Questions and Answers: With So Many Authors, Why Would Anyone Want To Read My Work?

I had the pleasure of skyping in to give a literary workshop at a wonderful convention in British Columbia this weekend. (Although I had to do it in the 2 hours between a wedding and a reception, which was also fun!)

All of the writers at this convention were productive authors who produced a good deal of content but were looking for some new ways to get the work out there. One question in particular stood out to me, because it is a question I hear a lot.

"With so many writers out there and so much writing, how can an author make his or her work stand out amongst the masses?"

I understand that there is a good deal that authors can and do get overwhelmed about when they start down this line of thought--with the millions and millions of authors out there why would anyone pay attention to my work?

So in these situations I like to turn around and ask another simple question.

Why with the 7 billion other people out there would anyone want to be your friend? Why would anyone want to be in a relationship with you? Why would anyone want to spend their time with you when they have 7 billion other people to do so?

This tends to make people think about it--we all have friends (or I at least hope we do!) some of us are fortunate enough to have quite a few. Most of us have relationships--or at least have had relationships if we aren't currently in one. And the average person has people who enjoy spending time in their company. There are far more other people out there than there are writers--but somehow we make this happen. And we don't tend to think (at least not most of us) "why oh why would anyone of my friends want to spend time with me when there are so many others to do that with?"

I would imagine that you gathered your friends in this fashion: you came into proximity with them, you had an exchange of some kind--they liked what you had to offer, so they kept coming back.

This simple concept also applies to how writers build up a relationship with their audience. The audience comes into proximity with them--they like what they see and they keep coming back.

And although I didn't hear this question at the workshop a question I hear after I give this answer I always give it something like this:

"But the readers who like my genre already follow so much good writing! Why would they look at mine?"

Do you have just one friend? Did you meet someone somewhere you really liked but decided "sorry, already have a friend, no room for this one!" and more to the point--do you see good books/comics/movies that you think you will like but then decide "sorry, already filled my quota of watching 2 movies, reading 2 books, looking at 2 comics this week?" Probably not. There is no limit to the number of different authors writers can enjoy! They just have to have the opportunity to come across it.

Now, not everyone can be everywhere. And admittedly there is more great writing out there than one could ever read. I'm sure there are amazing pieces of fiction that I would really really love to read in china right now that I may never get to in my lifetime. An author can't be everywhere at once--even with the internet. (Although the internet makes this far easier.)

So the important thing is just to make sure that when you come into proximity with people--or when potential fans come into proximity with your work the way that you might meet a new friend, that your work is likable. You can increase the number of people who come into proximity with your work through various marketing techniques. But before one can get to the practical positioning, one first has to rid themselves of the mindset that their work is valueless--that somehow writing is only the province of the super lucky and that one needs millions of dollars in marketing plans to see any success with it. All one needs is writing that is entertaining, or adds value--a place to put it, and a way to get fans to read it. The rest takes care of itself.