It’s time for a new interview series… like NOW. No really, actually it’s called NOW (Newly Omniscient Authors). This blog has been publishing since 2011, and some of the earlier posts feel too hopeful dated. To honor the relaunch of the site, I thought I’d invite some of my past guests to read and ruminate on their answers to questions from oh-so-long-ago to see what’s changed between then and now.
Today’s guest for the NOW is David Bell, author of The Finalists where the competitive selection process for a prized college scholarship turns deadly.
Has how you think (and talk) about writing and publishing changed, further into your career?
I’ve certainly become more aware of the business side of things. Many moons ago, I wrote just to write, and publishing was a distant dream. Once books were published, I found myself thinking more about publishing trends and the marketplace.
Let’s talk about the balance between the creative versus the business side of the industry. Do you think of yourself as an artiste or are you analyzing every aspect of your story for marketability? Has that changed from your early perspective?
I never thought of myself as either an artiste or as a businessperson. I always wanted to write entertaining books that a lot of people would read. If the books were well-reviewed or appreciated in some other way, great. But I didn’t expect it. If anything, the longer my career has gone on the more I’ve swung back around to trying to write just for myself. Writers can’t chase the market. Even publishers don’t really know what’s going to catch on and not catch on. So why not have fun?
The bloom is off the rose… what’s faded for you, this far out from debut?
In a good way, I’ve come to realize how little real control I have over my career and the response to the books. Writers have an obligation to promote books they write. But there’s a limit to how much a writer can influence the sales and reception of the book. Again, I can do what I can do. But I’m not likely to be able to create a viral video of me falling on the ice that ends up selling one million books.
Likewise, is there anything you’ve grown to love (or at least accept) that you never thought you would?
Even though public events and readings are nerve-wracking, I’ve grown more and more comfortable doing them. It’s one of the few times we can meet readers and have someone applaud for us. I’m jealous of musicians who can play every night and hear applause. I ear applause a few times a year, but it’s nice.
And lastly, what did getting published mean for you and how was it changed (or not changed!) your life?
It meant I wouldn’t die without seeing my name on a book in a bookstore. It meant that I was good enough for it to happen. And somehow, I’ve sustained it. But it didn’t make me a different person. Whatever problems a writer has when they write the book they still have after the book is published. Publishing isn’t magic. It won’t turn you into a different person. That you have to do on your own.
David Bell is the USA Today-bestselling author of twelve novels from Berkley/Penguin, including The Finalists, Kill All Your Darlings, The Request, Layover, Somebody’s Daughter, Bring Her Home, Since She Went Away, Somebody I Used To Know, The Forgotten Girl, Never Come Back, The Hiding Place, and Cemetery Girl. He is a professor of English at Western Kentucky University where he co-founded the MFA program in creative writing.