Blog: Lori Wilde: What SURVIVOR Taught Me About Publishing

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What Survivor Taught Me About Publishing

Lori Wilde

            Plotting Princess, Vicki Batman and I have many things in common. We both drive Jeeps, although hers is an elegant white and mine is school-bus yellow. We’re in the same age group. But most of all, we share the same guilty pleasure. We’re both die-hard fans of the show Survivor.

            The three tenets of the show are—outwit, outlast, outplay. Not so very different from the small island that is publishing. If you’ve watched a few seasons of Survivor, you start to see a pattern emerge over who gets voted off and when.

            First to get voted off it’s either the folks with huge egos determined to take control, or is it’s the weakest link. Publishing has a similar trajectory. Come into this business as a know-it-all and you won’t last for long. I’ve been in publishing for over 20 years and have written more than 64 books and I feel as if I’ve just scratched the surface on what there is to know about writing.

            Equally vulnerable are those authors filled with so much self-doubt that they can’t believe in their abilities. It’s a fine balance between humility, self-confidence and cockiness. You have to project strength without coming on too strong. You’ve got to believe in yourself, but check the pushiness at the door. Publishing moves with the speed of a glacier and you can’t force things to happen. The most important part is to keep your focus where it belongs. On the work, not on fame and fortune. If you take care of the work, fame and fortune will follow.

            In Survivor, the next to go are those who scheme too much. They make the rest of the tribe nervous. The same is true for publishing. Too much plotting can backfire—both in terms of your writing and in your career. I know of an author who came from the business world. She was accustomed to working with men and she’d learned to plan and scheme to get what she wanted. It had worked for her in that world, but when she brought those skills to publishing she ended up pushed out (even though she was a good writer) because no one trusted her. Things tend to happen in their own time.  Try to force things to move faster by plotting and scheming can make you look untrustworthy. At this stage of the game, those who hang on calmly are ahead of the game.

            The players who make it to the end tend to have the following traits in common—keen observers of human nature, adaptability, and persistence.  Writers who make it the long haul develop those same skills and yes, they are skills that anyone can develop.

            First, you can’t create compelling characters if you can’t identify with people. Watching what people do and why they do it will yield a wealth information and also make you a more rounded person. If you want to survive long term become a serious student of human nature.

            Secondly, you have to be able to adapt to the changing market. Technology has recently brought huge changes in publishing. If you can’t embrace those changes, you’ll be left behind. It’s not that difficult to do. Keep abreast of the market. Engage in social media. See what’s going on in the world around you and try to stay one step ahead.

            Thirdly, and in my opinion, most importantly, never ever give up. When I’m watching Survivor, the players who frustrate me the most are the ones who just roll over and accept their fate when all seems lost. You have to keep trying and you have to hold onto hope. In publishing, just as in Survivor, the player who ends up winning is the one who simply never surrendered.

What's your guilty pleasure and what has it taught you?

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Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Takes-Bride-Lori-Wilde/dp/0062047752/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332606849&sr=8-1

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