The Reckless Writer
I’m Tired of Inferior Writers Getting All the Attention
The publishing industry elevates mediocrity and disregards the most important voices
Yesterday I stumbled across a video of a writer giving an interview for her book tour. The central idea of her book is that “wokeness” is destroying America. However, during the interview, she was unable to define the word “woke.”
For the working-class writers out there, this example should fill you with blistering rage.
I know that there are tons of compassionate, dedicated, and brilliant writers who have been polishing their labor of love manuscripts for decades. They’ve probably sent out these manuscripts dozens, if not hundreds of times in the hope of earning some sort of an audience.
I’d venture to guess they aren’t even looking for a six figure payday. They’d be more than happy to get their book into the hands of a couple of hundred people.
Again and again, the manuscripts have been sent back with notes like, “this isn’t for me, but best of luck with it!”
While this is going on, the rest of us have to be tormented by authors touting hate-filled, fearmongering books that feature concepts the authors themselves can’t even define. We’re being denied the opportunity to read the greatest literature of time.
If that doesn’t make you angry, it should.
Writers need to take a critical look at the media
I know, I know, all writers are supposed to be diligently scouring the media in the hope of being able to pick up on the next “trend.” Then, you’re supposed to crank out a manuscript on it as quickly as possible.
Better yet, don’t even write it. Use a robot instead. Artificial Intelligence is all the rage! Who needs human beings anymore? Just program the robot to tell us what to think. They might not have any soul, but they can write 50,000 words a minute (probably even more).
Try these keywords: anti-woke, teen, vampire, romance.
Boom! Now get Kristen Stewart and Daniel Radcliffe to star in it. Actually, better yet, get some sort of digital actor to make the film. That way you don’t have to pay any human beings at all. Whoo-hoo!
They’re deliberately freezing out the important voices
In my humble opinion, all writers should be looking out at the dystopian wasteland that serves as a sorry excuse for intellectual discourse, and they should be trembling all the way down to their crocs.
Imagine how much good we could put in the world if we’d only pay attention to writers who produced books about tolerance and kindness that were written with passion and talent!
Imagine if books like that were on the shelves at bookstores!
Imagine if authors of books like that were allowed to influence our society!
Instead, we have people arguing thinly veiled talking points in support of racism and authoritarianism. These are people who denounce the idea that anyone is oppressed, while also claiming they are the true victims of oppression.
Yeah, the people with the massive book deals getting interviewed all over the television and the internet are the “truly oppressed.”
Meanwhile, writers are sitting there taking notes and asking, “How do I get a deal like that?”
Well, gee, why don’t you write a cleverly disguised defense of fascism and see what that list of agents and publishers you’ve been sending your work out to has to say about it?
The illusion of diversity
There just is no diversity in big publishing in the United States. There are calls for writers who take on social injustice, and racism, but there are limits to what the publishing world will tolerate.
You have to be a “good little anti-racism” writer.
You have to be a “good little social-justice” writer.
You have to be careful about denouncing hate speech, because once you put the word “hate” in your article, the bots will flag it and bury your content.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” the robot gatekeepers say. “None of that language now little lady. You should smile more.”
There’s a very well-established framework you’re expected to follow when you’re out advocating for social change. You see, there are parameters you have to respect. You have to stay within the boundaries. Didn’t you learn that in grade school? You have to color within the lines.
The reason is that if you go outside the lines, you become a threat to the people who are benefiting from injustice. Those are the same people who own all the distribution mechanisms.
Get it now?
It doesn’t matter how many times you rewrite your manuscript. It doesn’t matter if you have a “really great hook.” It doesn’t matter if you go through it and take out all the adverbs. None of that matters!
The only thing that matters is whether or not you’re willing to rent out your skill to become a mouthpiece for authoritarianism. That’s where the payday is!
Writers are the sleeping giant that needs to awaken
I don’t know if it’s Dunning-Kruger, or personal insecurity, or impostor syndrome. Maybe it’s just because the majority of writers are introverts.
Listen to me writers! I love you! But you have got to WAKE UP!
JD Vance wrote a bestselling book. He also got elected to Senate on the strength of blatantly racist campaign ads. The writing community can’t afford to sit on its hands and passively insist everything is okay.
There’s a reason the majority of books published by major publishers don’t make any money. I think it’s because people aren’t as dumb as established power hierarchies like to think.
The general public might passively assume that the books in bookstores represent the “best” material. However, if there’s NOTHING inspiring in that material, the general public is not going to buy it.
There’s an opportunity there. There’s hunger for truth! We just have to figure out how to get around the obstacles.
Fascism is still fascism no matter how much you polish it
Look around! We live in a society where half the population is afraid of people who claim they stand for anti-fascism!
ANTI-FASCISM! You know, like the OPPOSITE of fascism. Anti-fascism is a good thing! I’m a writer. Fascists are the ones who have a reputation of burning books.
Anti-fascism means anti-book burning.
Today, there’s no longer any need for bonfires. Somebody decided to cut out the middle man and ensure that no words of kindness, tolerance, and basic decency were ever printed in the first place.
Now, we have writers broadcasting from every corner of the media about the dangers of “woke” (even though they can’t define the word).
The thing is, it doesn’t matter how prominent a display you put at the local bookstore. It doesn’t matter how many interviews on morning talk shows your agent books for you. If you’ve written a steaming pile of garbage, nobody is going to remember it for very long.
Here’s a radical idea: why don’t we give attention and visibility to writers who champion a message the general public actually wants to hear? Maybe then every book that the publishers released wouldn’t languish on the shelves.
If you’re a writer reading this, then stop listening to the false narrative of control that’s been designed to capitalize on your insecurities. Too many writers spend all their time scrambling at the coattails of a major contract.
Your allies aren’t above you. Your allies are below you.
I read that in a book once. It was a book with a charred cover that had miraculously survived the bonfire.