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| Source: Digital Book World, Jan. 15, 2016 |
A
comedian quipped that romance can be a lot like school—eager, bright-eyed
anticipation succumbs to mundane and sometimes dissatisfying realities. Which
is not to say that romance—or school—should be avoided, only that a person
eventually needs to adjust her expectations.
A
significant subset of the population, writers somehow are wooed into the
intense and potentially frustrating enterprise of creating books. Seduced by
the idea of how wonderful it must be to publish, they can end up shattered by
the results.
Cling
to your initial expectations, and in all likelihood you’ll be disappointed. But
it doesn’t have to be that way. Just as you adjust to the realities of school
and of marriage, you can adjust to the realities of publishing:
Book sales won’t
make you rich:
Don’t take my word for it—check out the results of the most recent
author survey by Digital Book World. Of those who responded, traditionally
published authors who earned an advance on their last book reported the highest
net proceeds from the sales of that book: $5,000 to $10,000. Publishing through
their own companies, indie authors saw the next highest median returns from their
latest book: $500 - $1,000. Bumping bottom: solo authors, who reported median
returns of $0 - $500 on their latest book.
Discoverability is
difficult: Even
when publishers invest big bucks, there’s no guarantee a book will be
discovered. There’s a whole lot of noise out there, and shouting doesn’t mean
you’ll be heard.
Effort is
required:
Writing may be joyful, but it’s not easy, especially if you intend to do it
well.
Writers support
one another:
Though the competition for readers is fierce, writers are a supportive bunch. They’re
also smart, and a lot of fun to hang out with.
For intrinsic
rewards, writing is tough to beat: Analogies of romance and education again
come to mind. Money aside, the rewards are beyond measure—new understandings of
yourself and the world, deep satisfaction, contributions that endure.
Co-founder of 49 Writers and founder of the
independent authors cooperative Running Fox Books, Deb
Vanasse has authored sixteen
books. Her most recent are Write
Your Best Book, a practical guide to writing books that rise above the
rest; What
Every Author Should Know, a comprehensive guide to book publishing and
promotion; and Cold
Spell, a novel that “captures the harsh beauty of the terrain as well as
the strain of self-doubt and complicated family bonds,” according to Booklist.
Her next book, Wealth Woman: Kate Carmack
and the Klondike Race for Gold, comes out in April, 2016. She is also a staff writer for the
IBPA Independent.