The veil of secrecy?
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…
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It doesn’t exist.
“The unnecessary veil of secrecy in publishing needs to be lifted.” @HDemetrios https://link.medium.com/jtg7SdVm8Z
There’s no veil of secrecy. No code. No handshake. There’s information & you getting involved in finding it.
That’s what some people don’t get. The knowledge & info to educate & protect yourself as a new writer is out there.
But if a writer can’t:
- Be bothered to research & educate themselves
- Spend some time googling
- Consider joining an established writing organization that already has a wealth of experience
There it doesn’t matter.
We are not horses to be led to water & encouraged to drink. We’re adults who should be to think.
While no, we’re not all afforded the same opportunities & chances, especially at education, plenty of writers have grown up poor, even living in their car poor. This blame game of ‘nobody told me’ strikes me as a cop-out.
Thousands of writers don’t need to have their hands held to know what 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 means.
You’ve been 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 money…that means you’re expected to 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 that money.
If you get a payday advance, do you think you won’t have to pay it back?
Agents act as the author’s advocate from day one. If you’re not asking questions, why not?
They can get you answers but they don’t read minds.
They 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 you to succeed because your success is theirs, also.
And about this…
“I’m mad as hell about how authors are treated in publishing. If you’re not outraged, then you’re not paying attention. Writers of the world unite!” @HDemetrios https://link.medium.com/jtg7SdVm8Z
I’m not mad at publishers. Why would I be? I educated myself…via google, writing organizations and my agent so I knew to ask questions. If I failed to do so…it’s on me.
There’s no veil of secrecy. No secret handshake. No code.
There’s determination, perseverance & personal responsibility.
You make the focused, deliberate choice to figure out where you stand & where you want to go. It’s on you to try to get there.
If you have to be told, you don’t want it enough.
