When I first started this newsletter and experimental book launch, it was exciting. I had a ton of ideas. A bunch of people subscribed. I received encouraging comments on Instagram. Let the games begin. Ayooooo.
A month later, the sting of self-doubt crept in. Why are my subscribers not going up? Who am I to run a consistent newsletter that people will read? Worse, will the experiment actually work? As the newsletter deadline approached this week, I started to feel this desire to avoid the work… Skipping one week won’t hurt, right?
My daughter is a year and a half. She can walk, talk, and go down a slide all by herself. It’s crazy. But what fascinates me is how failing is second nature to her. She tries something, fails, and then does it again. Over and over until her muscles are strong enough. Until her vocal cords can repeat the correct word.
But adults…Man, somewhere along the way we got scared to try new things. The stakes became too high. What happens if I go broke? What happens if I look stupid? If no one likes my art? If people think I’m a failure? These fearful thoughts keep me up at night. They make me want to hide and avoid taking risks. Because if I don’t try, then no one can write a 1-star review or unsubscribe to my newsletter.
But what’s the alternative?
Hiding my voice. Not trying.
Imagine if my daughter decided not to get up and try again.
She would never grow or develop. She would never move on to the next milestone.
Over the years, I’ve started and stopped many projects. I’ve failed many times. And somewhere along the way, I understood the role that self-doubt and fear play in my creative journey. They are guiding posts, revealing the edges of my comfort zone. They tell me when I’m growing. When I’m in pursuit of my highest calling.
So that’s what I’ll do. Learn from my daughter. Perfectly imperfect. One step. One newsletter. One experiment. One book at a time. Here’s to the imperfect pursuit.
Also, here’s my cute daughter ;)
📚In this Issue
👉Book Launch Update
👉Netflix is starting a book club
👉Media Startup using Tik Tok for fiction
👉Inkitt Gets 59 million dollar investment.
Book Launch Update
After waiting a month, my dream agent passed on my latest book.
It wasn’t a huge blow. A bummer, yes, but researching and writing last week’s post on rejection prepared me for the email. And thanks to this newsletter, I’m in pivot and experimental mode. Everything is still on schedule.
But there was one telling thing about her rejection. Here’s an excerpt from it.
In my experience publishing can be a bit skeptical around both reality TV show plots and plots hinging on social media — the latter due to concerns about obsolete technology given how fast the digital medium of choice can move compared to how slow publishing is — and to wrestle something into their good graces I want to be fully passionate about it as a reader.
When I began querying my book, that was something I never factored in. Will TikTok and Instagram be obsolete by the time the book is published? I don’t think so, but who knows! So if you have something timely and relevant, it might be best to find a different path to publication than the traditional route which can take years to get to market.
Author & Creator Resources
Netflix Launches Book Club.
First Oprah, then Reese, now Netflix. Starting November 16th, actress, Uzo Aduba will host a book club called, But Have You Read The Book, discussing soon-to-be-adapted books by Netflix. The club will dissect the stories we love and how they are recreated for the big screen.
Takeaway
There’s no question that Netflix has had a good relationship with publishing. Some of their biggest properties (Bridgerton, Orange is the New Black, To All the Boys I’ve Loved) were all popular books first. This alliance between publishing and Netflix can only increase the value of book properties. I also think celebrity and media books clubs are on the rise! It’s no surprise that Reese Witherspoon’s media company, Hello Sunshine sold for a reported, 900 million. I wouldn’t be surprised if a slew of other content creators and celebrities try to recreate Witherspoon’s success and start their own book clubs.
New Startup Releases TikTok Fiction.
Tik Tok Fiction? I can already see the eye rolls. Well, a new startup (FourFront) just got 1.5 million in funding to create fictional stories across the TikTok platform. In fact, these actors and actresses have been spotted all over the app, creating an interconnected universe of fictitious drama and storytelling. If you’re curious, here’s one of the more popular characters - @SyndeyPlus
Takeaway
I don’t know about you, but this kind of stuff excites me! Why shouldn’t authors bring their characters to these new platforms? When I first read about this company, I reached out to them with the premise of my novella, just to see they were interested in adapting it for Tik Tok ( I know how crazy that sounds). I’ll let you know if I get a response.
Inkitt gets a 59 million dollar investment.
Inkitt is another Watt-pad-style website that boasts 7 million readers and 300,000 writers. Their technology and algorithm curate fictional stories to the audience in the same way Instagram or TikTok algorithm curates content to its users. Even better, the ones that make it to the top of the list are then targeted for a publishing deal by Inkitt’s paid reading app, Galatea.
Takeaway
Consumer-driven websites that curate popular writing could be the future of fiction. The power is in the hands of the consumer, which means, the days of an elite few deciding what is popular are over. In my opinion, the book and music industry’s role will be to pluck the artists that rise to the top of the algorithm. That means we all get an even playing field. So put your work out there! You never know what’s going to resonate with an audience.
I feel that first bit so deeply. It's so scary sharing yourself with the Internet. I thought about giving up on writing so many times because of this, but the writing bug won't leave me.
I'm sorry you were rejected by your dream publisher. It's good you had been thickening your skin for potential rejection, but it still stings. Luckily, we don't have to rely on gatekeepers anymore.
I'm mildly curious about the Netflix book club. We shall see how it goes.
Hi Kyle, I had this newsletter on my "to review" list for Janesberry, then put the pieces together on you doing "Tik Tik Gone" which I had already cataloged. I'm happy that's going on another channel well for you! Oh and congrats on the extra family member.
I wanted to comment on story platforms, etc. as I've researched this sector for over a year. They use authors to provide free content while monetizing the highest performers, which isn't about merit but luck. Like other social media platforms, their business model doesn't nurture direct author-reader relationships nor effectively help indie writers make money to support themselves. So serious writers will consider how a platform fits into each story's marketing and distribution lifecycle in terms of being promotional material for audience development.
I'd like to believe there's an opportunity for a co-operative magazine/catalog for writers for them to similarly share the work they'd like with the opportunity to collect email addresses, and sell individual works and keep 75-90%.