There was a time when people’s jaws actually dropped when you said, “I’m a writer.” They were impressed. They thought you exceptionally ambitious. They thought you talented and maybe a bit nerdy.
But nowadays? Say, “I’m a writer” and there’s a pretty good chance someone will reply, “Yeah, me too!”
Let’s face it. Being an author, specifically a self-published author, isn’t terribly special. First of all, it’s a lot of work. As the title of this post says, you have to do it ALL.
What do I mean?
Well, as a self-published author, you have to write your books (duh). But also, if you’re poor like me, you have to edit them yourself, or at the convenience of friends and family. You have to format your book properly. Make your own cover or spend money to have one done professionally. And you need to do all of the networking and advertising.
Believe me, as a self-published author, you have to do EVERYTHING.
I certainly envy those traditionally published authors who can sigh with relief as they finish their novel, knowing that, for the most part, their job is done. Sure, they might need to make changes at the direction of an editor. But it just seems like an easy life.
If you’re considering writing a book, or you HAVE written a book but don’t know what to do, I always advise people to try to publish traditionally first. Go for the money. Go for the big time. Go for the easy life. Why wouldn’t you?
Not all traditionally published authors make a lot of money. But there is a bit more security, in my opinion. You could be like me, still in school, working a lot, living with my family, in a relationship with an amazing woman, and still trying to write my books and maintain a blog. Is there a lot of “security” in my writing career when I am forced to become side-tracked? Uh, no…
In my case, I decided to “try” self-publishing and got rather stuck on it. There is certainly a thrill when you reel in readers, when you, personally, attract people to your story. And yes, the royalties are waaaay better than being a traditional author.
Is there a point to this rant….I’m not sure.
But, as always, I’d like to know: what do you think?
So I recently published a book. It’s called Elithius. It’s a fantasy novel with an anime feel. Sound interesting?
Amen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t know much about publishing but I think both options have their benefits as well as their cuts…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sure! I would agree. Here I am as a self published author, even though I advocate for going traditional! The truth is, self publishing is more convenient on a number of levels!
LikeLiked by 1 person
where there is more trouble to me managed, there’s always a good reason and a bunch of benefits waiting to be reaped, huh?^^
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, that’s a good mentality to have. Doesn’t always work like that though!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, go for it, I won’t mind!
Aw, well thank you! It means a lot, seriously. Self publishing DOES take a lot of work, so it’s nice to hear some kind feedback.
And WHAT???? It shouldn’t say “currently not available for purchase”!! Are you sure? I just checked, I think it should be fine now!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hm, I’m not sure what happened there; I’m pretty new to Amazon so the problem could be between the keyboard and the chair. 😅 I’ll poke around again and see if I could get it to show properly for me. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh hahaha! Yeah, it might be worth another try!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A random update: I poked around Amazon using various devices and found that while I’m able to add the paperback version into my cart, the Kindle version is a) not showing up in Kindle store search, and b) showing that dreaded “this title is currently not available” when I accessed your link. Why that’s happening, I haven’t quite figure out yet. 😅
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dang….I don’t know how to help you. It beats me. I just downloaded my book yesterday to make sure it worked and I didn’t run into any issues. What browser are you using? Maybe that’s the issue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hm, odd. I tried different devices with different browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari) and they all came up the same way. I wonder if it’s an issue with my account; maybe a regional issue? I’m not sure, so I’ll poke around a bit more. 😅
LikeLiked by 1 person
I honestly don’t know how to help you…I’m very sorry
LikeLiked by 1 person
No worries, thanks for trying! It’s the thought that counts. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
To me the question is
“What are you willing to do?” followed by “Would you work probably get traditionally published?”. Are you willing to put in 8 hours days(at least) constatnly spend your time reading, editing, writing, editing, reading? Is what you’re writing something that traditional publishers just aren’t looking for?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those are great questions, with even greater answers. How you answer those questions will determine what kind of writer you will be, and how successful.
Great thoughts!!!
LikeLike