In my author consultations, I’m hearing more often about the pressures that writers feel to produce more product more quickly, in order to keep up with the competition and stay front-of-mind with readers.
Sometimes authors think there’s a secret to producing more that they don’t know yet.
There isn’t one.
Whenever you produce titles fast, you’re making trade-offs. This is the topic of my latest column at Publishers Weekly, where I recall one of the first business principles I learned: “Fast, cheap, and good—pick two.”
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
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An excellent reminder which comes at just the right point for me! My editor at Lake Union is recommending Kindle Press for my latest novel saying that KP can get it into the market faster. Hmmm.
THANK YOU JANE!!!!! i’ve been told time and again that i need to write and release more and faster. But i just can’t do it. I spend a lot of time digging for [obscure] details to lend texture and credence to my stories. (not to mention i don’t write short) I’ve rather shrugged it off but you have given me validation! thanks so much!
[…] https://janefriedman.com/pressure-release-titles/ Are you producing books too fast? Is the quality suffering? […]