Is writing a zero-sum game?

I can't count the number of times I've heard writers make statements along the lines of "If people weren't wasting their time on XX's books, then they'd have time to read mine." More generally, many writers complain about the success of other writers and attribute their own lower sales to the higher sales of those others. This sort of discussion begs the question, is writing a zero-sum game?

The answer is complicated and comes in multiple parts:

1) Some aspects are zero-sum.
2) Some aspects are not.
3) The question is irrelevant.

What parts of writing are zero-sum? That's easy: readers' time, readers' money, and, most importantly, marketing resources.

Even the most fervent readers among us can consume only so many books per year.

Budget is also a factor for many readers, though for many others it is not. Books still represent, per hour, an above average entertainment bargain for most people.

Marketing resources are actually a far more important finite resource. Publishers have budget limits; what they spend on A, they cannot spend on B. Bookstores have room for a finite number of books at the front of the store. And so on. All of these limits are somewhat flexible for the right book, but in general, they apply.

The part of writing that is not zero-sum is hard to quantify but boils down to this: there always seems to be room for another bestselling book. Regardless of what you think of it, no sane person can argue that The Da Vinci Code sold huge quantities. Equally inarguable is the fact that Brown's previous sales would never have led you to estimate the sales of that one book correctly. Some bestsellers are predictable (e.g., whatever King writes next), but many are not.

The most important point, though, is the last: this entire issue is the wrong focus for writers. We cannot control our sales. One can make a good case that even the most fervent promoters among us can barely nudge the needle with their efforts. When we worry about these things--as, unfortunately, all writers do--all we ultimately do is bring pain to ourselves.

The proper focus of all writers is the work itself. Decide what you're going to write, do the best job you can, and then hope for the best. Sure, feel free to help with marketing and cajole publishers and all the rest--I'm embarrassed to admit that I do, most of us do--but when you really want to accomplish something, shut up, write, and try to create the best work you can.

The only thing with a chance of lasting is the work; the rest is fleeting.