We live in strange times.
Of course, I suppose everyone does (for different reasons).
I read an article about Craft vs. Content yesterday. I was particularly drawn to the following quote.
Authors, for example, lament the fact that publishers will often only offer book deals to writers who already have established “platforms” (read: followers on FB, IG, Twitter, TikTok, etc.). But to grow their platforms, writers have to constantly be creating content for social media . . . making it difficult to find the time to work on their book.
https://www.artofmanliness.com/career-wealth/career/craft-vs-content-resisting-mediocrity-in-a-dual-existence-age/
The question raised is the following. Should authors focus on creating content for social media to build their audience, or should they focus on actually writing books?
The answer is not obvious. At this time, it’s difficult to find fault with authors who want to grow their audience. Nevertheless, this skill set is NOT the same skill set that allows authors to create great books.
I don’t have suggestions for any specific author.
What I will say is that I believe more in the value of writing good books than in promoting them. I think most authors should focus on writing good books. Even if this means that they’re going to have a more difficult time promoting their books.
Books can always be promoted after they’re written.
This is not necessarily true of movies. Eventually, movies tend to lose their relevance. Even if the story is good and the acting is good, a movie is going to show its age in more obvious ways than a book.
Does this mean that filmmakers should focus more on marketing and distribution than authors?
Again, I don’t have a good answer!
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