To Begin…
So, says the voice in my head, you're writing a blog...
Why?
Substack is not lacking in words about wordsmithing. Some are even making money at it. I do not begrudge their income.
As a cisgender White male of some antiquity, though, I wonder why so many are publicly pondering market strategy and craft rather than applying these skills to creating the art itself.
As a student of historical truth engaged in historical fiction, I recall that when the gold rush fever hit California and the Yukon it was not so much the prospectors who profited as the provisioners who sold the shovels. As a former business owner, kudos to them for assessing the market and getting their logistics right.
I'm a bit late to the literary party, with several decades of writing and a lot of deeply edited manuscripts but only about nine years of addressing the business end of the authorship game. I had a legal technology blog that ran for about twelve years, which gave me experience in dealing a dry and detailed subject through (I hoped) entertaining prose.
So why should you read this blog? I'm not an agent, nor an editor (at least not any more). I'm not agented at the moment, still looking to publish one of several manuscripts via the query mill.
Here's my commitment:
- Plain talk about the business as you and I encounter it, tips, questions and warnings included.
- An open ear for discussion.
- Perspectives on applying business tools and disciplines to the querying blender.
- A fun read (because attention spans and digital feeds at firehose volumes require no less).
As a bonus, over the past few years I’ve graduated from open mic singer / songwriter / guitar player to occasional gigging musician. If you’re in Staten Island this summer, keep your eyes open for a production of A GOOD MAN, a story in songs I’ve co-written and performed with Chris Kitlan Burns. So I’ll talk about stepping up to a microphone in a spotlight in various situations as well.
I also find myself in charge of a morning stretch class at my local Y, seeing to the physical well-being of a wonderful group of people. So let’s not dwell here on what has or hasn’t happened; we’ll focus on what’s happening now, and what’s to come.
And always, always keep on.
Andy
