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I had a second coaching call with a new client yesterday, and I could not help noticing how much fun we were having. Also the time flew by. We were so immersed in what we were discussing that the call just went by in a big whoosh. Fortunately we were still able to get a lot accomplished.
When a writer has a great idea for a “book” and I can help that writer see all of the possibilities available to them from the get-go, instead of the writer feeling like writing a book is the only option, that’s when the conversation gets lively.
Don’t get me wrong. Books are great. But most writers I work with for the first time are not ready for traditional book deals.
The pool of traditional authors is getting smaller and more exclusive. Last time I heard, this group was doing more work for less money. Last I heard, many were dropping out and turning to self-publishing. Let’s not pretend this isn’t happening.
The compromises authors are being asked to make by publishers are getting larger. And new authors are the most vulnerable to saying yes, rather than losing the opportunity. Experts are not talking about this enough, at least not enough for aspiring authors to know what they are getting themselves into before they start dreaming of that ever-elusive book deal.
Unfortunately the book-deal dream is often in writers’ minds already, and there are plenty of folks who will take advantage of this predilection. It was already hard to become a traditional author ten years ago. Today, your chances have diminished considerably.
Furthermore, I do not feel that traditional book deals are right for every writer. For most writers I work with, self-publishing and branching out into other types of projects offer so many more fun, playful, and expansive opportunities. And when you are having fun, it’s easier to attract and keep readers.
When you combine a playful approach with a genuine desire to serve the world, the writer moves away from I’m-nobody-unless-I-get-a-book-deal into the most empowered position a writer can be in. Saying “I can do it myself,” is a stage that every child goes through over and over on the road to more personal power. And we need to watch out for folks who would want to interfere with a writer’s ability to say, “I can do it myself.”
There are things I can’t do myself, of course. I know this to be true. But each and every day, thanks to technology, there are more and more things I can do. I also know that my potential to do things for myself is growing all the time, if I take advantage of it.
Writers, do you have any idea how much you can do yourself and how much easier it is today to reach a global market than it used to be?
What if doing your work was play?
What if you could be professional and play at the same time?
What if you were not seeking legitimacy from outside yourself?
What if you were ready to say, “I can do it myself”?
Growth can be hard sometimes, but it does not have to be torture all the time. When you love what you are doing, you can enjoy the journey and grow and serve others with professional playfulness.
Professionalism can be play. Maybe it was not very possible before, but it is certainly possible now.
I am rolling out class after class after class this summer, and they all demonstrate how you can bring more play into your professionalism and more professionalism into your play.
Because if you are not having fun growing your writing career, then don’t do it. Two very wise men named Ben and Jerry coined that phrase and they were right.
And if you like what you do, but you are not having fun with it, then change your approach. You are in charge, after all.
Enough suffering, writers. Enough compromises all the time. Take your ideas and make the most of them.
Have fun with them!
Only then will you set yourself and the rest of us free…
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