How Writers Can Adapt to Change in the Publishing Industry

From Edie: Martin Wiles shares how writers can adapt to changes in publishing, editing, style guidelines, and AI while staying flexible, informed, and focused on their writing goals.

How Writers Can Adapt to Change in the Publishing Industry

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

Paper was my world. Plastic? Not so much. 

At fourteen, I began bagging groceries at a local grocery store. At the time, plastic bags were only someone’s dream. We used paper bags. I could pack many items in a bag if they weren’t too heavy. The bags stood up nicely when we bagboys packed them tightly. They also stacked nicely in the trunk of the customer’s car. 

During my last year of college, I once again worked at a grocery store—this time running a cash register. The cashiers did most of the bagging, and plastic bags had taken over. Paper bags still hid under the counter, but we never used them unless a customer asked. I hated the change. Plastic was flimsier, held fewer items, and would not stand up when packed with groceries. 

Some proposed the change for environmental reasons, but that’s not a win-win situation either. Plastic may be cheaper to manufacture and produce less pollution during production, but paper wins out when it comes to disposal. Paper breaks down much faster than plastic. But, then again, this article isn’t about the environmental impact of plastic. 

Abraham may have wondered about the change God asked him to make. “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you’” (Genesis 12:1 NLT).

He lived on family land, but God wanted him in a far-off destination he had never visited. Here, God promised him a son through whom many descendants would come, including the Messiah. By faith, Abraham obeyed. It didn’t really matter how he felt about the change. 

Change is rarely welcomed, easy, or comfortable. Often, we have no control over it, as is true in the writing and publishing world. For example, the latest edition of CMOS (Chicago Manual of Style)—the writer’s Bible—made several changes, among them a small one that keeps tripping me up as I write and edit. Previously, archaic names such as Jesus and Moses that ended in “s” did not require an extra “s” after the apostrophe when forming their plurals. Now, they do. Not only do I have to remember this, but those who program the editing assistant programs I use must also make the change. 

This showed up in a recent proofreading project I had. A mixture of “Jesus’” and “Jesus’s” peppered the manuscript. Of course, Find and Replace provides a simple solution, but as an editor, I must remember the rule change. Whether I like the change or think it was unnecessary makes no difference. The publishers of CMOS didn’t ask my opinion. 

To complicate matters, I had a writing contract with a publisher for a series of devotions, where the in-house style guide said to form the plural of Jesus as “Jesus’.” Now, I was really confused. For the proofreading project, I had to remember “Jesus’s,” but for the writing contract I had to remember “Jesus’.” 

To deal with change in the writing and publishing world—and anywhere—in a healthy way, we must accept it as a way of life if we want to write and/or edit. Rebelling against it—unless it is a moral issue—will only lead to frustration, rejection, and perhaps a lack of future contracts. With my writing contract, I chose not to say to the editor, “I can’t accept this contract because I can’t in good conscience spell Jesus’ as Jesus’s.” 

Attending writers’ and editors’ conferences is a good way to keep up with the changes, as is subscribing to blogs such as this one. Books are also good, unless they are dated, although some grammatical rules never change. And we have yet to discover what changes AI will bring to our writing worlds. 

Don’t let the changes in the writing world take you on an emotional roller coaster. Take them one at a time and trust God to carry you through to a healthier writing future. Your paper-to-plastic doesn’t have to upend your writing life.

TWEETABLE

How Writers Can Adapt to Change in the Publishing Industry from Martin Wiles (@LinesFromGod) on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Martin Wiles lives in Greenwood, SC, and is the founder of Love Lines from God. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, pastor, and author. He serves as Managing Editor for both Christian Devotions and Vinewords.net and is an instructor for the Christian PEN (professional editor’s network). Wiles is a multi-published author. His most recent book, Hurt, Hope and Healing: 52 Devotions That Will Lead to Spiritual Health, is available on Amazon. He and his wife are parents of two and grandparents of seven. He can be contacted at mandmwiles@gmail.com.