In This Article, We'll Discuss:
- Why you should write a book!
- The best time to start writing.
- How you can get started!
Table of Contents
Why write? Is it a good idea? Is this a good market to write a book? How much money can you expect to make? Is it even worth it?
Most people have, at some point or another, wondered if they should write a book. But of those who’ve started seriously considering, few reach the end of their literary journeys. But there is hope for budding authors, and even though there are challenges, both financial and emotional, now is an amazing time to write a book! Let’s get into it.
So... should you write a book?
Yes!
Okay, so it’s not really that easy to figure out if you should write a book. Maybe it isn’t right for you. In the abstract, the general rule of thumb is that if you want to write a book, you should. Don’t psych yourself out. Desire is a good enough reason to create. Books are art. Art is the language of human emotions. Therefore, if your heart tells you to write, you should. It’s as simple as that.
But beyond that general idea of “writing a book,” why choose writing, specifically? Why not film a movie? Jot down a poem? Sketch out a comic? If you want to write a book, you should be sure that the story you tell is suited best in the medium you’ve chosen. While desiring to write a book is enough, for a lot of people, writing a book is actually their secondary motivator.
About one in three people who approach me with a manuscript sample come in and ask “How long will it take me to get a movie deal?” Others ask how famous they should expect to get from publishing, while yet more grill me on how wealthy writing could make them. Everyone wants to be the next Stephen King. But nobody wants to hear the truth.
The truth nobody wants to hear
Writing is a terrible way to become famous. And it’s an even worse way to get rich. Truth be told, the vast majority of authors lose money in publishing their manuscripts, and of those who make any return on their investments, most would count their lucky stars to make a few thousand bucks. All those “passive income” hustle-culture grifters who show up on YouTube making long-winded videos about how they earned $30,000 in one month through publishing aren’t looking out for your best interests, and most of them simply want to collect your views and funnel you down a pipeline to whatever shady, expensive course they’ve made to placate the hungry masses. And if you point out that most people don’t make it, they’ll just say that those people “didn’t try hard enough.”
Hustle culture degrades art, and the reality of publishing is much grimmer than the hopelessly optimistic image of Western meritocracy so many online advice-mongers shell out. So, let’s get into the nitty-gritty details.
Traditional Publishing Issues
If you ask yourself, “Should I write a book?” and realize that you have a story to tell, you set yourself on a difficult, but worthy path. The two barriers you’ll have to face are money and time. You can pay one or the other, whichever you prefer. If you choose traditional publishing, you can get away without paying a red cent. Trouble is, you’ll wait a long time.
Beyond just the production times associated with traditional publication—publishers may take nine-to-eighteen months to get your book out on the market—just finding a publisher can take years. If you want to “become famous,” your best bet would be to find a mega-publisher like Penguin Random House or one of its typically New York-based peers and hope to God that they notice you. Otherwise, small, indie presses are your only option. Because so many indie presses operate with razor-thin margins, they will still take several weeks to get back to you after you’ve reached out. In general, expect rejection letters. A lot of them.
Self-Publishing Issues
If you’re more interested in taking fate into your own hands, self-publishing is a great option. But with self-publishing, the onus for payment falls on your shoulders, and you’re likely to pay out the nose. Your biggest charge will, in almost all circumstances, come in the form of editorial services. Quality editors are tough to find, and while I’m biased in my own way, I can’t say that skimping out is a good idea. Everyone thinks they’re a good enough writer to skate by on their own, up until the reviews come in. The average cost for most editorial services will fall in the $1,200–$1,800 range. Although, if you just get a copy editing pass, which most editors consider the bare minimum for publication, you can slip down into the $600–$1,000 range. And after that, you’ll still have to pay for your cover art (typically $200–$600) and ISBN number (optional if you use Amazon KDP).
After all those costs, most authors can expect to either lose money or break even.
Then why write?
You know, I said it all at the start. It’s all about art. If you can make money writing, great! If you can’t, that’s also fine, though. Maybe one in a million authors will become a Stephen King type. Maybe one in ten thousand can even make a living off their writing. But writing is its own reward.
Why write?
Because to create is human. To dream up a story and preserve it in the written word is a tradition that has persisted for millennia. Because all art contains a piece of its creator within itself, and that is a beautiful thing. If you want to know if you should write a book, you’re already on the cusp of a journey toward self-discovery and expression. And whether you end up settling on writing a book or starting some other art form, your motivation should focus mostly on the love of art.
I’m not going to criticize fantasizing about fame and fortune, because I’d end up making a hypocrite of myself. I’ve spent hours daydreaming about talk show hosts interviewing me on my own creative choices, going to award shows and giving acceptance speeches, all the self-indulgent fluff everyone loves to envision. It’s good to give yourself room to fantasize. It’s another thing to orient yourself entirely toward a financial goal and create for the sake of others’ perceptions. I don’t like making “purity of spirit” arguments, but when it comes to art, your intentions absolutely matter and will affect the outcome of your creations no matter how hard you try. Indulge your artistic side too much, and you’ll create a self-aggrandizing ego-monster of a manuscript. Live in daydreams of future success too much, and you’ll create a soulless, corporate cash-grab that panders to everyone and satisfies no one.
If you should choose to err on one side or the other, it’s better in my opinion to lean toward art. After all, an artist with delusions of quality comes across a lot better than an artist with delusions of grandeur.
In Conclusion...
Write a book! But don’t write it because you want anything from it. Write it because you’ve got a story in your heart that you just can’t get out any other way. Write it because it’s an extension of your soul. Become an author not for prestige but for the love of your art. As you write, don’t daydream about the success you’ll have, imagine instead the depths of storytelling you’ll achieve in your journey. Envision reading your story to your loved ones and seeing how they react. And if you do end up wondering what it would be like to live as a celebrity author, that’s fine, but don’t expect to achieve that. Learn to love art for art’s sake, and your writing journey will never disappoint you.
With all that in mind, if you’re thinking about moving forward with publishing, maybe it’s time to take the next step!
