[Disclaimer, I am on staff at WriteonCon.]
1. Everyone is really tired. I say this not just because I spent a huge amount of non-sleep time reading, listening and watching stuff. People in publishing have been talking about long hours and low pay for a long time. It's true everywhere, not just in publishing, but adding in the paper shortage and supply chain means a lot of people are really tired. It means everything is taking longer. Books are getting delayed, and it means new clients and unsigned projects are sitting much longer.
2. Cycles are short in publishing. People are talking about this feels very 2010, not fresh enough for the current market, or well, this was back in 2015, so now things have changed. Obviously the pandemic has created a clear dividing line, But things are hard, things will change, it just isn't always clear when and where the shift will happen.
3. In some ways this is a continuation of the prior point, but there are people with books coming out this year, who entered publishing through a route that no longer exists. It doesn't mean no new books or new authors are being acquired, but it's a clear example of how things shift, but the bookshelves don't always reflect that shift for another few seasons.
4. There are no shortcuts. I mean sure, be ready and prepared to be a huge success. But also be ready for that not to be. Or for people to call you an overnight success six books later.
5 . Listening to a lot of thoughts about writing is great. The most important takeaway is always going to be - there are a lot of approaches. Understanding why people suggest one, is often more important than immediately adopting it. (Unless it viscerally sounds great. Do those things. But also, it means there isn't a formula but also that all the things you're doing are good.
6. I default to the marathon example a lot, which is hilarious to my runner friends. But everyone had to learn to write in school, and most everyone had to run around in gym class in school, but everyone assumes being a writer is easy and no one assumes you could just run a marathon tomorrow.
7. There are so many people who love books, love reading and readers, and are excited to find and share more stories. My TBR grew three sizes.
