So, You Want to be a Writer, Hmmm....!
So, you decided to be a writer, ha..? You were really tired, sweated and even bled to the core in order to finish that precious manuscript but now that ordeal is finally over. The hard work and perseverance is finally paying off and your dream of becoming a writer is eventually turning to a reality. Your euphoria has no limits, your world is brimming with newly fangled joy and excitement, and you couldn’t help yourself but kept on smiling as your world lightened up with new hope and everything is changing for good.
You have waited for too long to see your name printed on a newly minted book cover, the wait was finally over and you were about to be able to touch and feel it soon. You are not only happy but also feeling proud, a sense of achievement oozes out of you as a contagious scent of a beautiful flower that attracts all at the surrounding, and you feel as your life has suddenly become meaningful. All you could see is beautiful things, everyone seems nice and benevolence and you said to yourself – what a wonderful world…!
Or is it? Sorry to disappoint you but finishing manuscript is just the beginning and the real work starts henceforth. First and foremost, if you are a genuine writer, writing shouldn’t be a problem at the first place and writing should come naturally for you. If you are already tired, sweated and bled at the first manuscript, maybe writing is not for you and you should start looking for other options. Writing is easy, only writing a good writing is hard, and one needs years of practice, patience and determination before becoming a good writer. What’s more, it is a very long, slow and assiduous journey and if you don’t have time, passion and will-power, you shouldn’t be trying at all. In a nutshell, it is like a marathon, not a hundred meter dash.
Having said that, if you are here for a short haul and all you want to see is one book with your name on the cover, then it can be very easily achieved. Write whatever you would like to write, it can be 10k-20k words or more, design a cover, and publish it on Amazon, Kobo, Smashworld, and other platforms and presto! You are a writer. Ask your friends, families and colleagues to read it and you will get your fifteen minutes of fame in no time. However, it will come and go in a blink of an eye and it will already become a thing of the past even before you have realized it. That’s why it is called vanity, most of the self-published writers fall into this category and deplored for its low standard.
It is not the writing but the hardest part is the marketing and many would fail on the later part. Despite having a more than twenty years of marketing experiences, I still found book marketing extremely hard and struggling in great deal. Selling other commodities like clothes, foods, furniture, household items and so on is completely different than selling a book. Because those ones are necessity the other is vanity. Unlike those necessities, people can make do without books and they mostly like to read famous names. Not all the writers are born a royal or in a rich and famous family. So there is no shortcut. We all have to work hard, earn our wings and be able to take off the ground when the time is right. Besides, the time and luck also must be with us and only then success might knock on our door. It can still be a long shot and winning is never guaranteed. But if you don’t try, nothing will happen, and your dream will end even before it has started.
Even though you have bucketful full of money, it still won’t guarantee success. Unfortunately, almost all of the paid ads don’t work. Not because they are not trying but it is simply too hard. Besides, most of such services are provided by writers and just imagine, if they knew how to achieve success, will they be vying for your paltry sum? There is no magic wand, we all have to work hard and persevere, and there is no better person than your own self who can represent your works at the best possible way. I have sold more books by my own than through paid ads and I am saying it through my own experiences.
As I have already written many times before, there are many outside factors that also affect in great deal and it can make a big difference at the end. Having an ideal location, right community, and supportive society is a big plus. Living in an English speaking country is a huge bonus for those writing in English. Having a powerful friend or relative in a powerful position such as media, publishing and library can be a game changer. If you are blessed with any one of the options suggested above, things should certainly start changing for the better. It certainly won’t take you all the way to the finish line, but it will help open important doors when it matters the most and believe me, people will give their left hand just for that. I for one had no such lucks at hand, my humble beginning didn’t allow me for such indulgences as well as privileges and I had to start everything from the scratch. That’s why whenever I got to taste success, no matter how small or insignificance it might have been, I celebrated and enjoyed it to the utmost. Not because I am trying to show off but only because I know its true value and I genuinely appreciate my success.
No matter how good is your writing, if it cannot find readers, it carries no values. Good writing is very important, discoverability is even more important, and it is where most good writers will fail. Creations without usability are nugatory, writing without commitment is desultory and writers without solid marketing plan are purgatory.
Therefore, if you are not here for a long haul, you rather stop pretending and find a fulltime job other than writing. I for one, I am here for a long term and maybe after 5-10 years later, you might start noticing my works and see me finally smiling again. Certain things are meant to be happened, it is just a matter of time and the time can be as unpredictable as Hong Kong’s weather. We just have to wait and see! Until then, take care and God bless you all!
TIM I GURUNG/AUTHOR AT ISSLCARE – http://www.timigurung.com
You have waited for too long to see your name printed on a newly minted book cover, the wait was finally over and you were about to be able to touch and feel it soon. You are not only happy but also feeling proud, a sense of achievement oozes out of you as a contagious scent of a beautiful flower that attracts all at the surrounding, and you feel as your life has suddenly become meaningful. All you could see is beautiful things, everyone seems nice and benevolence and you said to yourself – what a wonderful world…!
Or is it? Sorry to disappoint you but finishing manuscript is just the beginning and the real work starts henceforth. First and foremost, if you are a genuine writer, writing shouldn’t be a problem at the first place and writing should come naturally for you. If you are already tired, sweated and bled at the first manuscript, maybe writing is not for you and you should start looking for other options. Writing is easy, only writing a good writing is hard, and one needs years of practice, patience and determination before becoming a good writer. What’s more, it is a very long, slow and assiduous journey and if you don’t have time, passion and will-power, you shouldn’t be trying at all. In a nutshell, it is like a marathon, not a hundred meter dash.
Having said that, if you are here for a short haul and all you want to see is one book with your name on the cover, then it can be very easily achieved. Write whatever you would like to write, it can be 10k-20k words or more, design a cover, and publish it on Amazon, Kobo, Smashworld, and other platforms and presto! You are a writer. Ask your friends, families and colleagues to read it and you will get your fifteen minutes of fame in no time. However, it will come and go in a blink of an eye and it will already become a thing of the past even before you have realized it. That’s why it is called vanity, most of the self-published writers fall into this category and deplored for its low standard.
It is not the writing but the hardest part is the marketing and many would fail on the later part. Despite having a more than twenty years of marketing experiences, I still found book marketing extremely hard and struggling in great deal. Selling other commodities like clothes, foods, furniture, household items and so on is completely different than selling a book. Because those ones are necessity the other is vanity. Unlike those necessities, people can make do without books and they mostly like to read famous names. Not all the writers are born a royal or in a rich and famous family. So there is no shortcut. We all have to work hard, earn our wings and be able to take off the ground when the time is right. Besides, the time and luck also must be with us and only then success might knock on our door. It can still be a long shot and winning is never guaranteed. But if you don’t try, nothing will happen, and your dream will end even before it has started.
Even though you have bucketful full of money, it still won’t guarantee success. Unfortunately, almost all of the paid ads don’t work. Not because they are not trying but it is simply too hard. Besides, most of such services are provided by writers and just imagine, if they knew how to achieve success, will they be vying for your paltry sum? There is no magic wand, we all have to work hard and persevere, and there is no better person than your own self who can represent your works at the best possible way. I have sold more books by my own than through paid ads and I am saying it through my own experiences.
As I have already written many times before, there are many outside factors that also affect in great deal and it can make a big difference at the end. Having an ideal location, right community, and supportive society is a big plus. Living in an English speaking country is a huge bonus for those writing in English. Having a powerful friend or relative in a powerful position such as media, publishing and library can be a game changer. If you are blessed with any one of the options suggested above, things should certainly start changing for the better. It certainly won’t take you all the way to the finish line, but it will help open important doors when it matters the most and believe me, people will give their left hand just for that. I for one had no such lucks at hand, my humble beginning didn’t allow me for such indulgences as well as privileges and I had to start everything from the scratch. That’s why whenever I got to taste success, no matter how small or insignificance it might have been, I celebrated and enjoyed it to the utmost. Not because I am trying to show off but only because I know its true value and I genuinely appreciate my success.
No matter how good is your writing, if it cannot find readers, it carries no values. Good writing is very important, discoverability is even more important, and it is where most good writers will fail. Creations without usability are nugatory, writing without commitment is desultory and writers without solid marketing plan are purgatory.
Therefore, if you are not here for a long haul, you rather stop pretending and find a fulltime job other than writing. I for one, I am here for a long term and maybe after 5-10 years later, you might start noticing my works and see me finally smiling again. Certain things are meant to be happened, it is just a matter of time and the time can be as unpredictable as Hong Kong’s weather. We just have to wait and see! Until then, take care and God bless you all!
TIM I GURUNG/AUTHOR AT ISSLCARE – http://www.timigurung.com
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