Insecure Writer's Support Group: Is indie publishing heading for burnout?

#IWSG: Is Indie Publishing Heading for Burnout?

6/1/2020

The first Wednesday of every month is the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Posts go up the 1st Wednesday of every month. Check it out here and join if you need support with your writing. Don't forget to stop by and say hi to the co-hosts:Pat Garcia, J.Q. Rose, and Natalie Aguirre!

The optional question for this month is: Writers have secrets! What are one or two of yours, something readers would never know from your work?
Readers would probably never guess I don't watch a lot of horror or vampire movies. I'm a wuss so I avoid horror, and, I dunno, I'd just rather read about vampires than watch them.

Now, onto my post. I had another topic in mind, but I forgot it. I had this video sitting around and I thought it'd be perfect for IWSG, so I'm talking about this instead. Maybe I'll remember the other topic in time for the next one.

What do you think? Can writers keep up the mad pace to publish monthly/bi-monthly? Or will we see a drop in releases due to burn out?

19 Comments

Alex J. Cavanaugh link

6/1/2020 10:16:21 am

I take it you don't watch vampire shows either?
I think if I was trying to pump stuff out quickly and often I'd get burned out.

Kate link

6/1/2020 11:13:00 am

That's funny, considering how many horror creatures find their way into your work! But then, I'm with you. I'd much rather read horror than watch horror movies.

Liz A. link

6/1/2020 05:18:24 pm

I hope indie writers don't burn out. But keeping up would be hard.

Pat Garcia link

6/3/2020 05:19:47 am

Hi,

I really believe a writer has to find his or her own pace. Trying to keep up with someone else will wear you down completely.
Wishing you a great month of June and thanks for being a part of IWSG.

Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ <a href="http://patgarciaandeverythingmustchange.com/">EverythingMustChange</a>

Madeline Mora-Summonte link

6/3/2020 05:52:52 am

Sometimes the visuals of a movie are scarier than what we imagine from words on a page. Of course, sometimes the opposite is true, especially with my imagination. :)

Jemi Fraser link

6/3/2020 08:50:44 am

I figured you watched them as well as read them! Interesting :)
I can't imagine keeping up the pace of a book every month or two. My brain isn't up to that!!

Tyrean A Martinson link

6/3/2020 09:31:56 am

I loved your video and it hit an important issue with indie publishing. I know I get burned out and have been burned out. I may write a lot of rough draft compost, but I find getting a book to a publishable state to be exhausting - especially if I try to do too many all at once. I am working on two different projects for the fall, which may be too much. I don't know yet. One of them is a novella and the other is a non-fiction title. I will see how I feel when I get there.

Toi Thomas link

6/3/2020 09:42:51 am

I hope indies don't get burned out but I don't think aiming to publish monhtly is going to work for most. I used to post blogs daily but stopped doing that a long time ago. I've been thinking of reviving those posts on a more spaced out schedule.
I know an author who release 1 book a month for a year, but he blogged for 3 years about the books he was writing. It was something he planned.
Great post, great video.

Cathrina

6/3/2020 10:30:08 am

I'm extremely lucky if I get 1 book published each year. I have a new release coming out on July 10th, my last release was last January 2019. I am a snail writer, and I do have writer burnout at the moment.

BTW, I love Vamp, werewolve, etc movies...

Rebecca Douglass link

6/3/2020 10:32:58 am

I sure don't watch any horror, but I can't read it, either, so I'm a double wuss.

As for writer burnout: no way have I any intention of trying to keep the kind of pace you are talking about, and I suspect those who do will burn out, not to mention being found out--I can't believe anyone can produce a well-written, well-edited novel-length work every month. Happily, I'm okay if I fall off the Amazon algorithm. I'm more interested in writing the best books and stories I can, however long it takes.

Samantha Bryant link

6/3/2020 10:36:47 am

The expected pace is crazy, and I think it really can result in burnout. For a part-timer like me, it's impossible to put out new work that quickly! I try to trust to the "long game" and the slow building of a career over years, rather than driving myself crazy and producing slipshod work @samanthabwriter from
<a href="http://samanthabryant.com">Balancing Act</a>

C. Lee McKenzie

6/3/2020 10:38:38 am

I'm glad I'm not alone in being a scaredy cat when it comes to horror movies. I might get through a horror story in a book, but I can't read them just before going to bed. I have enough trouble sleeping.

Susan M Gourley link

6/3/2020 10:45:34 am

I can't imagine how writers keep up that pace, but I know some do. I'm like you, lucky to write two books per year.

Chrys Fey link

6/3/2020 11:09:39 am

Oh, you know me...I believe burnout is a real thing. If authors aren't careful, taking the time they need to rest and refresh, they may very well burn out. Publishing a book a month is just crazy to me. I could never do it.

joylene link

6/3/2020 02:58:48 pm

I used to write and write and write... now, shish.. it's disgraceful. I haven't had anything published for so long... I feel as if I'm fading away like an old soldier. LOL. Happy IWSG, Patricia.

Loni Townsend link

6/3/2020 03:17:52 pm

I have a guy in my critique group who is doing the super fast releases and it freaks me out to even think about keeping up with reading all of those. Then again, I have kids so my perspective is skewed by my severe lack of time. I've given up on my aspirations to release and be successful. If I just finish the damn series and have a copy for my kids when they are old enough to appreciate it, then I will consider that a win.

Lee Lowery link

6/3/2020 03:27:09 pm

I don't really think that the "book a month" bunch is turning out much in the way of quality material, so if they burn out, no great loss. There is so much gaming and dishonesty in the Amazon system. But even a lot of traditional publishing has relied upon scammy games. Happily, I'm in a position that I will not care about algorithms when I finally publish - independently. :-)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy link

6/3/2020 05:39:11 pm

Some people can crank out a book a month, but they are short books in most cases and they aren't professionally edited. Some people can do it and do it well but it's a tiny percentage. If you care about what you're putting out, then it puts a lot of pressure on you. It's not something I can do, so I'm going to even try. Will it mean the algorithms will go against me? Yep! But I care about what I put out there and it's going to take me longer to get it right.

Nick Wilford link

6/10/2020 01:36:29 pm

I read Madeline Mora-Summonte's post who also said she can't watch horror despite writing the stuff. I get it. If you feel it on that visceral level, hopefully that comes across more authentically in the writing.

I think it's important to avoid burnout, otherwise you end up with rushed out work that no one wants to read and that doesn't do any good for the look of indie publishing. I can't imagine how anyone publishes monthly or even bimonthly unless they're a machine or just putting out little increments like a serial. Mind you, you don't want too long between releases either, so it's finding that sweet spot. Is a year too long?