The Tribe

This weekend I enjoyed thinking back over all the experiences we've shared since Courtney began her writing career. I've witnessed interaction between many authors who are at far different places on the path to publication: those who are just beginning to put words on paper to shape a story, those whose thought of attracting an agent seems an impossible dream, those with agents but no success with submissions, those who are in the two-year, seemingly forever process of preparing their book for print, debut authors facing their first signing events and tours, those who make the decision to self-publish, successful mid-list authors, those who have phenomenal success right out of the gate, and authors who have become household names due to an established and successful career with many books, honors and royalties behind them. They come in all shapes, sizes and personalities.

The publishing industry has evolved over the years in many ways, but it has changed drastically with the advent of social media. Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Facebook have practically made obsolete the image of the author as a loner who sits for long hours hunched over a thick, yellow legal pad or typewriter (or laptop) at a desk in a remote room all by himself. Not that writers don't do this at all - they have to buckle down and put words to paper - but it is no longer just an isolated process that engages them in a terminally lonely place away from fandom and other writers. 

As a child and even as an avid adult reader, I never dreamed of a time when I'd one day meet a favorite author of mine. Authors were not my heroes (they should be) because it never occurred to me to wonder about the people who put the magic in stories. Yet they allowed me to become the character in the book, they let me live between the pages and experience what I'd never know in reality, which was so important to me. Books and story were as necessary to me as breathing, yet I never met an author and never saw one (of my favorites) interviewed on TV or featured in magazines. In my childhood, there was no such thing as author school visits or writing camps for young writers where authors came to put dreams into the head of young aspiring writers.  And there certainly was no internet to facilitate access.

When it did happen, it was rare and felt like a miracle. One of our friends credits her inspiration to succeed as a writer to a telephone conversation - the result of winning a grade school writing contest - with her favorite author. What an amazing experience for that time (it wasn't THAT long ago as our author friend is still a young woman). What a marvelous thing for her teacher to arrange (in fact, I can't imagine how she accomplished it). We, the general public reader, had no access to information about authors. The best we could do was send a fan letter to the publisher and keep our fingers crossed that it might reach the author. A reply was much more iffy. It hardly seemed worth the effort.

Today, it is more common, though none-the-less special. Many schools take advantage of literacy grants and provide students with author appearances, both personal and through Skype. Book festivals abound, and they are filled with authors who make themselves available for face-to-face conversations with readers. This past year I saw firsthand the excitement of a very young reader who got to meet the author of her favorite book series at a book festival; it was spine-tingling. Now, social media makes it simple to reach an author. I loved it when the grandson received a Twitter answer from an author to a question about the book he was reading; it was "cool," he said. I've seen many Faking Normal fans reach out to Courtney on Facebook and Twitter. She cherishes their responses to her words. She soaks up their appreciation and uses it to refuel her confidence and to refresh her excitement at being allowed to live her dream. 

We can now match a face, a name, a family, and possibly a day-to-day routine to our favorite authors. We value their random observations. We get to "know" them the way we used to think we knew actors and actresses on TV as we saw their characters unfold week after week. 

Authors are no longer invisible.

I see at least one difference when comparing writing to other artistic industries such as music and drama. In the writing world, a successful author - no matter at what stage in the publishing process- does not view himself as diminished or threatened because of another author's success. There seems no need for a cut-throat attitude, for arrogance and condescension and back-stabbing among writers. They know they must cherish their talent and share it on all levels and spread it around in order to grow as authors. Writers lean on their writer friends, those who are or have or will go through what they are going through at a given time. And they understand how hard it is. Strong, loyal friendships spring from the true sense of purpose and unity they share.

It does, as they say, take a village.

Authors call this The Tribe. 

And it is a marvelous thing.  I witnessed an example of sacrifice and unselfish giving between writing professionals last week; it made my heart full of gratitude for such caring friends. Authors share the joy when one of them gets that dream agent. They rejoice in that book deal, that award, that honor, and the recognition that comes to other writer friends. They post loads of congratulatory Tweets when one of them arrives on the NYT Best Seller list.They weep with authors who experience the frustrations of the revision cave or writer's block or when rejection rears its ugly head. They become cheerleaders,
encouragers, plot-fixers, and hand-holders as needed. And this is just among authors who are friends through the wide reaches of the internet. Among close, personal author friends, it is even more special. Though I am not a writer, I count it a privilege to see and to be a vicarious part of The Tribe through Courtney and her author friends.

Human nature being what it is, there are a few exceptions. I become aware of rare examples of this, as others do, through social media. Books are an art, and art is subjective. As such, books appeal differently to readers who automatically bring their own images, experiences and preconceived notions to the story. That is as it should be. But the author's words are the baby he has conceived and protected and nurtured and watched grow. The book is part of him, and it is painful to see it criticized, whether kindly or harshly. Unfortunately, some people (in any industry) exercise little control over a desire to spew seat-of-the-pants reactions, observations and/or defensive retaliations over social media. The very advantage of being accessible to so many then becomes the disadvantage when wiser heads do not prevail; the result is not pretty. Writers and publishing professionals would be wise to remember that the publishing world is small, and memories are long. And we should all - no matter the circumstance or profession - remember that the Tweets, Posts, Comments and photos never totally disappear, even when deleted, and could come back to haunt us. 

The next time you are in a book place - be it library, chain, discount, second-hand or Indie - take a moment to appreciate the authors who make such magical places possible. And remember to be thankful for that amazing sense of community that they call The Tribe.

It is All the Feels, as book lovers say.