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| Photo credit: Martin Bekkelund on Flickr |
The why is obvious—we all want to be successful, and to be successful doing something that you love is even better, so it's only natural that writers would find themselves daydreaming about their book becoming a New York Times or Amazon bestseller.
But becoming published isn't something that you can do with a snap of your fingers—even independent authors have to take the time to write and edit their book, as well as deal with proper formatting and other issues of the like. On top of that, because developing your writing skill enough to reach the level of ready for publishing takes a lot of time and hard work, most writers will spend years working unpublished before they see their dreams come true.
Time as a unpublished writer can be difficult—you put a lot of effort into something with very little reward, recognition or monetary feedback in return. Unpublished writers are rarely just writers—they're parents, students, employees, etc. and just finding the time to sit down and write can be a challenge, so it's no wonder that we like to dream of a published future.
But while making our way through the daily grind, we often forget to appreciate our experience now. We forget that being an unpublished writer has it's pros as well, because while most of us want to eventually become published, being a published writer isn't much easier than being an unpublished one.
What do I mean by that? Let's take a look at some of the things published writers have to do:
- Write under a deadline. The published writer lives deadline to deadline, book to book. Even after the grueling process of fully completed a novel, there's always another book to write with editors, agents and readers all waiting for you to meet the next deadline.
- Edit under a deadline. And the same goes for editing. Meeting deadlines are not optional for published authors if they hope to be successful.
- Market their book. Regardless of whether you're an independent or a traditionally published author, some aspects of marketing the book falls on the writer's shoulders. How much of it will likely depend on the route the writer takes and the publisher they end up with, but avoiding it entirely is impossible if they want their book to sell.
- Write author bios, synopses, back cover copies, pitches, etc. Even when the published author has finished writing and editing the book, there are pitches and synopses of various degrees that need to be completed. And every writer loves writing synopses.
- Attend publishing/book promotion events. Whether it's BEA, a panel at Comic Con or any number of book tours, published authors (especially traditionally published ones) have to attend promotional events throughout the year to keep up with the publishing industry and (again) market their book.
- Work. Just because an author is published doesn't mean writing is their only job. Many authors, both traditionally and independently published, work a full-time job in addition to juggling the responsibilities that come with being a published author. Time management isn't any easier just because your book is on sale.
Now don't get me wrong—I'm not saying that being a published author is awful, but there's something nice about being able to work off a deadline—to being able to write whatever you want, whenever you want just because you want to, rather than because people are waiting for your work. There's a freedom to being able to learn at your own pace and not suffer serious consequences if you can't get to your latest WIP for a few days, or weeks, or however long you need.
Yes, we all hope to one day be published, but don't forget to enjoy the freedoms of the unpublished writer while you can.
What do you think? Am I overstating the pros of being unpublished? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
22 comments:
I actually set myself deadlines even though I'm nowhere near being a published writer. If I don't set deadlines, I never get anything finished, and actually I find it really helps me. All the other stuff you've listed scares the hell out of me, though!
I am the same way. if I don't put a deadline down, things do not get taken care of (not just writing, either -- changing the oil in my car, or even doing the laundry. It's kind of sad). But I guess that means we're developing good habits, right?
Good points, but I still want to be published, lol!
I absolutely agree that setting deadlines is a great habit to get into. My point here was more that when you're unpublished, if you happen to miss a deadline, it's not a huge deal (usually).
Also, I hope it didn't scare you too much. That certainly wasn't my intention!
I think developing good habits like meeting deadlines is a great thing. I'm very similar in that I use to-do lists to remind myself of things I still need to accomplish throughout the week.
As do I. :)
Great post, Ava. I think deadlines are just a component of a larger attitude, which is treating writing like a job and not a hobby. If you really want to be a serious writer, well, you have to get serious.
I absolutely agree, Dan. Attitude is everything.
Sorry, I'm rubbish at doing anything without a deadline, and self-imposed deadlines don't work because I know I'm making them up. It's the perfect lifestyle for me, to have deadlines always on the horizon.
In my daily life now, I never forget the unique, (possibly the only source of) pure happiness I get from writing and creating, but I still struggle to find time to write. That first hurdle is my greatest weakness. My day job is just too demanding, but that's a whole other issue
I perhaps didn't explain my thoughts on the deadline bit well enough, because you're certainly not the first to bring that up. I absolutely agree that deadlines are fantastic and just because unpublished writers don't have to meet deadlines doesn't mean it's not fantastic practice (and a great habit) to do so. My point was more that there are freedoms we have as unpublished writers that we often take for granted.
Anyway, I understand what you mean about struggling to find time to write. It's an enormous hurdle that writers on both sides of the publishing fence have to work to overcome.
One thing I most enjoy is the lack of pressure to produce publishable work. I've got time to learn, improve and write better fiction.
After working on my current WiP for over a year, today I decided to change the name of the central protag... something just wasn't right about the original name. That's not something I could have done if it was book 2 in a series.
That's an interesting point about making changes after sequels are written. While published books undergo a lot more scrutiny (so hopefully you won't want to make any major changes after the book is published), that's true that after the book is published, you can't make huge changes to it or to the storyline for sequels.
Reminds me of all the "Being a grown up is not as fun as it looks kid" and "Your school years are the best days of your life" phrases that we hear as children. It's literally impossible to grasp what they mean until you are there in that very situation. :)
That's a great comparison, Peter and you're absolutely right. We have a tendency of believing that the grass is greener wherever we're not, so we often forget to look around and enjoy what we currently have.
My first novel was just sold by my agent to a publisher in a two-book deal. I'm SO excited about being published, but you're so right about enjoying writing when you're unpublished! Deadlines and stress and juggling the day job with writing and actually having a social life is not so easy. Plus, there's a horrible pressure to live up to your previous book.
Encouraging post. Thanks for this. :)
Firstly--congratulations on the book deal! That's incredibly exciting. :)
Secondly, while I'm not published myself, what I've heard from other published writers and read online is exactly what you said--it's not an easy process to be taken lightly.
Of course! Thanks for stopping by! :)
Thank you! Of course it's still a joy to be published, but I wish I'd appreciated writing just for myself more. That's what I have to do now - try and block out everyone else and all the pressures of writing as a job and focus on just writing stories for myself :)
I wish you all the best!
As a person who is not a real writer, it seems to me that the keys to being a successful writer are 1) being politically connected or 2) having another source of income, perhaps a trust fund or a monthly check from mommy and daddy. This would allow one the freedom to perfect one's craft while also learning the arcane rules of the publishing world. Of course I have an unpublished manuscript which is probably a piece of junk. However, since I have no political connections to guide me through the process of editing and improving my piece of junk and no source of revenue except my job, my chances of becoming a real writer are about zilch. I feel fortunate that my job provides me with income and fulfillment and I will never have to depend on navigating the writer's shark tank to earn my living.
Hmm. A lot of thoughts here.
I'm not entirely sure what you mean by a "real" writer, but to me, a writer is anyone who writes, period. Unpublished, self-published, just started or writing for ages, if you write and you enjoy writing, you're a writer. At least, that's the way I see it. :)
As for connections, I can tell you with a pretty high degree of certainty that connections aren't necessary. Writers get picked up by agents from the slush pile all the time—writers without referrals or any connections whatsoever, just a great book.
As for the money thing, it's true that writing isn't a particularly lucrative field. Even traditionally published authors often take several years and many books before they can move onto writing full-time, and even then, many of them don't. Having a second job is pretty commonplace for writers.
When it comes to editing, you definitely don't need connections (at least, not political ones). Critique partners can be found online through various websites and social media sites (Twitter, CPSeek, forums, etc.) and if you want to hire an editor, it's pretty easy to find freelance editors online. While critique partners are essential, hiring an editor isn't really a requirement unless you want to self-publish.
In the end, while I'm sure having some connections don't hurt, they're definitely not a requirement. What's essential is a good book, a good dose of patience, willingness to learn and take time to learn, and a sprinkle of luck. Maybe more than a sprinkle. But really, the most important thing is the writing.
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