7 Myths of being a writer

So, you want to be a writer.

Maybe it’s something you’re pursuing or maybe you know someone who published a book and you try to imagine what it must be like to be them. Maybe you’ve got some extra time, perhaps retired or the kids have moved out, and you’ve always had a passion to write a book. From the data I’ve gathered on the web, 80% of Americans say they’d like to write a book. Why not, right? Who knows, maybe you’ll hit it big. Hell, maybe people will start to recognize you.

Or maybe that’s just silly.

For some, writing is what they’re born to do, their passion consumes them, and they visualize themselves as real writers. They’re frustrated because they struggle to get published and their wives, husbands, or significant others don’t take them seriously. It’s just a little hobby. Not real work.

Regardless of what drives your desire, writing is no different than any other dream-based pursuit (acting, singing, etc.) where for every star that burns there’s a million sparks that went out. And so often, it’s devastating to those who experience it. Trust me, I know.

So, a warning right now – this article is about the misconceptions of being a writer, the myths I’ve experienced. I’ll quote a few stats that I found on the web, though I can’t vouch for accuracy. Take them as anecdotal, but understand, achieving success as a writer requires a great deal more than having the dream and writing a book.

Be realistic. Know what’s true and what’s bullshit. Trust me on this too; plenty of people will feed you bullshit if you pay them. You can’t be naïve. Being realistic starts with debunking some popular myths.

Many of you will know this list. You’ve learned it. Some things on this list will be obvious and others you may stop and consider. One thing I can assure you – I didn’t steal these items off of another blog or regurgitate what someone else said, though many of these things have been said before. These are the things that I’ve learned, sometimes through tears and embarrassment, over the years.

The myths of being a writer.

Myth1: You’ll make money

Here’s the thing; you won’t.

In fact, you’ll be lucky if you make enough money in a year to pay a single car payment (that’s assuming you drive a cheap car). 90% of self-published authors sell less than 100 copies of their books, so most are in that $100 - $1,000 or less category. Traditionally published authors fair a little better, around 3,000 copies sold on average, but still not making enough to feed themselves or to quit their day job.

And folks, in 2018 the number of self-published books cracked 1 million. That is a shit-load of books. An ocean of books cranked out in a single year. In 2017, over 300,000 books were traditionally published. As you’ve probably heard before… 1% of authors make 99% of the money.

So, if writing books is your retirement plan, eat well before you start because you’ll likely be hungry. Unless of course, you break into that 1%...

Myth 2: You’ll get famous

Yep, your mom will be proud. Your family. Close friends. They’ll all give you big smiles and atta-boys, and some will even talk to you like you’re the real thing. Of course, we all know it’s because many of our friends and family don’t know any better and we don’t correct them because we like being treated like writers, don’t we?

You might build a bit of a local following, if you work hard at arranging speaking engagements or author signings. But most of us will never be recognized at airports or shopping malls. Because in the end, the toughest thing to accept is that very few people really care that you wrote a book. That’s the hurdle to overcome… when you get right down to it, that’s the work.

Myth 3: Publishing is easy

Okay, in all seriousness, this one is both yes and no. Yes, with today’s technology and ease of self-publishing it’s now simple to publish a book. It’s also pretty cheap. However, if you want to do it right, there’s nothing easy about it. The editing, oh my god the editing, and the marketing, there’s just so much. And, if you’re traditionally published, the waiting and the rewriting, the requests for changes, and it just goes on and on.

Writing the book is the easy part. Publishing it so that it has a snowball’s chance in hell at selling a few hundred copies, now that’s difficult.

Myth 4: Perseverance gets you an agent

My ass. There are always exceptions of course, but for most of us, the process sucks. Seriously, it’s downright miserable. Oh I know, everyone says the same thing… you need to have thick skin, don’t take it personally, you must have perseverance, blah, blah, blah. And, let’s face it, those statements are true. No one has ever gotten an agent who didn’t have thick skin, or that took everything personally, and didn’t persevere.

But here’s my thing; I hate rejections. They take the energy right out of my sails.

You write a query letter, which god knows what the secret recipe is for that damn thing, then you have to submit it and hope that the agent or editor finds your letter intriguing enough to ask to read your manuscript. Holy god. Talk about something that’ll drive you nuts. If you ask a hundred different people what they think of your query letter, you’ll get a hundred different answers. There is absolutely nothing easy about getting an agent.

You want to know the best way to get an agent? Attend a writers’ conference, or similar event, where agents attend and you get to meet them in person.

I’m dead serious here.

It’s your best shot. It’ll probably cost to attend the event, you may have to fight crowds to speak with them, the whole thing may even overwhelm you the first time you attend one, but I’m telling you right now, it works.

I met the agent I signed with while having cigarette break at a writers’ conference. We just hit it off.

I’ve met several literary agents over the years and I can honestly say, I’ve only met one I didn’t enjoy speaking to (no naming here – if you spend much time around literary agents, you’ll learn it’s a small world). Most of them are amazing people who love books and are just trying to make a living. In the end, it’s superb writing that trumps everything. Something unique.

Myth 5: Readers will leave reviews

Some will. I’ve had several readers leave reviews and to them, I’m eternally grateful. That said, most folks won’t. It’s not convenient and requires effort. So be thankful to anyone who leaves you a review because it’s a pain in the ass to do it. Everyone is busy.

Here’s what will happen when you’re about to release a book; you’ll talk to people, they’ll get all fired up and tell you how excited they are for you, and you’ll ask them, “hey, when the book comes out, can you please leave a review on Amazon?” They’ll agree to do it, wholeheartedly, they’ll agree. “Hell yeah,” they might say. You’ll start thinking damn, I’ll have like thirty reviews on Amazon within the first month!

The day comes. Your book releases and… nothing. You start to realize a lot of those same people never actually read your book. And worst of all, you start to realize how many of those same people never even bought it. It can be disheartening.

If you want any shot at getting reviews, start networking, get to know other writers and get innovative on how to incentivize folks to read and review your book. And when you find the secret recipe, let me know!

Myth 6: You don’t need an editor

Here’s one of my favorites and I hear it all the time: My wife, husband, sister, brother, best friend, etc. is a good editor… they are brutally honest.

I know you don’t want to hear this, but I’m just telling you right now, they’re not. I know you think they are and they genuinely try to be, I’m not degrading them personally, but until you accept the fact that it is impossible for them to be completely honest, you will struggle. But wait, you say, that’s bullshit. Stephen King’s wife played (and continues to play) a crucial role in his success. And on that, you’d be right. But let me clarify a few things:

First off, you are not Stephen King.

Second, Stephen King’s wife is a published novelist, so she has a few credentials.

Third, and last, Stephen King’s wife is not his editor. Trust me on this, when Stephen King delivered Salem’s Lot to his publisher, he did not say, hey, Tabitha already edited this, so it should be ready for print.

Objective editing is crucial. I can’t stress this enough. There are two main types of edits – the development edit and the copy edit. You need both. If you’re published by one of the Big 5 publishers, they’ll have their own extremely competent editors on staff to do this for you. If you’re published by an Indie publisher, they may or may not have editors on staff. If your self-published, then it’s all on you.

Editors are expensive. If you can afford it, I highly recommend hiring a good editor. The objectivity is priceless. The main challenge with hiring an independent editor is simply this – they make their money editing your work. This means you may not get the most honest opinion on whether your story is any good – if they tell you it’s bad, then they won’t make any money editing it. Use your beta readers for story validity (this is where your wife, husband, brother, mom, etc. are needed, assuming they are actually brutally honest).

Use your editor to perfect it.

Myth 7: People will flock to see you

I have to admit, this one hit me the hardest. I’d finally done it! I’d achieved my life-long dream… a publisher actually accepted my novel! Holy cow, I can’t express just how excited I was. So much was happening. I completed edits, rewrites, corrections, etc. and though it required an enormous amount of work, I loved it because I was doing what I loved.

Look out, King, there’s a new sheriff in town and his name is David Odle.

I had three events lined up post-publication. A signing at a bookstore in Southern Indiana and readings in Austin and San Antonio. I posted the upcoming events on social media, received a ton of ‘likes’, and grew excited to actually start interacting with readers. Actual fans! I even ordered sixty of my own books since two of the bookstores did consignment.

The first event was a book-signing. I had the table set up, my were books spread out in front of me, ready for the crowd. In the two hours I was there, three people showed up. Three.

Hey, no biggie. The next event was a reading and signing in Austin, TX. I know a lot of people in Austin and loads of people told me they were coming. I was pumped. Like twenty chairs were set out, I had a podium, the lighting was perfect. I hoped there’d be enough chairs for everyone! And eight people showed up - friends and people I work with, and my daughter.

They all made the event a blast, they asked me questions like I was someone important, and many of them purchased books, but at the end of the night, I had no crowd, no one was there because I was a writer with a great book. Everyone was there because they knew me, liked me, and wanted to support me, and god love them for that, but it wasn’t the crowd I’d dreamed it would be.

The event in San Antonio was worse. I don’t know as many people there, so less people showed up. My wife was there, God love her, my in-laws, and my daughter. I also reconnected with an old high-school friend who moved down there, which was really cool, but no crowd. Certainly no one was there to meet a writer they didn’t know.

No one cared that I wrote a book.

I’ve learned a lot in my journey and I’m continuing to learn. Honestly, Myth 7 hurt the worst. It’s embarrassing when no one shows up. You feel foolish standing there. Then you start debating canceling any upcoming events and never scheduling another one.

Your disheartened. It hurts.

Now, I totally realize there are exceptions to my 7 myths. Several writers experience success. But I want to point out one thing as my parting words on this post…

hardly any of those writers wrote only one book. Most of them have multiple books published. They’ve done the work. They’ve spoken to the empty rooms. They’ve fought through the rejections.

You know, after writing this article, maybe there’s something to perseverance after all.

Maybe I need to rethink this whole damned thing!

Until next time, my friends.