Description

“So here’s the thing: people mistake getting published for their goal, when really it’s just one step towards the thing they really want. We use getting published as shorthand because it sounds so much cleaner”

In these essays, Peter M. Ball—Aurealis award-winning author and founder of Brian Jar Press—explores the seemingly unintuitive lessons he’s learned over twenty years of writing, educating other writers, and running writing conferences attended by hundreds of aspiring and established authors at every level of experience.

Drawn from some of his most popular blog posts, author presentations, and articles, You Don’t Want To Be Published sets out to bring the kind of conversations established writers have in private to a more general audience. Here Ball explores the anxieties of building a writing career, the unexpected writing lesson drawn from other forms of narrative, the importance of treating your business like a business, and the subtle shifts in psychology and mindset that can help push your writing career to the next level.

Primarily written during the years Ball convened the popular GenreCon Writers Conference and managed the Australian Writers Marketplace, these essays also strive to find the questions new writers don’t yet know they should be asking, while arguing the most common inquiry new writers pursue—how do I get published?—is actually the worst place to start.

Whether you’re a new writer looking to sidestep the common problems, an established writer trying to figure out why your career feels like it’s been derailed, or you’re simply eager to figure out a new strategy that can push your career forward, You Don’t Want to Be Published is full of blunt, irreverent, and unexpected advice that just might change the way you look at the writer’s job forever.Essays featured in this book include:

• The Nine Business Mantras of a Cranky Writer
• You Don’t Want To Be Published
• Focus on the Mountain, Not the Map
• Writing, Budgeting, and Shame
• Let’s Be Clear: I Know Fuck-All About Writing and Publishing (and That Helps)
• How To Process Writing Advice: Use What Works
• How To Process Writing Advice: Diversify Your Sources
• There Is Nothing Surprising About A Writer Getting Rejected (Even JK Rowling)
• 5 Reasons Rejection Letters Are Actually Awesome
• Yes, You Are Wasting Your Time As A Writer
• The First Rule of Write Club
• The Incredible Sucker-Punch Of Success
• Networking Tips For Reclusive, Introverted Writer-Types
• How To Get The Most Out Of An SF Convention As An (Introverted) Emerging Writer
• Al Snow’s Advice For Writers
• Patroen, Tools, Tactics, & Strategy