The Myths & Realities of Being a Published Author
Most writers start off naïve to the realities of publication. I suppose in some ways the ignorance is a good thing. If I’d known years ago what I know today, I might not have jumped in the publication waters with as much vigor or determination.
Writers only have to begin swimming to the opposite shore before we realize the distance is much longer and harder than we’d planned. Unforeseen obstacles get in the way and slow us down. Sometimes we get bit by the dangers lurking in the waters. Other times we get tired of paddling and want to give up. Maybe there are even moments when we feel like we’re drowning.
For the most part, I’m surrounded by other writers who understand the difficulty of the journey toward publication, who realize they won’t be on Paradise Island when they reach the coveted publication shoreline. Most of us who’ve been swimming long enough lose our false assumptions.
Yet, I’m learning that there are still plenty of people who think published authors live on Paradise Island. As I’ve rubbed shoulders with people at book signings, and the longer I wear my published author suit, I’m realizing that THE MYTHS about published authors are very much alive and thriving.
Here are just a few I’ve heard (And, yes, I really have heard each one of these):
“I suppose now you’re busy with all of your traveling.”
The Myth: Published authors travel across the country doing book signings, bookstores are eager and willing to host authors, and readers can’t wait to go out and meet them.
The Reality: Authors rarely travel anywhere except to the coffee pot and back to the laptop. The day and age of authors riding across the country for book signings is largely over. For the most part, book tours have been replaced by blog tours.
I’ve heard plenty of dismal book signing stories, where even more popular authors fail to entice busy, internet-oriented readers into the shop. My publisher has the philosophy that if book signings are something an author enjoys, then they’re willing to help with the promotion. But they don’t push signings because they’ve become unreliable in today’s busy society.
“With all the money you’re making, your husband can retire early.”
The Myth: Once our book hits shelves, we’ll be rolling in money. In fact we’ll be making so much money, all of our financial worries will be over forever.
The Reality: Very few authors make millions of dollars on their books. Very few. Lately with the changes in the publishing industry, most traditionally published authors feel fortunate to earn back their advance or make thousands of dollars. And the self-published authors I talk to are grateful to earn enough to cover the expenses of publication.
The reality is that with so many writers publishing and with so many free digital books, even popular authors have seen a decrease in their incomes. Most must keep a day job and write on the side because it’s so difficult to make a living on a writer’s income.
“Now that you’re an author you’ll probably move to the big city near other famous authors.”
The Myth: Being a published author brings us fame. We’ll become too popular for ordinary life and will need to move to places where we can rub shoulders with the rich and famous.
The Reality: Unless an author becomes a consistent New York Times bestselling author, there’s very little chance we’ll become a household name. There’s always the possibility we can become popular among the readers of our particular genre. They may send us fan mail from time to time. They may even tell us they’re anxiously awaiting our next book. But . . . most of the world is oblivious to all but the most noteworthy authors. The rest of us must learn to be content with obscurity.
“Oh, you mean you have to do other things besides the actual writing?”
The Myth: The sole focus of our writing career is the book itself. We get many opportunities to take our lap tops to the beach or to the mountain cabin and type away at our stories for endless hours.
The Reality: Like any other job, a writing career has many various responsibilities. Sure, writing should remain the primary focus. But we have increasingly more to do with each book we publish. We respond to emails, write up interviews, network on Twitter and Facebook, craft blog posts, send out books to contest winners, work on intense edits on the next book, and eventually find time to start researching and writing a future book.
So, what about you? Writers what other myths have you heard about being a published author? And readers, are there any myths or realities you’ve been wondering about?
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Oh my goodness, but I’m glad you braved the waters, Jody. Just finished Captured By Love last night. It kept me awake until I reached the end. Sob! Amazing story. Great historical details that I had no clue about. Love learning when reading fiction. And I’m Canadian so the War of 1812 reads a bit differently up here though we never held the British army in high esteem either. I feel for the ordinary folk, both American and Canadian who had to try and survive during that time. And the whole fur trading angle? Awesome!!!! Blissful sigh — though now I’m sad that’s it over. 🙁 Are you going to do Jean’s story?
Okay — sorry — to answer your question…and I love your myth busting so far. Two myths that I staunchly believed until writer blogs dispelled them — #1 A published author never gets writer’s block. Never struggles with plot or characters. Everything just pours onto the keyboard in pristine condition. #2 A published author never gets rejection. Whatever they write will be published because they have an agent, an editor, a publishing house for goodness sakes!
Thank you SO much for reading my latest release! And I love hearing that it kept you up late! 🙂 I’m sure Canada definitely has a different perspective on the War of 1812 and the fur-trading era as well! I wish I was doing a story on Jean. I brought up the possibility of doing a sequel, but my publisher was more interested in me writing my lighthouse series for the time being.
And thanks for bringing up a couple more myths! I love them! A published author, especially nowadays, never has the guarantee of getting published again, not from the same publisher or with different ones. We have to keep proving ourselves book after book (particularly with good sales). And sometimes publishers fold and so even authors with good sales are let go.
Jody, I’ve heard all these stories and more. I hear questions about book tours just about as often as I get the question of where do I get my ideas. And if fame and fortune are supposed to come to us when we’ve had books published, they missed me. I get the impression they didn’t make it to your house either. But that’s not why we write, is it?
Thanks for sharing.
We definitely don’t write for the fame and fortune! I’d like to think we will continue to build our readerships the longer we publish, but it’s so uncertain in today’s publishing market.Really nothing is certain, which is all the more reason why we truly have to love telling stories and writing in order to keep persevering!
How about…”You finished your first edit. Wow you are done now! ROWL! Most people have no idea the writing and rewriting that it takes.
Amen to that. My first edit usually means I’ll let someone else read it if she isn’t too judgmental.
SO true!! The publishing process is a lot longer than most people realize, including all of the editing!
LOVED this post, Jody!! 🙂
Since retiring early from my kindergarten teaching career (due to bad back) I have LOVED being able to write. But oh my!! What an eye-opener it has been! I have SO much respect for you pubbed authors and now understand just how much WORK is involved in writing a book.
Looking forward to seeing you at ACFW–I’ve signed up to take the class you and Karen are giving. 🙂
Hugs, Patti Jo
Hi Patti Jo, Oh my!! I’m super excited that you’re taking the class that Karen and I are teaching! I’ll look forward to meeting you there! 🙂
Jody, as a writer who isn’t yet published, I’m thankful you’ve shared your experience with these myths. I’ve often heard that writers don’t make enough money for their spouses to retire early, so having that confirmed is good to know. I feel like I’m coming into the game a little more prepared for the realities I’ll meet instead of living in dreamland based on the myths.
Blessings,
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
The great thing about the internet and blogs and social media, is that it IS easier now to get a more realistic view of the industry. In fact, I think it’s really important for newer writers (who are thinking about publication), to start educating themselves on the state of publishing. Then they can go into it prepared and realistic!
Thanks for sharing, Jody! You’re a household name in my house anyway. 🙂 BTW I know you said it isn’t millions, but what is a normal-sized yearly income for a rising author at a big house who publishes once a year? If you don’t mind me asking. I’m not asking about your specifics, but just in general what you’ve seen.
Hi Anne
,
Aw, thank you! It’s nice to know that I’m a household name among Christian historical fiction lovers. That truly means a lot!!
As far as the income, it REALLY varies from writer to writer and publisher to publisher. In the CBA industry (Christian books), if you go with a small press, you’re probably looking at a very small advance (or perhaps none) and making less than $5,000. If you’re able to get a deal with a bigger Christian publisher, your advance will be larger and you’ll make more (I’m guessing the average advance ranges anywhere from 10-20,000.) Obviously the more books you have out there, the more you can make as well on royalties.
Sorry I can’t be more exact, but it’s so all over the board. And really, most writers don’t share their advance or income information with each other, so I’m speculating a bit. Obviously, ABA (the non-Christian market) has much bigger publishers that can offer much bigger advances, but there are still many ABA authors who are considered “midlist” similar to CBA authors, not at the bottom of the earning pool, but also not in that top millions echelon either.
Love this. My personal disappointment was that Oprah didn’t call and Johnny Depp is NOT going to star in the movie version. (Because there is not movie. Of any of my 20+ published novels. Sigh.) Ah, the glamorous life of the published author ….
LOL! Stephanie, I have to admit, I’m super, super flattered when readers tell me they think one of my books would be a great movie. I just agree with them and thank them profusely for the compliment. I don’t burst their bubble by telling them it’s nearly impossible for most books to be made into movies (especially a CBA book!). 🙂
I enjoyed reading this. I’m sorry to hear that book signings are declining. I haven’t been aware of any favorite authors coming here to Knoxville, but when we lived in SC there was a Christian book store that hosted half a dozen authors at a time, with a panel discussion beforehand where fans could ask questions. It was so fun to see and hear “in real life” several authors whom I had read. But I do understand the Internet changing things.
I’d love to hear some time more about writers’ schedules, how they make time for writing. Once when I heard Elisabeth Elliot speak and had a book signed by her afterward, the only question I could think to ask was, “How do you find time to write all these books?” (Duh – blush!) She replied, “I don’t find time, I make time.” I had entertained thoughts of writing as the nest became empty, but now we care for my mother-in-law, who is bedridden, in our home. I’m not complaining – that’s the ministry the Lord has for us now – but her care does impact our time. We have home health care in a few hours a day, but having a stranger coming in and out can be a distraction as well. With my youngest finishing jr. college and my middle son and his wife just having a preemie baby, we’ve felt like the ham and cheese of the sandwich generation. 🙂 All of that to say, I know writers have to navigate around real life to make time to write, and I’d love to hear how. Even just for a simple blog post, I operate best if I have an hour or so of uninterrupted time ahead of me, which of course doesn’t always happen. And I wonder whether I’ll ever be able to write anything else, but I have to keep giving that desire to the Lord and asking Him to show me whether it is His desire or my own, and if His, how to go about it.
Hi Barbara, I love your ham and cheese sandwich analogy! I could totally picture that! 🙂 And I have to say that you pose a very good question about writer’s schedules. I will definitely consider a post about that! I love that quote by Elisabeth Elliot! If only it were that easy, right? 🙂 But I really like your perspective of giving that desire over to the Lord and asking him to show the way!
Jodi, I would also like to add a couple myths
1. That we can are able to write because we have a lot of time on our hands.
We are a five-kid homeschooling family. I have a part time job, and I direct three theater productions a year. My older kids all volunteer around town and have numerous sporting and theater practices and events, and I am the driver. I have time because I use every spare five minutes to write down my thoughts.
2.That, because I am a writer, I can write anything. The truth is I’m not good at writing newspaper articles or advertisements, I don’t do scripts well, and I would be a terrible technical writer.
Hi Beck, Wow!! Two more myths that are SO true! I hear those as well! I actually homeschool my five children too. So I do get somewhat miffed when people assume I’m able to write because I have more time than them! In reality, I struggle every day to find enough time and it’s by God’s grace that I’m able to finish each book.
Beck, I’m glad you mentioned #2. As a novelist I’ve been called upon to write many nonfiction articles and devotionals related to my novels, for promotional purposes. Though I’m getting the hang of nonfiction writing now, in the beginning I struggled with that part of being a fiction writer. It’s definitely not where my strengths as a writer lie, but like any writing muscle it can get stronger with practice.
And Jody, great list of myths that need to be busted. 🙂
Hi Jody, Enjoyed your blog post. It is interesting what people get in their heads about authors…guess they watch too much TV-should be reading! I’m glad you have persevered through the writing process as I love your books. You keep writing and I will keep reading….Blessings! Linda
Hi Linda, You’re right! The media does distort what it’s like for most average authors. Instead movies and books tend to focus on those who make it really big. And thus, people may assume that’s true from most writers! And thank you for reading my books! You’re an encouragement and blessing!
Thanks for the post, Jody! Reality is far different than the glamour people imagine. Always enjoy your books!
Mary