Too Much Doom and Gloom...

Because of the recent economic slump, I've noticed a hell of a lot more negative press concerning the publishing industry. Book sales are down... This publishing house is having problems... That publishing house is consolidating it's imprints. This executive was laid off... That editor was fired. Every day I read Publishers Lunch and PW Daily and they were filled with nothing but bad news. I became addicted to it like some “doom and gloom” junky, running around in frantic circles and squawking “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” It was getting to be so bad, it was starting to affect my writing.

Finally my very wise father noticed what was happening and sat me down for a talk. “There are people out there who thrive on spreading misery,” he said. “I know the publishing industry is having problems right now, but there is nothing you can do about it. You have stop reading this stuff, and get back to doing what you love most, writing.”

Exactly!

As usual, my father was right (Did you see that dad? I said you were right!). Not only was the negative pub news having an effect on my writing, but also my health. I was getting way too caught up in the negative. So, I unsubscribed to both Publishers Lunch and PW Daily and I haven't looked back. In fact I feel remarkably “free” from all the negativity and once again I've been able to concentrate on my writing. That's not to say I don't keep an eye on the publishing news, I just don't get it daily and I get the important stuff filtered through my various RWA list groups (which are far more positive, btw).

So if you're one of those “bad news” junkies like I was, maybe it's time to “turn it off”, and concentrate on something you love...like historical romance for instance.