National Novel Writing Month

November is National Novel Writing Month. So take that musty old manuscript out of the shoebox in the closet and get to work!

When I tell someone what I do with my time, they usually get a suspicious look on their face and then ask:

“You wrote a book?”

“Yup.”

Then there are one of two responses:

“Ya know, I always wanted to write a book…”

or

“My sister wrote a book.”

One thing I’ve learned since The Good Thief came out, is that everyone has written a book or is thinking about writing a book. It really ain’t that big a deal anymore—if it ever was. Now, the landscape of publishing is changing. Traditional publishers are in the decline along with bookstores. The ones still alive and kicking are shrinking their catalogs, while simultaneously reducing support for new authors.

Meanwhile, self-publishing/distribution options are proliferating and the ubiquitous e-book is changing how people buy and read books. This is both a blessing and a curse for writers and readers alike, but that’s a different post.

Anyway, it’s time to release your inner-Faulkner. You too can join the ranks of the published. Just like the very literary folk of Iceland!