dawn Maria says
I agree with the thoughts about technology and the Potter/Twilight effect, but I think another factor is the fact that most people believe they can write, because, technically, we all can.
I would never presume to be able to get into the music industry or the fine art scene because I don't have the skills necessary to play an instrument or create a work of art. But writing? Everyone writes, everyday. As medium, it doesn't intimidate the common person and therefore contributes to the "I can write a book too!" trend.
Combine that with the ease of sending email and you have agents with full inboxes. In a way, this circles back to the discussion about whether or not all people can write, if that's a good thing and do you tell those who can't write well the truth?
Anonymous says
Actually, I find it funny that everyone assumes people in their 20's are good with computers. At my work it's always been the opposite. 20-somethings kow how to operate personal ocmputers, but only on the most superficial level. they don't know how to program, they only know 1 platform (mac or pc and never linux or unix), they don't know what the heck to do if the computer doesn't turn on or connect to the net…
Anonymous says
…and because they;re so young they have no conpet of backing up your files, because they've never seen a computer hard rive fail.
Anonymous says
I quite agree, anon 3:03!
it's also comical to me how inefficient they are with their choice of devices. they all carry 3 different gadgets around and are constantly switching earbud sets when they have to answer the phone or hear the iPod…if they knew what they were doing they would have 1 device that meets their needs–at the very most, 2. But some of them have a laptop AND an iPod AND a cell phone…quite ridiculous!
Anonymous says
I've been writing on a PC since 1985. Early adopter, I guess.
Wordstar, anyone?!
I'm 41 now.
wendy says
I've always noticed that more people think they have writing skills than any other. However, I've also noticed that those who love writing are far better at it than those who are more interested in art, music or whatever. I'm also on art, design and music lists and I see a huge difference in the quality of writing posts on writing blogs or lists than those on other lists.
But nearly everyone thinks they have a book in them, and perhaps they have. I wonder what are the common demoninators of the most successful stories that resonate with everyone?
Anonymous says
It's gotta be the Internet because that's when I noticed that editors really started complaining about the volume of unsolicited submissions. All the writers' blogs and NaNoWriMo (did I get that right?) and agents' blogs inspired every English major to write fiction. The non-English majors got writing degrees from minimum-residence writing schools and wrote fiction as well. Made it hard on those writers who got the call (vocation) before these glamor days because more and more houses stopped accepting non-agented manuscripts. The children's and YA markets got tougher since the adult fiction writers and adult film screenwriters saw it as a more lucrative market and switched. Agents get dazzled by their publishing credits and the struggling talented writers who were there first in these markets are passed over. But there are agents and editors who make the right choices and pick future Newbery winners.
Jen P says
I agree with many of the practical and statistical comments regarding baby boomers and Internet accessibility which makes it easier to "come out" as a writer and query by email.
However, I feel there is also an ever increasing trend which encourages the idea that anyone can achieve fame, glory and riches without the application of education, skills and hard work through TV such as the X Factor, Britain's got Talent, and all the singing / dating/ reality shows. And the idealistic dream of "becoming a published author" with fame, glory and riches is one aspect of being an author which certainly appeals to some unpublished writers.
So I agree with Ted's comment, the
thinking that if "Stephenie Meyer (J.K. Rowling, Dan Brown) can do it without slaving away for years in the academic trenches, why can't I?" has become generally acceptable rather than seeming naive and arrogant.
Anonymous says
What do the "academic trenches" have to do with it?
Academic writing is totally different from commercial fiction.
mrmurph says
I walk into Barnes & Noble or Borders, and see so many interesting titles. Perhaps the publishing industry is experiencing a downturn, but people still love to read good stories. Many of these folks want to share the pleasure with others, and writing is an extension of that desire.
Backfence says
My theory?
Baby Boomers.
Based solely on my own experience as part of the baby boomer generation, I suddenly find myself for the 1st time with the luxury of time for myself. I always loved writing, but was too busy raising and chauffeuring kids, holding down a full-time job, and caring for elderly parents to even THINK of writing more than a journal.
Then, my nest emptied and there was suddenly room for ME! Wish I could have started sooner – the love was always there.
I agree that computers and self-publishing have probably contributed to the influx of writers also.
Carol B
Anonymous says
The jaded cynic's response is: This is the age of ME. So naturally, all those Tweeters and Facebookers think that of COURSE they are brilliant and should write a book, because naturally everyone will want to read it. The sad part is, so few seem ever to have READ a book…
Anna L. Walls says
192 comments – WOW I think it's because of the ease computers make writing and the access to the 'how tos' out there. couple that with the new e-readers and its a recipe for tons of writing. I'm guilty too. Wanna read mine? Hehe Muahaha.
Anna
Carolyn B says
I wrote for years before anyone outside my immediate family knew it. I bought stamps and envelopes, made terrible carbon paper copies, retyped for new submissions, made hopeful, disappointing trips to the post office, and never even MET another writer until I was nearly thirty. It was hard and lonely.
Now it's a piece of cake. I can do research online, send off my work without spending a penny or leaving my chair, AND get instant feedback from other writers all over the world. No wonder everybody's doing it.
Pam says
Technology combined with the I-want-to-be-a-bigdog-without-any-headaches mentality that is growing ever more prevalent. I wish that all literary agents would require queries to be submitted via snail mail, accompanied by a detailed synopsis and three chapters — Chapter one, a chapter from the middle of the book, and the final chapter. This would cut down on the ridiculous amount of email submissions through which agents wade (which I suspect many are simply fishing expeditions for a not-yet-written book) and possibly would result in more wonderful writers/novels being discovered.
Anonymous says
Part of it is that people are realizng that a job is just a job–it's not that much different from the primitive hunter-gatherer way of life where every day you have to go out and find whatever you need to eat, drink and live on. Today, most people need to go off to work every day to be able to get what they need. Tt's primitive.
And with the rise of reality TV and the web, more people are watching how other people found a way not to have to be primitive hunter gatherers–that is, to do something once that will generate income for a long time, such as a book or tv deal. I think for a long time kids were told that success = going to school and then getting a job, as if that's the best you could ever do. But in reality it is possible to do better than that, even if it is unlikely. But selling books is one possible way. A book can bring in income long after it's created, unlike a job where if you stop doing the work, you stop getting the checks. That may be why people are attracted to it. Cuz there's only really 3 classes of peeps in thius world:
1) the underclasses: these are your 3rd world poverty-stricken masses, your American bums and those otherwise unable or unwilling to care for themselves who cannot or will not hold down a job even though they have no other income
2) your bread-and-butter workers: those who hold down jobs that provice for themselves and their families, whether blue colalr, white collar, whatever. the point is they have to work, and they do work.
3) Those who do not need to work to get what they want/need: these types have found a way to provide for themselves without having to be hunter-gatherers, either thru retirement, inheritence, crime, or maybe they sold an invention idea, a novel, a hit song, or played in the NFL for 6 seasons. Whatever they did, it worked and now they can afford to basically do whatever they want as long as it's legal.
So the book writing thing fits into that broad class-struggle scenario. Most of us are 2) and will always be 2), but the books sort of represent a lottery ticket to 3).
The Spirit Guide says
I would have to say writing a book is a spiritual endeavor. Leaving a small piece of immortality after you're gone.
In a highly advanced technological society overrun with economic woes, depression and feelings of low self worth, we all want to leave an imprint of ourselves.
To leave just a moment of inspiration.
We all just want to leave our mark, now more than ever. 😀
Jacqui says
Mega-selling first-time authors are a draw in this stinky economy. Reality TV shows means the average Joe can be a star. Blogging is huge–anyone can write and be published (and followed…and commented on). There's a ton of information online (thank you, Nathan and Co.) for writers. And word processing (who really uses that term anymore?!) has become so much easier and user friendly.
For me it was the economy, the desire to FINISH some of the writing I'd already begun, and to redefine myself outside of my full-time mommyhood job. Oh, and I got a new Mac. That was the cherry on top…
Anonymous says
Why are so many people writing books? Computers.
I started my first novel at 14. I never got past chapter 2. It took too long to type and revise. I entered it into a computer at 18. Through an accident with my text editor, I lost every "h" in the document. I lost endless hours trying to replace those 'h's. Some of those missing 'h's are still missing decades later.
About the time I had my first child, we moved from text editors to WYSIWYG editors. I wrote my first software manual, which I couldn't have done with a text editor.
Then I took a break to raise children. I am compulsive. If I'm up to my elbows in writing, I'm ignoring my kids.
My kids are leaving me now. I've got two software manuals under my belt, and 5 novels in various stages of editing. With the internet it's possible now to take online writing classes that teach me what the issues are. It's also possible to mail my scene off to Judith Tarr and get mentoring help so I can see specifically what I did wrong this time. Because I can modify a sentence without rewriting or retyping the whole page, it's possible to move forward in a way that wasn't possible without my computer.
Adrianne
Pam says
In addition to my previous comment, I will add that once queries, sample chapters and synopses are examined via snail mail, then agents could request more pages or full manuscripts by electronic submission. But I truly think that this querying process today is leading to the demise of an already dying industry.
Anonymous says
I'd wager that there are a few more people writing books now than prior to, say, 1995, but because of the web you hear about it more than you used to. With web 2.0 you can watch the slush pile be created in real time, whereas with web 1 it was a private thing except for whoever you emailed about it.
Doesn't make much difference though. Technology that makes it easier to disseminate writing just means there will be more bad writing than ever before, and probably the same amount of good writing. The because the ones who are good would have found a way to write no matter the state of the technology, but the bad ones are just in it as long as it's convenient. Ater their book doesn't sell they'll disappear into the blogosphere.
Ginger Simpson says
When I started writing in 2002, there were less than half the author and reader loops that exist now. I don't think the word, Blog had been invented yet. Competition wasn't nearly as keen.
I discovered the world of internet publishing during my lunch hour, and was shocked that venue of publishing existed. I was an avid reader and always love writing anything from business letters to creating new forms. I wrote my first novel purely to prove something to myself, and I was pleased to have it accepted on my first try. But then I was hooked.
I think the INTERNET is the culprit. More and more people are becoming computer savy, and people who love to write are spreading their wings and trying to achieve their dreams.
My final goal in life is to see one of my books in an actual brick and mortar store, but I'm still very proud that I've had eight novels and five novellas accepted and published by small press. Trust me, it was no easy feat. Now all I have to do is strong-arm and agent into believing in me so I can die a happy woman. Writing for me was never about the money, and it's a good thing.
Pamela says
I would say it's related to the overall increase in communication and avenues of communicating. I have been writing for years, but it's only recently that I've started talking with other writers about it. There's more ways of networking and finding out who's who. For others, it may seem like an easy way of making money or getting noticed.
Melinda Mahaffey says
If there really are more writers, it may be due to blogs. I'm not sure that the average person realizes that blogging – which is easy – and writing a book – which is hard – are not the same thing. A lot of people are "writing a book" but many won't ever finish (alas).
As to the queries…how many of these are well-written? When I was a magazine editor, I would get more than 100 a week but maybe only kept one or two. They were generally terrible. So is quality going up for you, or is it just quantity?
Having said all that, maybe it just seems like there are more writers. "Children no longer obey their parents and everyone is writing a book." Or so Cicero said 2,000 years ago…