Myth #5
Once You Have a Good Book on Craft, Stick With It
To go along with all books being created equal, I also thought that one book would serve all my needs forever.
In fact, things change so rapidly in this industry, (not to mention the world in general), that even books written five or ten years ago can seem hopelessly out of date. Especially when it comes to dynamic things like getting an agent, or trends in publishing. Not that books written several years ago can’t have value, it’s just important to make sure you understand the context and relevance of the publication. It’s important to keep reading new things every year. If updates or 2nd additions to your favorites come out, to see what’s been added that might be significant for your current WIP.
How many books on craft do you read every year. If a book has a sequel or 2nd addition would you invest time reading it?
Totally agree with you. The market is rapidly changing and books on getting published can't keep up with it. I went to a conference where they talked about putting picture books on an interactive app for the Iphone. Never would have thought of that.
ReplyDeleteFor lots of up-to-date articles from writers, editors, agents, and whatnot, there's always the latest year's copy of "Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market." I read through most of them on a plane trip--lots of informative stuff, and about as current as you can hope for in a book.
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa- I'm a non-fiction writer so I'm pretty sure my books will get outdated superfast. We shall see, right? I'm still new at this!
ReplyDeleteSo far I've read 5 books on the craft this year...but that will vary depending on what catches my eye (or if I'm after soemthing specific).
ReplyDeleteI buy on occasion a new book on the craft of writing. I haven't read anything that's more than a few years old. I didn't realize that those books could go out of style, but it does make sense.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly I used to read a lot because of my work as a teaching assistant. There are some craft books for children that will always be used but I like to get new ideas and find new products as long gone or the days of sticking cotton wool onto card and using loo roll tubes to create things.
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