When Writers Start Competing Instead of Cheering

An honest look at scarcity mentality in the publishing world plus a path back to abundance, celebration, and healthier creative friendships.

There’s a particular kind of loneliness that lurks in the publishing industry. It has nothing to do with rejection, or getting a one-star review, or not earning out your advance.

It’s the loneliness of realizing that some people were comfortable cheering for you…

Right up until you had an opinion that didn’t match their worldview.

Right up until you accomplished the very goals we’ve collectively identified as the hallmarks of a successful writing career.

Yep. I’m going there.

We’re going to talk about scarcity. Not to drag anyone, or to start a pile-on (although my sinful nature is clamoring to name names).

I want to talk about it because this malignant mindset quietly shapes how writers treat each other, and undermines living an abundant life as a creative.

What is Scarcity Mentality?

Scarcity mentality is the belief that there isn’t enough to go around.

Not enough attention.
Not enough readers.
Not enough opportunities.
Not enough money.
Not enough “slots” for your book.

And if that’s true, then someone else’s win doesn’t just feel like their victory.

It feels like a threat to your future.

Here’s what makes this especially tricky in writing: the ebb and flow within the industry fuels this fire. We don’t get consistent feedback. It’s challenging to access real-time data regarding book sales. We can do everything “right” and still miss, and someone can do everything “wrong” and still have a bestselling book.

Algorithms are dodgy beasts. The timeline from signed publishing contract to the book actually getting published can feel painfully slow. And it’s easy—too easy—to take that uncertainty and manufacture a lie about what it means when someone else rises.

Feeling these feelings or wrestling with these negative thoughts doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you human. And to be clear, I’ve had to wrestle with this internal turmoil too.

But acting out because you feel threatened will eventually prove costly.

A High-Level Story (That I Wish Wasn’t True)

In publishing, we are measured by our track record. It’s basically how our books have performed in the marketplace.

But what about our track record regarding how we treat one another?

I’ve invested significant time and effort hyping other authors’ accomplishments. I celebrate drafts finished, book launches, agent calls …you name it, I’ve probably double-tapped that post or commented with a trio of confetti emojis. I read ARCs and post reviews. Almost every week, I’m spreading the word about another author’s new release. My efforts are sincere. I genuinely enjoy cheering for writers because I know how hard this is.

And for a long time, things felt fine.

But then I spotted a pattern I couldn’t ignore: as long as I was perceived as a peer who wasn’t “outpacing” anyone—or as someone with less visibility, fewer accomplishments, or a smaller platform—the vibe was great.

Then two things happened: I expressed my opinion about a hot topic, challenging what I perceive to be a false premise circulating within the industry. Then, I nailed some bigger milestones including writing multiple books in one year and signing new publishing contracts.

And suddenly…silence.

Frankly, it’s confusing and painful. Why does my success or my perspective on any given topic pose a threat to someone else’s professional accomplishments?

Furthermore, it’s puzzling to me that in online spaces where we find plenty of energy for debate, discourse, and theological sparring, we sometimes can’t seem to find the energy to celebrate another author’s new release.

I think it’s important to name this toxic dynamic that many writers have experienced from both sides: being supported when you’re “less than,” and treated differently when you’re not.

That’s the very definition of scarcity mentality.

How Scarcity Shows Up …Even in ‘Nice’ Spaces

Scarcity doesn’t always look like outright cruelty. Often it looks like:

• cheering only when it’s easy

• going quiet when someone wins “too much”

• treating disagreement as betrayal

• keeping relationships when you feel safe, and disappearing when you feel challenged

Sometimes people truly believe their behavior is justified and defend their actions with flimsy excuses.

But the result is the same: a community where acceptance is conditional.

The Cost: What it Steals from Your Creative Life

Scarcity steals your time, your joy and your relationships.

Because you can’t enjoy your own progress if everybody else’s wins feel like a threat. You can’t fully celebrate anyone else if their success feels like proof that you’re behind.

That’s not a writing life. That’s a recipe for disaster.

A Practical Framework: C.H.E.E.R.

When you feel scarcity rising—when you notice yourself shrinking, spiraling, scorekeeping, or bracing for rejection—try C.H.E.E.R. Not as a performance. As a way back to living the abundant life.

C is for Claim

Claim the raw emotion and the hurt. It’s okay to be honest.

“That stung.”
“I feel left behind.”
“I feel invisible.”
“I feel replaced.”
“I feel afraid that there isn’t room for me.”

Claiming the pain matters because if we don’t, that unrecognized hurt ignites the negative mindset and influences our behavior. That can look like passive aggression, coldness, withdrawal, or contempt. When you claim it, you interrupt the cycle.

You might find it helpful to write this next part down:

This feeling is real but it doesn’t get to drive.

H is for Harbor

Find a safe place—literally or metaphorically—to “park” and re-establish what is true.

Sometimes that’s closing the app and taking a walk. Sometimes it’s journaling. Sometimes it’s calling a trusted friend who won’t fan the flames of your insecurity. Instead, they’ll help you remember the truth. And for those of us writing in the faith-based space, sometimes Harbor looks like returning to Biblical reality when the industry (and our anxious thoughts) are loud.

Here are a few truths worth harboring:

• You are called to create. Making beautiful art, telling truth, and crafting stories can be an act of stewardship (not a scramble for approval).

• God equips. what He calls us to tell stories and share our gifts with others. You are not relying on your own strength alone, your own networking alone, or your own perfect “strategy” alone.

• His plans and timing are never thwarted. What’s meant for you won’t be stolen by someone else’s announcement, numbers, or open doors.

Harbor doesn’t mean you pretend rejection doesn’t hurt. It means you stop interpreting someone else’s forward progress as a setback for you.

A sentence that helps:

God is not surprised by my timeline.

E is for Exit

This sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s often the most faithful and practical step: Exit what feeds your scarcity.

For many women, the issue isn’t that they’re “too sensitive.” The issue is that they’re staying in environments—groups, chats, comment sections, relationships—where comparison is constant and kindness is conditional.

Exiting can look like:

• muting or unfollowing accounts that consistently trigger spirals

• leaving a group where gossip is normalized and celebration is rare

• stepping back from relationships that only work when you’re small

• creating a boundary around “hot topic” conversations that drain your spirit

Exiting isn’t petty. It’s protective. You can love others and still refuse dynamics that promote negative mindsets.

A sentence that helps:

I’m allowed to leave what erodes my peace.

E is for Expand

Now expand what truly supports abundance.

Build a small “circle of cheer”. It sounds cheesy, right? I promise you, this is the way.

These are trustworthy folks you can root for consistently. Find spaces where honesty and celebration can coexist. Invest in relationships where the goal isn’t proximity to power, but mutual growth.

A sentence that helps:

I’m determined to build or find a community that lifts others up.

R is for Rejoice

Rejoice is the choice that breaks the stronghold.

Rejoicing when others have a win is the right thing to do. It’s kind. It’s loving. And someone else’s win is evidence that good things can happen to writers, and because our calling is not to compete in secret.

If you don’t have the energy to do a lot, keep it simple:

• leave one kind comment

• repost someone’s good news

• send a private “I’m proud of you” message

• pray for their launch and their peace

This isn’t about denying your own longing. It’s about refusing to let envy take the wheel.

A sentence that helps:

I can be happy for them and still want God’s best for me.

If You’re the One Feeling the Silence

If you’ve experienced the “support disappears when I grow” phenomenon, I want to say this plainly: you are not imagining it, and you are not required to shrink to keep people comfortable.

And if you’re the one who’s gone quiet on someone because their success (or their perspective) made you feel something you didn’t want to feel—this is your gentle invitation back. You don’t have to punish them to protect yourself. You can feel envy, grief, fear, or insecurity and still choose respect. You can set boundaries without vanishing.

Let’s Build Something Better

I’m not interested in a writing community built on a shallow unstable foundation. Instead, I want one built on genuine loyalty. So let’s be creative entrepreneurs who celebrate without scorekeeping, and where success doesn’t automatically mean isolation.

If you want to practice C.H.E.E.R. with me, drop one win in the comments. Big or small. That chapter you finished writing. A query sent. One sentence you love. Or an amazing book you finished reading. Or maybe a boundary you kept.

I’ll rejoice with you.

And then we’ll all go back to our creative work…because the most important thing a writer can do is keep writing.

Image Credit: Haute Stock