Having been an avid reader, and subscriber, to Writer’s Digest for several decades (going back to a pre-internet world where the entirety of our options, as aspiring writers, could be found only in a handful of big mags and the literary journals; stone tablets of sorts that gave us instruction, advice, and the mailing addresses of outlets looking for new writing), it’s an absolute thrill to have my piece appear in their (digital) pages. Link to proper piece, here, and the text is pasted, below. Spread the word and share the news (and buy the book!).
Primer for Helping—and Tolerating—Your Annoying Artsy Friend
Author Sean Murphy shares five easy ways how friends of writers (and other artists) can help out their creative friends in their artistic endeavors. (Note: If you’re one of these artsy friends, be sure to share with your friends so they can help you out.)
- SEAN MURPHY
- MAY 14, 2024
Don’t worry, this will all be over soon.
First, know that they know that you know (that everyone knows) they are that person. Go easy on them, considering how long they likely fought against it, when every instinct—not to mention most teachers and adults—encouraged them to attempt anything but a life making up things (and possibly getting paid for it—ha!). If they’ve stuck with it, no matter what “success” they’ve had, measured by clicks, dollars, publications, attractive people who want to sleep with them because they’re artists (ha!), understand they have come fully to terms with the fact that it’s not in the expectation or even hope of fame and fortune; it’s because it’s probably the only thing they are good at doing.
Okay, also appreciate that they are probably not the person who pollutes your feed with pics of their kids or pets or asks you to buy girl scout cookies for the annual baseball drive; they dole out their cries for attention as judiciously as possible (except for the ones who have no boundaries and whose appetite for approval has long surpassed any tolerable limits; not only can you ignore them, you should adjust your settings to avoid their needy and narcissistic bellowing).
Also try to understand that, for better or worse (and, for the record, it was mostly worse, especially for women and non-whites), back in the day a writer could mostly focus on writing, and accept how difficult this simple, impossible endeavor was, and if certain works saw the light of day, there was a machinery in place to help publish, promote, and sell them. Today? Writing a publishable book, itself something that might take years even for people who are really good at it, is the first in a series of daunting steps, which include having assembled a portfolio of work appearing in reputable outlets, having amassed a significant social media presence, having networked and lined up influencers who will help blurb, promote, and sell your work, and being at once media-friendly and PR-savvy; essentially what in baseball is referred to as a five tool player (so rare and coveted these athletic unicorns usually command multi-million dollar signing bonuses). Then, maybe, you’ll find an agent who thinks this is worth their time, and then, possibly, finding an editor who is willing to try convincing their bosses that this book is worth a minor investment of time and resources. Then, a year or three later, the book sees the light of day — and this is the absolute best-case scenario.
Sound a tad cynical? It isn’t, actually; observations like this are just as useful for fledgling artists as the decidedly non-artistic; it’s an accurate, if stark description of the current literary landscape, and any adjusted adult understood, from the start, that the world not only owes no one a living, but –consider the Melvilles and Van Goghs and Dickinsons– often overlooks the geniuses who have died in poverty and despair only to be taught, later, in school. Put another way, here’s how you know which of your friends are at least attempting to be artists vs. the insufferable posers: despite what appears to be ceaseless rejection they keep after it, and they tend to write (privately) more than they talk about writing (publicly–especially on social media). Spare a thought for these poor souls who understand revising works in progress offers fewer dopamine hits than being super-engaging on Twitter.
Five Easy Pieces: Ways To Help Your Writer Friend
Reviews. They matter, they help, and they are easy. Every time I read about a band from back in the day trying to break through, it involved friends and family making repeated calls to the radio station to request that new song from that newalbum by that new band. It worked, albeit at a super granular level, but the key takeaway is that even in a time when everything was less complicated (you got a book deal, your publisher put it in bookstores, etc.) it still took a village. Consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and any/all other outlets as the “request a song” throwback. It can take as little as five seconds (one second per star) or five minutes to craft a few sentences.
Socialize. Yes, we all love to hate social media. But whether it’s a restaurant, a cute dog pic, or your annoying friend’s new book, word of mouth still rules. Helping generate buzz is easy, and one way to think of it is that with an internet flooded with bickering and zero-sum game opinions on everything from presidential candidates to vaccines, putting some TLC into the feed will help restore some balance. Will your link to your author friend’s website move the needle? Maybe not, but it definitely won’t hurt.
Show Up. If your friend is brave / crazy enough to do a public reading, make sure there’s at least one person in the audience. This might qualify as above and beyond (who wants to leave their comfy house to venture out and hear…a reading?), but I promise you, it’s a solid your friend will never, ever forget.
Give ’til it hurts. Buy a copy of the book, obviously. Buy another one, just to hand out to your one friend who reads. Or buy a copy that gets shipped to that friend. Or buy one to keep in the guest bathroom. Buy one as a future stocking stuffer. If you don’t have the dough to spare, don’t sweat it, but if you can shell out a few bucks, that’s the gift that keeps giving. Again, your friend understands all of his or her friends buying a copy or two won’t make or break the release, but if everyone does their part, the difference it makes is appreciable–and appreciated.
Pay it forward. Your friend will undoubtedly send an email (or two–hopefully no more than three) in the weeks leading up to the big publication day. Consider forwarding that email (or go crazy and add your own endorsement before passing along) to your network; cut and paste it and blast it out on the socials; send to friends and family; spread the word and help generate a bit of momentum.
