Out of the Shadows - Matthew Greene

What advice would you give to your younger writing self? Is there anything you'd do differently?

When I was coming up in theater, I was taught that a playwright belongs in the dark.

That may sound harsh or punishing, but I found the concept comforting. While the actors stood in the spotlight, the designers built beautiful things, and directors pontificated and made their presence known, I was allowed the luxury of letting my work speak for itself. I dreaded talkbacks for exactly that reason—I didn't want to be the face of the work. I was much more comfortable sitting (or, more accurately, pacing) in the back of the auditorium. In the darkness, where I belonged.

Fast forward to a few years ago, when I made my first foray into the wonderful world of fiction. Writing prose, I reasoned, was an even more solitary act. If I could stay mostly out of sight in my theatre work, I'd be able to outright disappear as a novelist.

Boy, was I wrong.

So, my words of wisdom to that younger me would come down to three emphatic words: show your face.

The cynical version of this advice came to mind during various book events when I was asked what I'd tell aspiring writers. I'd sometimes smirk and say, "Get a lot of social media followers," followed quickly by caveats and apologies.

But the frustrating truth is...online followers matter more than we want to admit. When I was prepping for my debut novel's release, my publisher's marketing department encouraged me to share pre-sale links with my "followers." And then panic set in.

Followers? What followers? You mean the few hundred friends and family members who had likely already ordered the book? Was I supposed to be amassing my own audience? 

The answer to that was a full-throated "DUH!"

In today's attention economy, it's harder than ever to get eyeballs on our work. Publishers' marketing budgets (especially for debuts, especially for cozies, and so on...) are not enough to break through the noise and attract a base of loyal readers. When I realized this (too late) I started furiously making content, attending conventions, and stepping out of the darkness I thought was my realm as a writer. 

As it turns out, people want to know who they're reading. Who they're supporting. They have to see us to believe us.

I think this will only get more important with the rise of AI. The more we can put a human face on our work, the more we can stem the tide of synthetic prose. We want people to read us, connect with us, and invest in us as storytellers.

And to do that, we may just have to come out of the shadows.