7 Truths About Being an Author

I visited with a local book club recently and enjoyed it very much. They had read my book, Heat Lightning, and we talked about it.

As usual, they asked what inspired me to write that book, and what inspired me just to write books.

I told them that writing was one of the best jobs in the world—and it is. 

What I didn't tell them is something I'll tell you today—what a professional writer learns when she or he is lucky enough to establish a writing career.

7 TRUTHS ABOUT BEING A PROFESSIONAL WRITER.

1. Perfecctly good books get written but never get published.

I once believed that you could write a book about anything that struck your fancy, and if it was a good book it would get published. 

The traditional publishing business doesn't work that way. There  are budgets and quotas that prevent publishing just any book no mattter how beautifully written it may be. Editors can only acquire so many books.

When your Agent submits your book—yes, you really do need an agent—you don't know if the editor recently acquired a book with the same premise. 

You don't know if the Editor has already acquired books for the entire year or longer, or any number of other issues that prevent the Editor from acquiring your book.

The indie self-publishing business allows you to go ahead and publish the book, but publishing a book and getting readers to buy it are 2 different things. More on that later.

2. Writing successfully requires a commitment. 

You cannot sit around and wait each day to be inspired. The "Muse" is a myth. Real writers put butt in chair in front of the computer and write hundreds of words on a consistent basis until the book is finished.

3. No one knows how long it takes to write and publish a book.

The number of pages and the time it takes to write a book depends on the story and on the writer.

A story takes as many pages as it takes. It may be 140 pages or 980 pages. 

How long it takes to write those pages depends on the writer and his/her consistency of effort.

4. Writing is hard work physically so one must take care of the physical body from the beginning.

Prevent problems like back spasms, sciatic pain, carpel tunnel, etcetera, rather than try to "cure" them once they begin. Trust me, once established, muscle, tendon, and nerve pain are nearly impossible to cure. You'll be dealing with them the rest of your life.

5. Writing is hard work emotionally so nurture your spirit and your inspiration.

Take time to play. Take time for your relationships. Sometimes, you just need to go with the flow and make up the writing you may have missed on a day when you played. 

Pages can be written another day, but time with loved ones can't be reclaimed. Life is short. Children grow up while you aren't looking, and love relationships can grow stale.

6. Accept that not every good book will sell well.

As I said in #1 above, publishing a book and getting readers to buy it are 2 different things. Yes, as an indie self-publisher, you can publish anhthig you choose, but it may not sell more than a few copies—even if it has captivating characters, a stunning plot, and is beautifully written.

That's the downside of not having a traditional publisher who buys a manuscript based in part on how many thousands of books will sell based on the Editor's calculations. 

As an indie publisher, you hope and pray that enough books will sell to allow you to break even on any expenses you incurred in writing and publishing the book.

You have no guarantees though. If you have had previous success, you have a pretty good idea of how another book will sell.

In today's self-publishing world, i.e. Kindle Digital Publishing, the competition is fierce. The vast majority of these books rarely make more than a few hundred dollars.

You, the Author, are also the VP of Marketing which means you're going to spend a lot of time hawking your book on social media or with Amazon Ads and/or Facebook ads.

The best case scenario is to find a marketing channel that works for you as soon as possible because you need to be writing the next book.

7. There is no such thing as an instant million copy seller in today's book publishing universe.

The first book may sell, and that's great, but today's readers consume books like movie-goers consume popcorn. Your name will fade away if it's not out in the world on a consistent, regular basis.

The second and third and fourth books—or the 10th—build your reputation as a dependable author who doesn't disappoint.

Don't mope and/or drown your sorrows in hot fudge sundaes. 

Get on with the next book whether that's book #2 or book #10. Sometims, that's what it takes for a writer to build an audience.

TAKEWAY TRUTH

Writers write. If you love writing, keep doing it. If you find it depressing and tedious to pour your heart and soul in a book that earns less than $500.00, then you're probably not cut out to be a professional writer. That's okay. You're probably meant to do something else so try different things until you find your bliss.

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