What Not To Gatekeep as Authors

Some of us have always had a passion for writing and some of us even turn it into a profession. But as we tend to learn the ropes of writing, releasing stories and even just analyzing books, sometimes we tend to poke our noses a bit too far. So for today, we’re talking about what we shouldn’t gatekeep as authors. 

1. Readers who read popular/booktalk books. As online book sharing has become more available, especially through means such as Tik Tok (booktalk), so has the amount of people who aren’t always kind to those who find books and enjoy them through this means. Please consider that for some, they haven’t read a book in years. Perhaps they have been really busy, major life events, or even just fell out of love for reading or never had it to begin with. Either way, if something that is highly recommended by people makes a person love a story, regardless if it’s trendy or even not the best work of fiction, let’s let people enjoy books and reading without shaming them for liking something popular. For some, booktalk is their gateway into reading other novels as well and even if it’s not, that’s fine! 

2. Traditional vs. Indie authors. Making the choice between self publishing and traditional is not easy. There are many factors involved for both processes and both require a lot of talent, hard work, and usually money. There is no better version, just different pros and cons. Kamryn and I originally were writing query letters every week to agents trying to go the traditional route. Eventually, we decided we wanted complete and total control and rights of our novel so we opted for self publishing. To make it as legit as traditional, we got our business license, professionals for editing, cover design, logo design, ISBN and more. It’s been a very costly and exhausting process and one we are very proud of. If you’re publishing a novel whether you self publish or go traditional, you are awesome! 

3. Fanfiction or hobby writers. This one may seem controversial to some but I think it’s very important to recognize fanfiction writers and other hobby writers that don’t write for profit are still talented and a valid writer. I myself have published fanfictions, and it was a fantastic means of getting honest feedback for writing skills that would otherwise be very difficult to get. Also, let’s be real, do you know how many fanfictions get published into original stories? A lot. A well-written story is a well-written story. And even if it’s not ever turned into an original, fanfiction is an important part of fandoms and a nice tribute to a good story that people want to still live in the world of. Don’t listen to everything you hear about fanfiction (but always check the tags before you read and if you don’t know what one is, maybe skip it). 

4. Non-authors giving advice. It’s so difficult to receive advice from someone who you know has no idea about writing technique, or ever tried to write a single thing but it’s important to consider that when we write, our audience may not come from that background. A non-author can give honest feedback on their overall experience that’s so valuable for making sure readers are enjoying your writing. Now not all feedback like this may be useful, especially if they are trying to correct a technique but it’s important to listen and consider implementing all advice given. 

As writers, we want others to enjoy our stories and connect with the writing community. It’s important that we are as open and welcoming as possible so that we can get more readers and writers. That’s all for this week. Be sure to subscribe to the blog so you never miss an update (maybe a cover release soon?). As always, write-on!