ISWG - July 2026

 It's the first Wednesday of the month, so it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

Our hosts for the July 1 posting of the IWSG are Rebecca Douglass, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Cathrina Constantine, and Jacqui Murray. Thanks so much to them!

This month's question is a really good one, and something I've been thinking about a lot over the last little while: 

 Is there anything you'd like to see changed, added, and/or rearranged about the book publishing industry?

To be honest, I'm not even sure where to start with this one.  There are so many things that frustrate me about publishing.

The main one, I guess, is how difficult it is to get a book published that doesn't fit within a very narrow set of parameters.  I understand that books need to be marketable, but everyone seems to be looking for the same books to fill the same narrow market.  Which makes it difficult for anyone who writes something different to get a chance to even have their book read by anyone who can get it in front of a mainstream publisher.

I know tastes and trends will change and what's popular today won't be in another five years, but that's five years of our careers we have to put on hold in the hope the trends swing in another direction.  And even if they do, it's likely to be in another wildly specific direction that only a small number of writers can fulfill.  Not that everyone won't try to jump on board whatever that next trend is, but I'm not someone who can or wants to write to a specific market.  Especially when that market is likely to shift long before that book is finished.

One of the other frustrating things is how slowly publishing moves.  Even if your book does get picked up by a publisher, it's likely to be two years or so before it hits shelves, which is another reason I'm wary about writing to a specific trend.  A lot can happen in two years and the last thing you want is to have written a book to a trend that's on its way out.  How well that book performs in stores is likely to define whether or not you get to have a writing career.

I'm not sure I have any helpful suggestions about how to improve the industry because I know how difficult it is, especially now that anyone with half an idea and Chat GTP can "write" a novel.  But that said, I'd have to imagine that in a world where you're wading through acres of AI slop, something different  that doesn't follow the rules, that doesn't fit neatly into today's "popular" list, might stand out in a good way as being wholly and defiantly human.

What are the things you'd like to see changed about publishing?