Disappointment is the Lot of Writers

One might say it's their own fault. They're chasing an (almost) impossible dream; a dream of earning a living while staying home in their pajamas and working at something they love. However, if they had their wits about them, and did even a little research, they would know that it's easier to get to heaven, notwithstanding the odds that many are called, but few are chosen, than getting published and/or making money as a writer. One in a thousand aspiring writers get offered a book deal, and then, only three or four years later, half of them are back on the street, with nine out of ten of them out of the business within a decade. And even with a contract, few of authors ever make a living from their writing. Things may be a little grimmer in indie publishing. Most of the traditionally published authors received some sort of an advance - money for their work - and occasionally, royalties. Indie publishers, on the other hand, need to finance their own books, which, if they are chumps, and sadly, many of them are, this can costs hundreds to thousands of dollars. Dollars they'll never likely to see again.

One could also say that it's the fault of their attitude as well, though I suppose one can't blame them for having it, since that attitude is very pervasive. That attitude being that the distinction between good, professional work, and bad, amateur work, is signaled by the price the product commands. In the case of authors, a professional author not only expects to be paid for their work, but actually expects to sell some books at the price they set. Amateurs, on the other hand are not good enough to charge for their work, so they should not expect to sell it. Thus, those who do not charge for their work, do so because it's not good enough to command anything more. I, of course, do not accept this definition, I have my own definition of being an amateur, so I can live the life of an amateur without misgivings. It has saved me from a lot of disappointment, and more than that, between sales and a lack of concern about sales, I've had fun writing all my life.

In addition, professionalism not withstanding, almost every writer I know believes that they are, in fact, due compensation for all the work, the creativity, and the artistic merit they've put into crafting their stories, as well as for the entertainment their work provides for readers. The flaw in this attitude is that, unless they have a publishing deal with a publisher, no one asked them to write their stories, and thus, no one owes them anything for doing it. If they're chumps enough to believe they can make money writing fiction, they have only themselves to blame if they don't. 

Of course, they can ask for money, and yes, it is fair to ask for some sort of compensation for the entertainment value their book provides. However, it will be total sales, not the price the writer values his work at, which determines the actual value of their effort as a commercial product in the marketplace.

This, the dollars, turns out to be one of the great sources of disappointment for artist of any sort with commercial ambitions. Indie publishing is a rotten business, one with astounding failure rates. Still, hope springs eternal. I've seen a chart that shows from 2020 to 2024 about 100,000 ebooks per month were uploaded to Amazon, but since then, the number has risen to over 300,000 ebooks per month, likely as a result of AI produced books. The readership, however, while avid, is not growing, so clearly, the overwhelming majority of ebooks will simply go unread, or if lucky, barely read, unless one already has a following of some sort. Thus, if an author choses to measure the value of their work in dollars - being a professional and all that - well, they're likely left with the mental gymnastics of convincing themselves that sales, or rather the lack of sales, is not, after all, the only yardstick of worth. There are other factors that can explain the lack of agreement between the professional nature of the product and its lack of sales.

And indeed, there are many, so it may be easy to reconcile commercial failure with artistic merit. Why, if no one ever comes across their book, how can its artistic worth be measured? But nevertheless, there is no denying that as a product it is, at least, a commercial failure, since money is the yardstick they automatically have adopted, as professionals, to measure success by. And so most books turn out to be... disappointments at some level.

For the life of my, I don't know why so many writers who are, with aforethought, producing a product to sell while looking (or not) at their oh, so very likely fate, stubbornly persist in choosing all but certain commercial failure and disappointment when they need not, if they would simply think outside the box.

Now, I should add here, that writing fiction is both an art and a commercial product. As a work of art, I can understand their attitude. As an artist, I felt that my best work was my most impressionist pieces, though even among people who like art enough to visit art galleries, in life and online, maybe only one or two in a hundred appreciated what I was doing. One of the reasons I stopped selling my art was that my more mundane, i.e. realistic, pieces sold better than my best work. It was discouraging that my so-so work was the stuff that was getting out into the world, but, alas, most people like realism. At least I didn't have to part ways with my best pieces. So I too, in a way, understand a writer standing by their work as art, even if it isn't a commercial success. But a book is so much more a commercial work than a painting is - it needs to be published and sold to be appreciated. Paintings can be sold as well, of course, but they just need to be viewed to be appreciated. 

Given all this, the questions I have for self publishing authors is this; does the fact that you ask for money, make you a professional writer? Does it take just one sale to validate this judgement?  Or do you need more? And if so, how many more sales are needed? How distinct is the line between professional and amateur?

I've been able to avoid disappointment as an amateur writer due to a mindset different than most writers. To begin with, I look upon ebooks differently than most. Because they are so ephemeral, merely insubstantial electronic files, I don't consider them really books at all. They're merely a medium that delivers a story. And because they can be endlessly duplicated at no cost, they have no economic value. Only the story they deliver has any value. And since I've been borrowing and reading books from a library all my life, I've never directly connected reading a story to buying a book. So it seems natural for me to offer my stories via a worthless medium for free. It costs me nothing to do so, and well, in my mind, reading a story is one of life's free entertainments.   

And then there is the fact that I like being an amateur writer. Because I enjoy the entire process of writing and publishing my work, I feel no need for anyone to pay me for doing it, so I ask no one to do so. I'm just having fun. By choosing to share, rather than sell my work, wherever possible, my work is much more easily accessible. And as a result, it has been read and enjoyed by a thousand readers, instead of only dozens which would've likely been the case if I had chosen to consider myself a "professional" and put a price on my work. I chose to measure artistic value without a dollar sign, and instead, use readership as my yardstick of success. I've never been disappointed by the results. And, as a bonus, I've enjoyed the freedom to write what I please, how I please. And, every once and a while, readers thank me for sharing my books for free, readers like Attie and Ruth.

"I am 81 years and in an oldage home. enjoyed his light hesrted whit. I live on the other side of earth. I am an Afrikaans speaking person. So there can be some small errors in my writing. Thank you and Bless you. Attie."

"loved all your books...deprecating heroes and wayward ladies! very grateful for free audiobooks as I am s pensioner Ruth gr South Africa.."

Sharing has its own rewards. So if disappointment is the lot of writers, it need not be. As I said, the best things in life are free.