CHANGE CONCEPTS
Discussion for widespread change on categorization for fiction writers
I recently read an article from Calderwood Erotica on Medium. It prompted me to write my personal opinion. To quote Calderwood about writers of fiction, “…. What we are faced with, however, is a draconian near-monopoly on the bookselling market, where if our creations don’t readily plug into Amazon’s categories, we might be forced to find alternate means of distribution. Most writers already loathe the business and marketing aspect of being indie, so this akin to asking them to forgo Windows and start using Linux. Getting the word of mouth needed to support direct sales might be our best bet, existing entirely outside of the Amazon ecosystem.”
NuR Pub is a collaborative effort of the core writers of The Nu Romantics, who aim to redefine ROMANCE by elucidating that the romantic is found in the beauty of the written word, not necessarily happy endings.
I am a proud member of this group, and to anyone who is interested, please join The NuRomantics group to discuss the current restrictions fiction writers must adhere to, and how we can influence change.
Find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheNuRomantics/
These are my thoughts:
Change Concepts.
Change Concepts are general ideas used to stimulate specific actionable steps that lead to improvement or transformation. And, the discussion will focus on the romantic. The first step has been taken. The group is established and provides the platform to move into the next phase of the strategic planning to answer the questions “how” to accomplish the goal, and “what’s next.”
Motivation is the next step and the most important attribute to have when facing a large movement of change. Developing a sense of urgency around the need for change may spark the initial motivation to get things moving. If many people start focusing on the Change Concept, the urgency can build and feed itself. This is the foundation and more time should be spent on motivation than any other step in the change process. From the authors that are touched directly, or indirectly, by the business-as-usual conundrum, at least a 75% buy in is necessary to take it to the next level. An unwavering commitment must be established first. (This is my personal experience in a different field of expertise, but the model can be adapted to this situation.)
Once the foundation of a movement is established, the next step would be to form a Coalition to keep the motivation and urgency continuing. A change Coalition invests itself in the cause. Working as a team and filtering all of the ideas from the group helps the Coalition determine the values that are central to the change. Identification of values that are acceptable is critical. Honing the values in conjunction with identifying the specific “key changes for transformation” moves the process along to a greater chance of success.
We don’t want to be naïve in thinking only businesses deserve the attention from independent fiction authors. Our readers should also be included in the discussion. We are all social thinkers, seeing the world from our point-of-view, feeling our emotions and measuring the intention of others. A coalition’s purpose is to change the status quo. What is the value it can bring to the reader? What better choices will they receive? What key change(s) will be necessary to deliver a great reading experience?
Strategic thinking must be at the forefront for those who undertake the responsibility to affect change to garner fairer business practices for fiction writers.
Yes, it may sound daunting, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy.
