You ought to write a book! Has anyone ever said that to you? Chances are, if they have, they have no idea of what goes into writing a book.
I have had people tell me that many a time. So one day I wrote a book (actually it took 10 years). That was the easy part. Where is that book today? In a cardboard box underneath a stack of rejection letters.
When I set out to write my book, I did not know anyone who had written a book and submitted it to publication, let alone get it published and out on the market. Neither did anyone around me. But that didn't stop them. You see, all you have to do is write it, send it off, and voila, you're an author. Right? Wrong!
The very fact that neither I nor anyone around me knew anyone who had succeeded in this business or knew any agents or publishers should have been a sign to not proceed any further until I knew what I was up against. Instead I spent thousands of dollars in borrowed money (credit card money, the worst kind of debt) to bring my book to market. I failed big time. It has taken me over ten years to pay off this money and in the meantime I have had to cut back in my standard of living. Bet you didn't expect to read that!
Here is the truth about writing. Unless you have connections, the odds are so stacked against you that you are better off going to the nearest casino or buying lottery tickets. Publishers receive hundreds of thousands of manuscripts per year. They only select a handful to publish and most of those slots are already taken by proven writers. The rest just get thrown away unread. They also have inside tricks which the average person is not going to know. For example, style guidelines. These change by the year. If this year's font is Times New Roman and you are using Courier, it doesn't matter if you are Shakespeare. Into the circular file!
Now that there is electronic publishing the rules have changed somewhat, but it still costs to turn a manuscript into a finished product. It costs to promote and advertise it. Guess who foots that bill--especially if you are unknown. You! How much do you need? I honestly don't know. But anyone who tells you it does not take money, ask them what kind of experience they have. Chances are, they haven't any. There is a reason that writers get grants. Oh, yes, you will need experience in grant writing. You will need to know how much you need (and how do you find that out when you don't know?). You will need to know how to advertise, publicize, and promote. The publisher isn't going to do it for you. Advances--forget it. And royalities--I'm not sure what they are now, but when I was trying to get my book published, they were 5 cents per copy. That was with a "vanity" or "do it yourself" press. You spend several thousand dollars only to receive a nickel per copy. Regular publishers pay even less!
So why not self-publish? Well, as I said, there is the matter of cost. You foot 100% of the bill. For everything. Also, self-publishing has a bad reputation. Most of the self-published stuff out there is pretty dreadful. I can usually spot a self-published book a mile away. They have a certain look. Misspellings and errors are common. If you are serious about your craft, do you really want your name associated with that? Most writers don't. There are exceptions of course but they are exceptions because they are not the usual experience.
At a writer's conference (these aren't cheap either, but this is where you go to network) I heard a speaker say that of all the manuscripts submitted only a tiny tiny fraction ever see publication and those that do have the shelf-life of a carton of milk. The ones that aren't sold (by far the majority) go back to the publisher with their covers torn off so that they can't be sold. They end up being destroyed. It goes without saying that you don't get any royalties from unsold books. So you can do the math.
Now, if someone had said all this to me when I started out, especially someone who had gone through the experience, I don't know if I would have taken all of their advice but I think I would have asked them questions. The rarest person in the world is someone who says, "What would you like to do and how can I help you do it?" If you meet someone like that, treat them as if they were a valuable treasure.
Perhaps someday I might dust off that manuscript and try again, but if I do, I will have the support system in place that I need.
I have had people tell me that many a time. So one day I wrote a book (actually it took 10 years). That was the easy part. Where is that book today? In a cardboard box underneath a stack of rejection letters.
When I set out to write my book, I did not know anyone who had written a book and submitted it to publication, let alone get it published and out on the market. Neither did anyone around me. But that didn't stop them. You see, all you have to do is write it, send it off, and voila, you're an author. Right? Wrong!
The very fact that neither I nor anyone around me knew anyone who had succeeded in this business or knew any agents or publishers should have been a sign to not proceed any further until I knew what I was up against. Instead I spent thousands of dollars in borrowed money (credit card money, the worst kind of debt) to bring my book to market. I failed big time. It has taken me over ten years to pay off this money and in the meantime I have had to cut back in my standard of living. Bet you didn't expect to read that!
Here is the truth about writing. Unless you have connections, the odds are so stacked against you that you are better off going to the nearest casino or buying lottery tickets. Publishers receive hundreds of thousands of manuscripts per year. They only select a handful to publish and most of those slots are already taken by proven writers. The rest just get thrown away unread. They also have inside tricks which the average person is not going to know. For example, style guidelines. These change by the year. If this year's font is Times New Roman and you are using Courier, it doesn't matter if you are Shakespeare. Into the circular file!
Now that there is electronic publishing the rules have changed somewhat, but it still costs to turn a manuscript into a finished product. It costs to promote and advertise it. Guess who foots that bill--especially if you are unknown. You! How much do you need? I honestly don't know. But anyone who tells you it does not take money, ask them what kind of experience they have. Chances are, they haven't any. There is a reason that writers get grants. Oh, yes, you will need experience in grant writing. You will need to know how much you need (and how do you find that out when you don't know?). You will need to know how to advertise, publicize, and promote. The publisher isn't going to do it for you. Advances--forget it. And royalities--I'm not sure what they are now, but when I was trying to get my book published, they were 5 cents per copy. That was with a "vanity" or "do it yourself" press. You spend several thousand dollars only to receive a nickel per copy. Regular publishers pay even less!
So why not self-publish? Well, as I said, there is the matter of cost. You foot 100% of the bill. For everything. Also, self-publishing has a bad reputation. Most of the self-published stuff out there is pretty dreadful. I can usually spot a self-published book a mile away. They have a certain look. Misspellings and errors are common. If you are serious about your craft, do you really want your name associated with that? Most writers don't. There are exceptions of course but they are exceptions because they are not the usual experience.
At a writer's conference (these aren't cheap either, but this is where you go to network) I heard a speaker say that of all the manuscripts submitted only a tiny tiny fraction ever see publication and those that do have the shelf-life of a carton of milk. The ones that aren't sold (by far the majority) go back to the publisher with their covers torn off so that they can't be sold. They end up being destroyed. It goes without saying that you don't get any royalties from unsold books. So you can do the math.
Now, if someone had said all this to me when I started out, especially someone who had gone through the experience, I don't know if I would have taken all of their advice but I think I would have asked them questions. The rarest person in the world is someone who says, "What would you like to do and how can I help you do it?" If you meet someone like that, treat them as if they were a valuable treasure.
Perhaps someday I might dust off that manuscript and try again, but if I do, I will have the support system in place that I need.
