When I was in grad school, I feel like there was a lot of talk about how publishers want you to already have a following in some way–through social media or a blog or a newsletter. It makes sense, in a way. Publishers want to sell books, and it’s easier to do that if the people they’re publishing have fans that will buy the book no matter what. This is the reason we see more and more celebrity books (like Milly Bobby Brown, bless her heart) with questionable quality, even after the ghost writers have had at them. Even my mom fell into the trap–she pre-ordered a book by an influencer she loves, and was horrified to discover how badly written it was.

So here’s the thing: you will never be able to compete with the followings of celebrities and influencers (unless you’re an influencer yourself, in which case, leverage that as best you can). But also, why would you want to? People with large followings generate from things other than writing generally publish bad books! Those people are not actually your competition. Those books are going to be published by the big four no matter what.

My response to that? Focus on the quality of your work and the work you want to be in company with. For me, that maybe means an indie publisher, once I’m ready. What does it mean for you?

Love and gratitude, friends.

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