Listen to lesson (5:40)
[audio:http://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/authorcartel/Rule%202.1%20-%20why%20you%20need%20a%20cartel.mp3]If you look it up on Wikipedia, a Cartel is described as an agreement among competitors.
The Beat Generation was one of the most influential Story Cartels in the 20th century.
As writers, you are competing for attention. You are competing with James Patterson and J.K. Rowling and Anne Lamott. You are also competing with me. You could choose to be hostile and competitive with me. You could put my writing down and talk about how much better yours is. You could start the writer’s equivalent of a “turf war” and fight to control your piece of the attention pie.
Or you could start a Cartel with a few other authors at your level and bake your own pie.
A cartel, like a guild or a union or a crime syndicate, is a group of people who decide to stop working against each other and to start working with each other.
Zero Sum
You can look at attention like a zero sum game. If Jane Reader reads my book, it means she didn’t read your book. If you win attention, it means that I’m losing. But if you always need to win, you’ll always be losing. There is more competition for the attention of readers than ever before. Looking at the world through a zero sum paradigm is exhausting and depressing.
You could look at every writer as your enemy. Or you could treat them as a potential ally.
When I first started The Write Practice, my friend Jeff Goins was already beginning to create momentum with his blog, Goins, Writer. I was annoyed with him. I thought, My blog is better. My posts are more creative. I should be getting more attention than him.
But instead of treating me like a competitor, Jeff treated my like an ally. He linked to my blog from his, shared my posts on Facebook, and introduced me to other writers. His help led to huge results. My blog grew faster than it ever would have on my own. And how did I return the favor?
I linked to his blog. I shared his posts on Facebook. I introduced other writers to him.
Cartel-Based Thinking
The experience led to a paradigm shift for me. I realized that the more he succeeded, the more I would succeed. And so I helped him as much as I could.
This is Cartel based thinking, and it’s the way most successful people in every industry look at the world.
Cartels are not for pushovers. They don’t form out of any kumbaya, hand holding, warm fuzzy motivations, not that there’s anything wrong with warm and fuzzy feelings. Authors create Cartels because it’s an excellent strategic, business decision. In the end, the principles behind Cartels—generosity, character, relationship, trust, responsibility—lead to long-term success better than any short-term, get rich quick scheme.
Who Creates Cartels
In the age of traditional publishing, publishers held all the keys to the Cartels. Their Cartels relied on a close relationship with bookstores and traditional media (newspapers, magazines, radio, and television). Only publishers had the clout to get their authors on Good Morning America and featured by the New York Times, not to mention the hundreds of smaller magazines, newspapers, and TV and radio stations. Only publishers had the money to send salesmen to bookstores around the country, telling them which books they needed to display in big piles at the front of their stores.
Even authors were recruited into this “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” relationship. If you were published by Simon & Schuster, you would be required to read and endorse other Simon & Schuster authors. You would be asked to speak at Simon & Schuster events and promote Simon & Schuster products.
The demise of publishing didn’t just happen because of Amazon and e-publishing. Traditional publishing lost its Cartel. Newspapers laid off reporters, cut the book review section, and went bankrupt. The hundreds of newspapers and magazines that publishers used to control the tastes of the world were replaced by thousands of bloggers who had no relationship with publishers and could not be as easily controlled.
Publishers relied on the Cartels of traditional media but traditional media is dead.
Who organizes the Cartels now that Simon & Schuster is out of business?
The answer should be obvious: You do.
What do you think a Cartel is? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
It’s time for lesson two. I’m excited for this one. Ready to move on?
I think a cartel is a group of like-minded individuals who have nothing to fear about sharing their successes and failures with others in the field.
The word cartel in this context is new to me as well. It has had a negative tone, as in “drug cartel”, so it is refreshing to apply it here. I think of it as a worldwide group of like-minded people who share knowledge, encouragement, experience, sources, etc with whom they may or may not have personal contact.
Reading this makes me think of TV stations like the Food Network or TLC. They’re just big cartels right? Or Youtube channels in the Nerdist Channel or Tasted – just cartels. It’s funny how after reading this I’m seeing them everywhere.
Yes, in a way, they definitely are. Good point, Jeff. Across channels, the producers are competing with each other to bring the best shows and get the best ratings, but within the channel itself, they’re focused on helping each other.
You have educated me about what a cartel is, I am glad Thanks. Now I want to join or create a cartel for sure.
Awesome.
I have to concur w/Margherita on this. This is the first I’ve come across it. So all of this has been an education for me.
I’m so glad!
Well, based on last week’s class session, a cartel can also be based on fans of an author’s work. Remember our J. K. Rowling talk? The same can be said of other majorly successful stories, like A Game of Thrones, Star Wars, etc. Relationships with fans can help build the cartel. George R. R. Martin in his earlier days of writing A Game of Thrones, spent more time with his fans. Even Orson Scott Card mentions building a warm relationship with fans and not overlooking them. Not only do I agree with partnering up with other authors to help promote work, but valuing fans and those who do like your work and rewarding loyal fans is important. Without them, we couldn’t move forward. So, talking with them and making them a part of your development is very important.
Right, Marcelo! Not all fans will be part of your Cartel though (that’s where the idea of a tribe differs from Cartels). Cartels are made of competitors, remember, and you’re probably not competing with your fans. That being said, fans are hugely important. We’ll talk more about them in Rule 5.
I think a cartel is a group of like-minded people who share your vision and gather to share their stories and learn from one another, Through my blog, Memoir Writer’s Journey, I have developed a community of people who are interested in memoir and writing. I also belong to several other writing communities and feel I am a part of a “tribe”. When I started my blog 3 and 1/2 years ago, I had no idea the vital purpose it would serve in the current publishing environment. I have learned so much from so many and try to pay it forward to others.
Isn’t it amazing how when you just keep showing up, you slowly find your community? There are things we can do to speed up that process (which is what this rule is about), but in the end, it just comes down to showing up.
i think the word Cartel is new (at least to me) in the writing/publishing business. I’ve always heard of it in other industries such as sugar, coffee and oil. But I shouldn’t be surprised about cartels and writing. There have always been groups of people meeting on a regular bases just to talk. When I first moved to San Francisco in the mid-80’s, I used to go to North Beach and visit the City Lights Bookstore (see picture above) because of its history. I also HAD to buy a copy of Howl during my first time at the bookstore. But even 30 years before the Beat Generation was the Algonquin Round Table. This was a group of writers, actors, comics and critics who met for lunch at the Algonquin Hotel every day. Bits of their conversations were often quoted in newspapers and they inspired creativity in each other. The most well-known of the writers from that group was Dorothy Parker.
Good one! I hadn’t heard of the Algonquin Round Table. Thanks, Debbie.
The Algonquin was one of the first and most respected of cartels, as was the Hemingway/Gertrude Stein group in Paris, which included artists and all kinds of creative people. When I think of cartels, I think of both. There were also cartels out West in New Mexico, including a very serious communal experiment by D.H. Lawrence and a host of artists as well. So this concept goes ‘way back!
This idea of a cartel is similar to what we have in the magic community.
Sure, we’re all competing for attention (no attention = no gigs = no pay), but we also get together as a magic community to help each other out. In the city I’m in, the magicians meet every other Tuesday to share ideas and fuel each other’s creativity. We all know that a bad magic show doesn’t just reflect badly on the magician, but the entire magic community.
Working together as a community also helps us get more gigs. There are times when other magicians will pass gigs my way because they’re booked or busy. Likewise, I’ll make sure to pass along gigs to others when I’m unavailable. Everybody wins. Also, unless the magician has done something horribly wrong to the entire community, you will rarely hear us bad-mouth each other in public.
The idea of a writing cartel seems similar, if not identical. It makes sense that writers helping each other benefits everyone involved. It pushes each writer to improve, to ship and push their boundaries.
Exactly, Vito. They’re the same. The idea is that by helping each other, we help ourselves. Great dissection.
A cartel is similar to a mastermind (like we discussed here in the forums: http://my.storycartel.com/forum/story-cartel-course/rule-two-cartel-building/). A group of people who share their art with each other, collaborate, and push each other to go further with their writing and ship.
In The Icarus Deception (p. 181), Godin wrote of a focus group of four people in different industries as a tactic for exposing fear in the creation of art. A Cartel, however, are people in the same industry.
This is the exact reason why I think that it’s ridiculous that Amazon is starting to disallow authors from leaving reviews. Just because authors are technically competitors, it’s not the same as in other industries. As you pointed out, just because Bob buys your book doesn’t mean that he can’t or won’t buy mine.
A good example of this is with my business as a home daycare provider. Even though we are in competition with each other (someone who enrolls with me isn’t going to enroll with Jane down the street) but we still team up and help each other. We send each other referrals and keep each other up to date on things and ask each other for advice.
Yep. I agree with you, Stacy. It’s a weird thing.
Funny thing is, being a business major, cartels make me think of antitrust laws, which prohibits agreements or practices that restrict competition between businesses. It almost feel like “cheating” to think about that kind of collaboration between authors and yet it makes so much sense from a writer’s standpoint.
That’s true, Jing. In the business world, there are legal and illegal versions of Cartels (at least, that’s what I remember from my reading). However, a buzzword I came across recently in the business world is “strategic alliance,” which defines a Cartel pretty well, I think.
A cartel is a group of like-minded people helping each other grow in their craft (such as writing) and supporting each other on the journey to fame and fortune. It’s writers helping writers.
Yep!
This is awesome!
I love meeting other writers. I enjoy helping them out and I love it when they also help me out. So, I definitely agree with you about how helping others is also helping yourself in the long run.
A cartel is almost like a family. They help each other grow. They teach and you also learn from them.
“Or you could start a Cartel with a few other authors at your level and bake your own pie.”
Joe, I agree with the idea of writers helping each other. I wasn’t sure what you meant by “at your level?” Published authors and beginning writers are both writers.
Did you mean to have a cartel only with people who are 5’7″, like I am?
Well, it would be hard to build your Cartel with J.K. Rowling, for example. While she’s shorter than you (5’5″ I hear), she is very tall in publishing stature.
Ah, I see. So a Cartel is for people on an equal footing and when an author tall in publishing stature helps a beginner, they are mentoring and not part of a Cartel because the help is only going in one direction.
They COULD be in your Cartel, but it’s harder to network your way to them. Mentors are definitely part of your Cartel. Everyone needs a Don, right?
A writing cartel sounds like a salon in the art world: a group of artists and their supporters committed to creating and critiquing high quality work in a setting that fosters new ideas.
It also sounds like a great way to not have to go it alone in this strange business …
*Exactly*, Lisa.
Just read the next lesson … and feel very validated 🙂
I see a cartel as a group of writers who are willing to share their work and critique others’ work. I would have thought it valuable to have a variety of levels of expertise, so the early writers can gain from the experience of the more established ones, and the more established writers can gain from the fresh approach of the others.
I agree, Steve.
A Cartel is a group of people that are in the same business that help each other share their work and give each other positives and negatives on their work. They help them reach success.
The thing that you are describing as a Cartel makes perfect sense – my only problem is with the label. You’re redefining a word that already has an established meaning, which critically includes the concept of “conflicting interests” and is generally illegal. Now, inventing new words, or new meanings for old words, is fine – that’s how the language grows. But you do need to be aware that whenever you use your word with people who haven’t yet been re-educated, you have a barrier to understanding to overcome. Of course, if the label is only ever used by people who are already on the inside, as it were, then you don’t have a problem, and I guess that this will be the case here. If, on the other hand, you only ever use “Cartel” as part of “Story Cartel” then it’s easier to maintain the distinction between your new use and the old one…
Maybe. I think drug cartels and organized crime actually have a lot in common with Story Cartels. That being said, what I think you’re pointing out is the relationship of the organization and the needs of the consumer/customer. A drug cartel and a business cartel clearly don’t have the best interest in mind for their customer, and that’s why they’re rightfully illegal. Still, the basic definition of a cartel is an agreement among competitors, and like all things, these agreements can be used for good or for ill. So I wouldn’t say I’m redefining the word as much as choosing the best possible meaning for it.
I am terribly behind (flu swept through the house) but I’m catching up now. For me, a cartel is a group of people with common goals working together so that both the group and the individual benefits. I’m reminded of Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who. One voice couldn’t make a big enough difference to save The Who, but all the voices working together, echoing one another, made the difference. (When all else fails, read Seuss. 🙂 )
Glad you’re catching up, Yvonne! And what a great example! I need to include that.
I believe a cartel is two or more individuals who are there for each other, who support each others efforts and who are not afraid of competition.
Well said, Nita!
Until I started seriously writing, I never gave any of this a thought. Now, it’s almost all I think about! I certainly see the need for myself. Having a group of people to show me the ropes, encourage me, and hold me accountable for my own work is vital.
Indeed it is. 🙂
Does your cartel need to be other writers? In his book On Writing, Stephen King talks about his cartel, (though he doesn’t call it that), a group of people that he trusts to read his stuff after he’s done a couple of drafts. I would think it would be advantageous to have some writers in your cartel, but I can see the value in having people you know and trust be in your cartel as well even though they aren’t writers.
No, it doesn’t. Virginia Woolf’s Cartel, for example, had famous economists and artists. Writers are usually going to be the main members of your Cartel, but that isn’t necessary.
Interestingly, I recently saw a movie about the Beat Generation in New York City. It was tres Cool. Words ruled in the ’50s, whereas music structured the trend for the 1960s (as well as the birth-control pill).
Back to words:
Self-publishing is a small business–not my insight, though I agree with it. And as with any small business, where you’ve got to do EVERYTHING, you need support.
So a group of like-minded individuals is a very good idea. The web makes that so much more possible. But there’s still a challenge in making MEANINGFUL connections. I’m way open for exactly that.
I’ve found a cartel useful for both my writing and life as a single, and since I write about the second bit, there’s actually a sizable overlap between the two. Now I’m learning the value of diversifying my cartel. I just read a post by the author of a memoir, and she said she gives her draft to five key people, including peers, experts, and someone with the opposite opinion to hers. Not that beta readers are quite the same thing as a cartel, but it does bring in the thought that we need a mixture of people supporting us in order to be successful.
I’m excited about the idea of a cartel as it may also prove to be a motivating force for writing. My life – like yours, I guess – is full of many different things, and each day seems to disappear too quickly and I have to be very disciplined to carve out precious time to write. So I am hoping that a group of like-minded fellow writers will encourage me to prioritise, and also that I might be able to encourage others to get down to it as well.
I hope so too, Andy.
Andy,
I’ve been journaling about discipline this week. You are right, it does seem to come down to this elusive element. Then the trick seems to be that within this framework of methodical regularity we craft for ourselves a wide open space filled with creative options and opportunities. Yikes. No small task. I know I need encouragement along these lines. Hope I can help others in that same manner.
Great authors don’t need to steal audiences, they create them out of thin air. Great authors increase the total number of readers. Great authors inspire other authors.
Our goals should be stealing audiences from television to reading books. We should be showing this generation that reading is a competitive source of entertainment, every bit as good as television and video games, if not better. I believe reading is a better source of entertainment, because the great books I’ve read have made me think and grow as a person.
My dream is to be one of those authors, to have the opportunity to prove books kick ass. The best comment I’ll ever look for is, “I didn’t like reading until…”
If you are looking for comments such as “you are better than J.K Rowling”, you’ve set yourself up for failure, even if you are a good writer.
In dangerous lines of work, when someone thinks they know everything, they end up killing someone.
Stay humble, stay helpful. Grow.
Amen!
Very well said.
I like what you wrote James. Getting people off the couch who are watching television, to reading.
A few years ago I hired a personal trainer to help whip my “not-getting-any-younger” body into some sort of shape. Part of our weekly routine included a group exercise session on Saturday mornings at The UCLA’s sports stadium. I was the new member to a group who’d been working out together for quite some time and the lesson I learned on that first Saturday morning stays with me to this day.
After an hour of individual exercises it was time for our distance run. 12 of us took our places at the starting line and began our required 2 mile run. The fitness level of the group was widely varied and as i found my way toward the back-middle of the pack I expected those, who were far, far ahead, to be waiting for me in the parking lot by the time i crossed the finish line. As the fastest runners came up on the end of their eighth lap the most amazing thing took place. Rather than crossing the finish line these leaders circled back around and began cheering on those who were coming up behind. Without exception each runner, upon nearing the finish line, turned around and began encouraging those still laboring. The cheering and applause grew as the number of runners diminished until 11 of us were jogging around our last member, encouraging her toward the finish line. It was only when our slowest member was ready to cross the line that the entire group did so too.
Firm in the knowledge that we were a team and that the point of the exercise was not for an individual to win but for the team, together, to finish; you can’t imagine how excited people were to run whatever distance our coach suggested.
I view this Cartel in much the same light. Celebrating our individual strengths acknowledging our individual weaknesses and always working to strengthen the group will help our writing in unimaginable ways.
Woah, what an amazing image, James. I love that.
Loved that illustration. Having run a mere 4 mile race, I appreciated the image. It was nice having people clap for me, even those who didn’t know me at all.
For me a Cartel is a community of like minded people who will help and uplift each other. I think to be in a Cartel, one should operate in the mindset that there is plenty of room in the top. Abundance mindset.
Exactly, Joy.
Amen to that, Joy.
I see Cartels all around me–book bloggers sharing each other’s novels, Twitter conversations between two authors, writers critiquing each other’s work. Before, I didn’t know these were examples of Cartels. This is what I desperately want but haven’t figured out how to build on my own.
In the past, I’ve been guilty of giving a poor (honest, but poor) review to a bestseller. It’s likely my review won’t damage the reputation of a bestselling author, but I struggle between giving an honest review of something and being supportive just to be supportive because I’m in the trenches with other struggling writers. Where is the balance?
Good question, Sunny. I think, like any family, you should do your best to be respectful in public and honest in private. Feel free to give hard feedback to a fellow Cartel member, but don’t do it publicly in a way that would hurt their reputation. Also, you don’t have to choose people who write stuff that’s under your standards to be in your Cartel.
Thanks, Joe. I do try to praise what is good, even if I think an author will never see it, paired with constructive criticism. I definitely see the value in what you suggest (conversation in private for criticism).
To me a Cartel is a group of people who I am not in competition with. It is a group who has the desire to help one another. Taking out the competition part will extinguish the temptation to compare with one another. I believe a Cartel is a great idea. I think I experienced this to some degree somewhere else, and yet, I sometimes found some more willing to help others succeed. This was disheartening.
To me, it sounds like a cartel is a lot like a joint venture between authors.
That’s a great way to look at it, Angie!
Until I started this course, my only image of a cartel was OPEC, sinister bearded men in flowing robes scheming together to fix oil prices and bring the West to its knees. It’s a silly picture, illustrating an even sillier idea.
The idea of a writers’ cartel really turns me on. I am very much aware of the no-win result of zero-sum-game thinking. It’s like “if you’re thin and pretty, you take away my opportunity to be attractive too. There’s only so much prettiness to go around, you’ve already scooped the pool, so I might as well give up.
What a self-defeating way to look at the world.
I never really thought about it in terms of writers, but I like it. A lot. In the first week of this course I’ve made more contact with writers than I ever have in my life. The idea of being in a community of writers who help promote each others’ work is brilliant.
I love it, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you all.
Judith
I find it hard to write my answer after reading the comment from James, which was pure perfection. (Way to go, James!)
My idea of cartels before Joe created this group would be an aggressive and heavy handed group within industries or even political associations (lobbyists). Of course, you think of Opec et al.
My first introduction to the idea started in my youth with members of different arts organizations congregating at our house. Or being dragged to conventions where there was nothing but helpful discussions or brainstorming (to borrow a term from the present). I liked that. Of course, there was the odd personal-defect artist, but they got spotted and ignored easily.
Since then, my own experience has been a very cooperative artistic bunch for two decades with directors, designers, and actors on the stage. Moving to blogging about marketing (my earlier experience before the theater) and writing, I developed some great connections with authors on forums and other platforms and then on twitter. The author clubs there are fabulous and the conversations flow off of twitter into other mediums.
But this group that Joe has created is one of a kind. The atmosphere is uniquely and wholly welcoming. There are no first, tentative steps into introductions even on the first class. I don’t know what kind of magic Joe is brewing behind the scenes, so to speak, but it creates a wonderful environment for writers to follow along and then jump in immediately. Sounds like the Stockholm Effect, doesn’t it? 😉 Somehow, he has brewed a magic potion for all of us to imbibe and I’m grateful to him and to everyone here.
Yes – I’m a little unsure myself. First, I have to shake the negative connotation here with the word Cartel, but beyond that, I am trying to wrap my brain around what this approach will look like. I’m intrigued!
I’m still not 100% clear on it. No, I should rephrase that: it’s difficult for me to see how this works yet. Thus – I read on! 😀
I believe a cartel is a group of people though different, who work for a common cause, to promote each other. I also see a biblical view here because we are instructed to not only be concerned with our own needs, but also the needs of others.
To be honest, I had never heard of the word cartel until I recieved an email about Story Cartel. Based on what I’ve learned thus far, I think a cartel is a group of like-minded artisans who push each other to become better at their crafts.
Cartels – although they may not go by that moniker – are all around us. Without knowing it I belong to several “Cartels” in the different interests I enjoy. My homebrewers group is all about getting together and discussing new recipes, new equipment, and new techniques. Not once have I ever had anyone not lend their aid in Homebrewing – even when we may be in direct competition with each other during beer and winemaking competitions. People want to win, but I think that people who are passionate about what they do – are anxious to share it with others. I have found this common in Musicians, artists, Makers, gardeners, I could hardly begin to name them all. I have also found that the more a person participates in these type of groups – the greater the rewards.
Exactly, James. It sounds like you’ve got it!
A cartel is a group of other authors, writers and bloggers who are close to growing at the same level you are. They are like minded and base their cartel on generosity, character, relationship, trust and responsibility. Cartel based thinking is help other writers as much as you can. I have a small cartel that I began through TribeWriters and writing conferences. I want to continue to enlarge my territory. Joy, do you show us how?
Joe not Joy. Typo. LOL
No problem Brenda. I do feel very joyful today. 😉 And yes! We’re going to talk a lot about how to “enlarge your territory,” which is a great way to put it! Thanks. 🙂
Currently a Cartel for me is a group of other writers in a class I’m taking. I’m competing but we also help each other and the help has lead to excellent improvements and insights that I wouldn’t have reached by myself.
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