Envy - To be jealous of
another and desire what is theirs.
We all get a little
jealous of others sometimes, but what harm can envy do to an author?
You've just published
your novel, you're pretty happy with it, but it falls somewhat flat
upon launch. You hit the online stores and
notice that everyone's reading another book in your genre, one that
you've read and didn't think was all that special. You wonder what
it would be like to have that success, to see your name at the top of
the bestseller list. Soon that wonder turns to envy, you can't hide
it any longer, you want what they have and what's more you downright
deserve it.
The first problem with
author envy is that it's often accompanied by a feeling that the
person you're envious of got lucky. The truth is, they probably
didn't. They may have carefully cultivated a fan base on social
media in the run up to their launch, they may have shelled out of
their own pocket for marketing and promotion. The fact that people
seem to like their book can't be attributed to good luck, after the
first handful of 5* reviews it gets a lot harder to keep the ratings
that high artificially.
The problem with envy
is it can lead you to fixate on the wrong thing, sometimes it's
tempting to study the successful author in detail and read their
books over and over again looking for the secret. After all once
you've found their winning formula you can copy it and reap the
rewards yourself. Except of course you can't, you'll be a year too
late with a blatant rip off of someone else's story or structure!
If you change your
writing style, or genre, to fit what someone else is having success
with, you'll likely write a worse novel than your first attempt.
Sure you should experiment with genres and styles, but out of
curiosity and not petty jealousy. Success is dependent on many
factors, not all of which are inside your control, so make sure you
focus on the things you can control, good characters and good
storytelling.
Next time you feel
yourself getting envious of another author's success, let it spur you
on, to work harder, work smarter and write the next book to the best
of your abilities. The most powerful marketing tool is word of
mouth, and the most powerful writing tool is your own imagination.
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