When it’s time to pivot
By Amanda J. Clay
I’m writing this as movers are packing up my house for the 8th time in seven years. We are about to move across the country tomorrow–yet again, for the fifth time in sixth years. (This time with a toddler!) And per usual, I had about three weeks notice that we were going to do this. I have gotten really good at pivoting.
At some point in your writing career— whether it’s when trying to get noticed in the slush pile, after the 100th publisher rejection, or when your independently published books sales have stagnated— you might find that things aren’t working. And maybe it’s time to take stock of why.
Publishing is a fickle, cyclical and sometimes nonsensical business. Talent and hard work matter of course, but sometimes so much of a book’s success can be attributed to pure luck and timing. But by paying attention to the market–as well as being brutally honest with yourself about your strengths and opportunities–you can get closer to understanding the root causes of your challenges. If you are willing to pivot when needed, you stand a chance of overcoming those challenges.
Sometimes even if we love what we write, or even when we really thought this new idea would be the WINNER, we find that things are just not going our way. That’s when we have to be willing to pivot. Be willing to try something different, to think outside the box or rethink our original plan.
But that’s not a bad thing! Sometimes pivoting means leaning into the thing your gut has been telling you all along is right.
Let me give you some examples.
When I first started out, it seemed every indie author I knew was making hand over fist money writing romance. I liked me a good love story mixed in with a thrilling plot line, so I figured romantic suspense was the path for me. After a few books though, something just wasn’t working. I just wasn’t hitting the mark with romance readers. At first I didn’t get it–I knew I could write well, I told a great story that my small fanbase swore was page-turning. Why wasn’t I blowing up the charts? Well, frankly, because my heart wasn’t in the romance genre. My real passion was crafting a nail-biting thriller or twisty mystery–maybe with a little romantic subplot thrown in. It was time to pivot and lean into what my heart was telling me. And that’s when I found my stride!
Now that said, sometimes pivoting can be hard when it forces to you to tweak the thing you WANT to do. I recently went through this as well. I tend to write DARK. My stories are gritty, uncomfortable, raw stories. A few years ago, the market was hungry for it. The darker the better. But this year, as the world slowly emerges from two of the darkest years in recent history, people are hungry for something a little lighter. A little juicier and more digestible. A little more Desperate Housewives and less Ozarks.
Well, ok. My best course of action was to pivot and tweak my tone to give the readers what they’re craving.
You might have a knee-jerk negative reaction to this–you might feel that adjusting your art to the market is a form of “selling out.” I firmly disagree with that, but you can be your own judge. Ask yourself, why do you want to be a write in the first place? For me, it’s definitely an outlet and a passion, but ultimately I chose this career because I wanted to entertain people. Give them an escape. I do that by giving my readers the entertainment they’re craving. If I write only what I WANT to write, then I’m serving myself more than my readers. Is there anything wrong with that? Not necessarily, but I think it changes the type of writer you aim to be.
Another time you might need to pivot is when you just get burnt out. This recently happened to a very successful author friend of mine. She’s had a lucrative career writing a specific niche of book, but after a dozen or so, she just lost her spark for it. She realized that despite her success, her time in that world had come to an end and for the sake of her sanity and the longevity of her career, it was time to explore new opportunities. She knew that keeping herself in the same box forever wasn’t a sustainable career move.
Sometimes pivoting becomes about more than just the type of book you’re writing. It might be realizing when it’s time to take an entirely different approach to your career as a whole. This could mean deciding to pursue a traditional publishing deal after going the self-publishing route. Or vice versa, after a stint of letting a publisher have control, you might decide it’s time to step out on your own. It could also mean deciding to teach a writing course or taking on a ghostwriting job to pay the bills so that you can keep going.
Making a living by the pen can be a tough road, but by being flexible and willing to pivot, you will open yourself up to new opportunities to help you build a successful and fulfilling writing career.
As always, feel free to connect at [email protected] or below!
Website: http://amandajclay.com
Books: https://amazon.com/~/e/B00QEEAJ20
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Amanda J. Clay writes gripping mysteries and twisty domestic thrillers with complex, kick-butt female leads designed to keep you up all night, including the twisty Pt. Redwood mystery series. When she’s not staring at a computer screen, she is part of the fabulous team that puts on the San Francisco Writers Conference. She currently lives in Nashville, TN with her dashing, real-life hero of a husband, who inspires her villains and heroes alike, and their hellion of a daughter.
