Back in the 70s there was an effective ad campaign for the investment firm Smith Barney. It featured John Houseman in his Professor Kingsfield garb (if you don’t know who John Houseman is, or Professor Kingsfield, go watch The Paper Chase, a movie about Harvard Law School that won Houseman an Oscar). Here’s one of the ads:
That tag line became famous. They make money the old-fashioned way—they EARN it.
It was great alternative advertising, countering the young, fast, Maserati-driving, Rolex-wearing rah-rah hype of the day. The ads reminded people that you don’t make money for long with get-rich-quick schemes. The only lasting value comes from hard work. (Let’s put aside for our purposes here the fact that Smith Barney itself seems not to have listened to its own spokesman.)
I thought of that ad the other day as I read a post by Kristine Kathryn Rusch about writers trying to “game the system.” I recommend you read the whole thing, but here are a few reflections that track with my own thinking on the issue.
Kris’s post was prompted by an announced change in the Kindle Unlimited program on Amazon. Currently, writers in KU are paid from a common fund, triggered when 10% of a downloaded piece is read. Which means a payout happens when 500 words of a 5000 word short story are clicked through by a KU borrower. And the same amount when a 100,000 word novel gets to the 10,000 word mark.
Theoretically, then, a writer can put out a ton of short work, or serialize a full-length novel, and increase his or her payouts. Bloggers have been dispensing strategic ideas to get the most out of the program.
When that happens to their business, Amazon tends to shift things around.
As they have now. Starting next month Amazon brings a new formula to KU. Payout will be on a pages-read basis. So that 5000 word short story is only going to be making a fraction of what it once did. Not everyone is happy about this. See here for further details.
The new plan does reward full-length novels that people want to read all the way through.
Imagine that. Just like when writers had to earn money the old-fashioned way. They had to EARN it!
These changes are still going to bring out strategies to use digital output and SEO tricks and algorithmic ping pong to squeeze money out of readers and their discretionary income. Note, I’m not talking about wise marketing and the fundamentals of digital commerce. This is about trying to make bank from chicanery rather than superb storytelling.
Kris Rusch is having none of it:
In the beginning, I tolerated gaming the system. I used to think that writers would get by it. Some writers do get past that idea that they can game their way to success. Some writers do game their way to success. But I have learned that every writer who games his way to success has short-term success.
And then that writer gets caught or the system changes or the bottom falls out. Most writers quit at that point. Last summer’s Kindle Unlimited Apocalypse took out hundreds, maybe thousands, of writers who had some success. Many of them left writing altogether.
Some of them found a new way to game the system, still with Kindle Unlimited, figuring out the new algorithms and what those writers “should” be writing in order to win the big prize—which is, either, some imagined (unprovable) bonus to their bestseller rankings or part of the Prize Pool. Ooops. I mean the Select Global Fund. Or none of the above. Honestly, I haven’t made much of a study of it, because, as you can tell from my tone, I don’t think it important.
The remaining writers who were gaming the system and got nailed did the cliché thing and turned lemons into lemonade. They learned that they were approaching their business wrong, and they took the collapse as an opportunity to build a foundation underneath their writing career.
What “bugs” her about all this is “the contempt these writers show for the craft of writing.”
In other words, gaming a system, like Kindle Unlimited or the New York Times bestseller list is extremely disrespectful. It doesn’t require the writer to get better, to become a better storyteller or to build a fan base. It only means that the goal—whatever that goal is—means more to the writer than having readers does….
They disrespect readers. These writers want people to buy their books (or borrow them for a fee, as in KU), but these writers don’t care if the readers read the book.
They want a reader’s money and they want to give the reader very little in return for it.
I hope this sentiment reaches writers coming up who are tempted to concentrate more and more of their time and effort on gaming, and less and less on the hard work of learning the craft.
I’ll always maintain that the most satisfying writing career, and the one most likely to last, is the one that EARNS its place at the table.
Yes, the old-fashioned way.
Do you agree?
Agree with every word. I haven’t researched self-publishing or Amazon yet, since I intend to go the traditional way (find agent, then publisher), and this article comforts me in this idea. I don’t want to fall in the trap of cheating or looking for shortcuts. What I want is a professional response to what I wrote, and I’m ready to work as much as needed to earn my place on the bookshelves.
I do understand, however, certain people’s desperation when they can’t manage to find their way in and are ready to tricks and cheats to gain money. Only, it won’t work in the long term, just like you said. And they know it. So, here’s to hard (and pleasant) work of writing and improving our craft.
Good thoughts, Lisa. Desperation is no way to go into the writing world. I sometimes refer to this business as “the writing game” in the same way the old reporters would say, “I’m in the newspaper game.” It should have some play in it, some sense of healthy competition. But not a game that you cheat in. Not good for long term health, or legacy. Ask Tom Brady about that.
Exactly. The game in a sense: a) lighten up, your life doesn’t depend on it; b) fair-play that includes respect to your work, your readers, fellow writers and publishing professionals; c) follow the rules, which is why we’re all learning new things about the craft every day; d) have fun!
While I suspect we’ll always have people who want to game systems, it has always bugged the heck out of me. I’d love it if all fiction writers putting their work out in the public view would treat their work professionally, for the good of the order.
What happened to the concept of taking pride in your work?
Strangely enough, I don’t care so much about poor quality non-fiction, although I suspect those writing quality non-fiction do care.
The exception might be those who publish memoirs for family and friends, i.e., a one-shot deal, but this exception doesn’t involve any gaming of the system.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I’ve got to fix a scene, but because I’ve studied the craft (and will always be studying it), I think I know how to fix it.
The ranch is a great place to be back at, Sheryl. Happy fixing. I love that part. It’s empowering to be able to look at what you’ve written and, because of craft study, know what to do about it.
Amazon is like playing the shell game…with the pea missing.
Funny, Jordan. In my magician days I used to do three-card monte (and in NY back in the 70s I could easily catch those street hustlers doing it, and they hated me for it).
Amazon is very good at what they do. They are constantly trying to make things better for the consumer and for themselves. That’s what successful businesses do. Indie writers, therefore, should provide Amazon with product that consumers will like, over and over.
Definitely, Jim.
Now I’m trying to picture you in your magician days: cape, top hat, and rabbits out your pant legs. You are amazing.
I used to do the saw the woman in half trick. But my assistant quit. She now lives in Tulsa and Dallas.
Ar, ar. I get it.
I read Kris’s blog post yesterday and found the comments equaling interesting. With some commenters saying that it wasn’t gaming the system rather it was making the system work for you by writing to the algorithm. My only thought was the unbelievable distraction of putting intellectual power into understanding “the system and then catering your writing to match that system”. My full effort is in writing a full length mystery book, and the next one since having multiple good books is the one sure way to success.
Amen, Alec. That is my main concern with all this (and with a lot of the energy and time that is devoted to social networking). Creativity, to me, is literally quite liquid. Ideally, it flows steady and sure, and you never go thirsty and it lasts a long time. But if you start tapping into it for all kinds of non-essential things, or misuse it, or funnel it off into dumb ventures…well, it might run for a while but eventually, things dry up.
Good points, Alec and Kris. Let me clarify something. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying to put SEO to work for you, or thinking about algorithms. It’s when that becomes the focus to the detriment of any real attempt to become an excellent writer that I take issue. There may be short-term monetary success in such gaming, but I don’t think long term it’s the way to have solid success or self-worth.
I’ve been following this debate since I got my notification email from Amazon. I’m just writing novels to the best of my ability, hiring out an editor, doing it the right way to make a quality product. My kids want to read my books, man.
People who game the system annoy me. Especially their whining when the system changes. I deal with their kind on a daily basis–it’s called a spam filter, and jillions of Google-gaming comments packed with keywords get blocked from my blog.
Not a fan.
Yeah, Kessie, that’s what they used to call a “hot one.” You try to trick a system, then it changes, then you complain about it. Puh-leaze.
Great post, Jim.
I agree with everything you’re writing. And those of us who work “day jobs” in addition to our writing know that the same goes in almost all other areas of commerce. Those who work hard and honestly build their business are the ones with long term success.
And the “hard work of learning the craft,” that’s why I read this blog everyday. I often don’t have time to comment, but I really appreciate all of you regulars at TKZ.
I found an excellent beta reader recently. He expressed interest in writing. I bought him a stack of craft books. On top of the list was PLOT AND STRUCTURE.
Have a great Father’s Day!
Way to train a beta, Steve! Love it. And glad you’re going about this the right way. Thanks for the Father’s Day good word.
Reading about this reminds me of the “sockpuppet” author fake reviews scandal of a few years ago. And my reaction is much the same. If this is what it takes to get published, writing fake reviews or gaming the system, then I’d honestly rather not be published!
What I want to read (and also I hope write) is great stories with interesting plots and memorable characters. Not something that’s been written specifically to exploit the mechanics of a payment system.
I agree with everything Lisa says above. I also want to go down the traditional route (when I get that far) and if I’m someday published I’d like it to be because I honestly wrote a good book.
All the Best,
Matthew.
Yeah, Matthew, I remember that episode. So much writing energy lost in that vain pursuit via sockpuppetry. Good luck on your journey to publication.
Thanks. I’m being helped along the way by your “Plot and Structure” and “Conflict and Suspense” which I would highly recommend to any writer new or old.
Thanks for that good word, Matthew.
Right now, we’re so lucky that Amazon allows us to self-publish to Kindle. Sure, they make money from our work, but the big winner is – in my opinion – the indie author.
Hopefully, the “smart” marketers trying to game the system will leave rather than ruining it for everyone.
Yes, Britt, even now we forget what a fantastic game-changer Amazon has been for authors. So many more making a living now than was even possible before. I believe the good one eventually rise above the tide…it may take awhile, but quality plus time is the key.
I am all for making a living as a writer, but it’s never occurred to me to doing anything other than “become a better writer”. I’m appalled some people have decided the best way to make “easy money” is to game the system like this. Learning how to use Amazon more efficiently is one thing, but not caring about whether your work is read or not? Trying to cheat reader by throwing together some short fiction and calling it a day? That’s ridiculous.
I met a friend of a friend recently, who wants to be a writer. I tried to have a discussion with her, but all she seems interested in is money, and she seems to think it’s easy money. It was all I could do not to laugh in her face. She was very flippant about focusing on the quality of your stories and wanted instead to chase trends. I explained to her how that would work out realistically, but she didn’t see to care, and assumed I had no idea about what I was talking about. I washed my hands of her, but I’ve got to wonder what’s going through these people’s minds. There’s easier ways of making money online, and less sleazy too. Put up an online store and make money off affiliate income for crying out loud.
Great article and thanks for the extra voice of sanity.
Oh man, Elizabeth. How many times have I heard over the years, “I think I’ll write a book and make a million bucks”…or variations on that theme. Or: “I have a great idea that Hollywood won’t be able to resist! All I need is someone to write the book for me. Want to?” [On spec, of course!]
The only thing I can add to this discussion is that every writer who dropped out after gaming the system failed left more room for serious writers who are interested in producing quality product and giving readers a legitimate reason to put down hard earned money in exchange for a good book.
A good “glass half full” view, Carrie. Thanks.