When veteran authors return, do new writers still have a chance? Yes, but you have to endure. Utsudo has seen that even authors who were once hugely popular can struggle on new platforms after a long absence, because entertainment options have multiplied and readers’ tastes have changed. On such a competitive stage, only those who stay active become indispensable. New writers should first hone their craft, then keep producing new work and look for chances to be seen.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

Recently I was chatting with a friend who’s also a commercial author.

He said he’d been looking around a well-known publisher’s new platform and saw an author who was once a huge name in local fiction performing poorly there. Only a few comments discussed his earlier works, which surprised my friend.

Even once-famous authors can lose their stage

Frankly, though, I don’t find this strange.

Unlike the past, when entertainment had less competition, now there are tons of fun illustrated posts, comics, videos and more at your fingertips. And that author’s peak was probably over a decade ago; the target audience has long since been replaced by a new generation.

New readers may not like the old works, or may never have heard of them. Readers’ preferred genres have changed too. Fantasy, once hugely popular, became the first thing publishers cut (not sure if that’s still true). The world keeps changing, so don’t be too discouraged if your manuscript gets rejected—it might become the market’s new darling in a while.

Besides that, the market is now full of translated foreign works and plenty of fun, free new entertainment competing for attention. If an author doesn’t stay active in the field, being gradually forgotten is only a matter of time.

The strong stay strong: only staying active makes you irreplaceable

It’s cruel, yes. But I hope you understand that on this competitive stage, only those who stay active and on the front line have a chance to become “indispensable” and “unforgettable.” And through accumulated achievements, they open a nearly uncrossable gap between themselves and those who couldn’t persevere.

That’s why the strong stay strong and the weak stay weak.

If you want to break this deadlock, you’ll have to find another way.

There’s always a way. It depends on how much you’re willing to sacrifice and how long you persist, adapting to new environments and finding the path that suits you best. Of course, luck and connections matter too, but luck is mostly beyond your control—it’s up to fate (taps wooden fish)

Returning veterans still have an advantage

Still, since this author is back at work, he does have a chance. His past glory is all online, and if his old readers still read, they’ll probably be interested in following him again once they know he’s back.

From any angle, he has a big advantage over a brand-new writer.

How can new writers fight their way through?

So, newcomers, how do you fight your way through?

First, hone your writing skills. Once you have a solid base, keep producing new works and look for chances to be seen. You have to endure—you absolutely have to. This is definitely not something you achieve overnight. A dream that hasn’t been tested is as fragile as a bubble.

So let’s work hard together and find a path of our own.

FAQ

Further reading

• Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #123: Keeping My Writing Separate from My Personal Life
• Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.