The Sky Isn't Falling (Anna Staniszewski)

Publishing has always been a scary business, filled with rejection, insecurities, and uncertainty, but as things shift more and more in the industry, you can almost smell the fear. People are afraid of the old ways fading, or of the new ways being too overwhelming. All the time I hear that people aren't reading, or no one is buying "real books" anymore, etc, etc, etc.

While there is certainly some truth to the concerns, I think ultimately they're coming from a place of fear. Fear of change and of the unknown. That type of fear is certainly something I can relate to, since my Type A personality likes things to be orderly and predictable.

But when it comes to publishing, I'm actually not that scared. Change is always going to happen, and the way we read is bound to evolve, but I firmly believe that our need for stories isn't going anywhere. The way we access books might change, but we'll still need people to write stories. Just as publishing is evolving, writers are evolving too. Maybe the best thing we can do in this changing climate is to stay open-minded and flexible.

And if you're like me and need a security blanket, here is my advice: When it comes to publishing, the only part you, as a writer, can control is the actual writing. Even if you have total control over the production of a book, you still can't force people to read it. So when all the "sky is falling" talk starts to make me nervous, I remind myself that all I can do is put my head down and keep writing.