Why most fail as authors...discussion

[Emurelda]

I haven't researched this so there's no link this is purely for us to reflect on improving our chances at becoming authors. It's a depressing title but it's one of fact...would you not agree?

The hundreds of thousands...dare I say millions of potential authors submitting and self-publishing. Yet many fail at achieving a permanent job as an author... assuming the idea is to be a self-sustaining author as a job and retiring on royalties .

Yet most jobs don't start off at the deep end. You might be assigned a mentor - get given menial yet vital tasks that allow you to understand the industry build your way up. Get promoted, continue professional development, work in various departments to get a different take of the industry, until you reach a point of settlement. Of course there are those who never settle...they keep on until they will eventually retire.

The route most authors take is a trial and error one. We submit our MSS and queries..never really knowing if they are good enough in the first place. It's right in the deep end. We don't get insight into the minds of agents and editors. We have no clue.

As @Paul Whybrow said: "Finding an agent who's interested in you and your work is like throwing a single chip of gravel into a huge fast-slowing river and expecting to hit a fish!"

It's like a gamble a random chance, a lucky catch...no method to the madness just a roll of the die. Anymore parallels with the world of chance.

Isn't there an easier way? Why not approach agents for free work experience to get insight..why not structure the route to maximise the chance of securing an agent? This is a gap and one that needs to be filled. A structured career route to getting published I'm sure can be done.

There's a book right there!!

 

[Carol Rose]

Great question but it's a field just like art and music. It's subjective. You can't force someone to like a painting, a piece of music, or a book. Concept marketing (at least here in the US) turns mediocre teens/20-somethings into overnight musical successes, until they screw up lip-syncing on a live show, or spend their first million snorting cocaine and end up in rehab a few dozen times before they turn 30. Artists die broke and then suddenly their work is genius and everyone wants it.

This is not an easy business. BUT … I would still do it even if I never made another dime. It's my passion. Honestly? I'm not sure I want a structured career path. I kinda like this. Then again, I'm pretty twisted. LOL!!

 

[Nicole Wilson]

I think the key is working with other authors from different stages as you. There's no reason for agents to help us unpublished authors out. What does that get them? It works the same way for all creative fields (e.g. artists, musicians). You have to work hard to make it. That separates out the worthy from the unworthy. If you aren't willing to work hard to get it, you won't last long as an author because the rest of it is hard, too.

But other authors, especially those who have made it, are our lifelines. People like @Carol Rose or @Marc Joan, who are farther in the process than we are, are good resources to have because they can provide tips for various circumstances.

Now, you're right. It is a bit of a gamble. But that's the same as putting out a job application. There are courses to take to boost your fluency in subjects, but it's up to that recruiter to pick you (same as an agent).

 

[Emurelda]

Great question but it's a field just like art and music. It's subjective. You can't force someone to like a painting, a piece of music, or a book. Concept marketing (at least here in the US) turns mediocre teens/20-somethings into overnight musical successes, until they screw up lip-syncing on a live show, or spend their first million snorting cocaine and end up in rehab a few dozen times before they turn 30. Artists die broke and then suddenly their work is genius and everyone wants it.

This is not an easy business. BUT … I would still do it even if I never made another dime. It's my passion. Honestly? I'm not sure I want a structured career path. I kinda like this. Then again, I'm pretty twisted. LOL!!

Yes - it does almost sound like an oxymoron - creative work with a structured path! How dare I?

My linear mind is at play - I do tether it at times but it does overwhelm me like now.

There's something attractive about knowing what next...i.e that there is another step. But equally the not knowing is also attractive to others. This is the beauty of creativity, it attracts all kinds of different minds.

 

[Carol Rose]

Yes - it does almost sound like an oxymoron - creative work with a structured path! How dare I?

My linear mind is at play - I do tether it at times but it does overwhelm me like now.

There's something attractive about knowing what next...i.e that there is another step. But equally the not knowing is also attractive to others. This is the beauty of creativity, it attracts all kinds of different minds.

I love the way you think. It's so picturesque. Seriously. I can *see* it.

 

[Nicole Wilson]

Yes - it does almost sound like an oxymoron - creative work with a structured path! How dare I?

My linear mind is at play - I do tether it at times but it does overwhelm me like now.

There's something attractive about knowing what next...i.e that there is another step. But equally the not knowing is also attractive to others. This is the beauty of creativity, it attracts all kinds of different minds.

I totally get you. I am a very process-driven person, so I like knowing next steps. And there are some fields in writing, like the publishing business, that is very "next-step"-y, but @Carol Rose's right: writing is so subjective. You can do a fantastic job, but not everyone is going to like it.

 

[Carol Rose]

I think the key is working with other authors from different stages as you. There's no reason for agents to help us unpublished authors out. What does that get them? It works the same way for all creative fields (e.g. artists, musicians). You have to work hard to make it. That separates out the worthy from the unworthy. If you aren't willing to work hard to get it, you won't last long as an author because the rest of it is hard, too.

But other authors, especially those who have made it, are our lifelines. People like @Carol Rose or @Marc Joan, who are farther in the process than we are, are good resources to have because they can provide tips for various circumstances.

Now, you're right. It is a bit of a gamble. But that's the same as putting out a job application. There are courses to take to boost your fluency in subjects, but it's up to that recruiter to pick you (same as an agent).

Those are all excellent points, Nicole. People forget that those big bands spent years or even decades playing in garages and greasy dives before they were discovered. And they took music classes, and guitar lessons, and drove their parents insane playing drums all night. Writers need to approach their craft the same way. Practice… practice… practice. My daughter was a music major in college and that's all I used to tell her when she'd whine. Writers need to practice, too. Write… write… write.

 

[Emurelda]

I think the key is working with other authors from different stages as you. There's no reason for agents to help us unpublished authors out. What does that get them? It works the same way for all creative fields (e.g. artists, musicians). You have to work hard to make it. That separates out the worthy from the unworthy. If you aren't willing to work hard to get it, you won't last long as an author because the rest of it is hard, too.

I love the idea of having a handbook taking one through it. And from what i have seen of agents - don't they benefit when they open up to work experience all the time? They get someone who wants to understand the industry and learn from it. That way we avoid a lot of the time wasted we give agents in the first place..now time saving is surely attractive.

Having said that there is work experience in place with all publishing houses and also agencies. I was tempted to apply but couldn't due to time factors. Some of them are actually paid work.

And those of us who want it the most will indeed, like you say, be worthy. It's all about the hard work. But what do you work hard at if you aren't sure the best next step. I would turn to my imaginary author career handbook for guidance. Am I selling it ? huh am I? am I?

 

[Emurelda]

Those are all excellent points, Nicole. People forget that those big bands spent years or even decades playing in garages and greasy dives before they were discovered. And they took music classes, and guitar lessons, and drove their parents insane playing drums all night. Writers need to approach their craft the same way. Practice… practice… practice. My daughter was a music major in college and that's all I used to tell her when she'd whine. Writers need to practice, too. Write… write… write.

I love this point of view.

It reminds me of comedians too who have had to work for nothing to get a slice of debt to show for it.

I honestly like the concept of a race can only be won by those who work hardest for it. That is a concept that never fails surely.

 

[Carol Rose]

I love this point of view.

It reminds me of comedians too who have had to work for nothing to get a slice of debt to show for it.

I honestly like the concept of a race can only be one by those who work hardest for it. That is a concept that never fails surely.

Exactly. And actors, too. Many of them did local theater or endless commercials before being cast in that one show or movie that launched their career.

 

[Stephen Drake]

Yes - it does almost sound like an oxymoron - creative work with a structured path! How dare I?

My linear mind is at play - I do tether it at times but it does overwhelm me like now.

There's something attractive about knowing what next...i.e that there is another step. But equally the not knowing is also attractive to others. This is the beauty of creativity, it attracts all kinds of different minds.

Being a computer programmer, from way-back, I understand the desire to take things logically from beginning to end. Becoming a published author doesn't work that way and I don't think it should, imo.

It's something like a painter who wakes up and says, "Today I will paint a masterpiece."

Finding an agent, who seem to be shy and allusive creatures bordering on myth, is quite difficult. Partially because they are too busy to give feedback, or so I've read. About all we can do is keep submitting and hope our submission sparks something.

 

[Jennifer Stone]

I would assume many aspiring authors expect too much. In a 'oh I've written a book, it'll get picked up straight away and it'll make me a millionaire' kind of way. When that doesn't happen, it's easy to get dejected and give up. We've all been at that point of rejection, let's admit it! It might seem that the creative road is the easiest and therefore the quickest route to success but it's mostly uphill over rocky terrain.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Just to throw in a different viewpoint...I think of the creative arts (music, writing, etc.) as a form of entrepreneurship. Creating a writing career is like starting a small business. You're producing a creative, innovative product and trying it to market it to your clients/consumers. And just like small business owners can take classes to learn the nuts and bolts of business ownership, a writer can take classes to learn the nuts and bolts of writing. But because both are centred around the creativity of the "business owner" (the entrepreneur has a new product, the writer has a new book), there can be no step-by-step guide to making it work.

When I switched from running my own business to writing, I realised that they were just shades of the same colour--something I might not have noticed (and certainly never considered before) if I hadn't gone directly from one to the other.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Oh, and just like most small businesses don't make it...neither to most aspiring writers. It takes and extraordinary person to successfully develop, perfect, and market a new product (whether that is a book or a widget doesn't matter).

 

[Carol Rose]

I would assume many aspiring authors expect too much. In a 'oh I've written a book, it'll get picked up straight away and it'll make me a millionaire' kind of way. When that doesn't happen, it's easy to get dejected and give up. We've all been at that point of rejection, let's admit it! It might seem that the creative road is the easiest and therefore the quickest route to success but it's mostly uphill over rocky terrain.

True. I see this EVERY DAY.

 

[Jennifer Stone]

I guess some people see writing/art/music as a quick money earner; maximum return for minimum effort. Oh how wrong they are! It's the society of quick fixes and instant gratification, so few want to put in the work needed.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Boy, some people have been busy today! But I noted the comment "twisted" and wondered who Carol was looking at???? Anyway, like she said, we are artists, you can't follow a career path and become one. You either are, or you ain't, er, aren't! I mean dang it all, there ain't no straight path to this!

 

[Meerkat]

I've never even considered the idea that I write for money. It's not the end goal for me. The end goal is telling the truth.

I am also terrible at sales. I had to work retail in college, and I HATED IT. I am not a pushy person. I dislike the game. When I submitted my stories this weekend, only one site requested a cover letter. How I hate those! I used to try to suck up, blah blah blah, but honestly I couldn't do it. This time, I just explained what the story was about and thanked them for their consideration. I figure, if they don't even want to read it because I didn't list all my impressive writing credits (I haven't got any), then they're not a good market for me.

So, I don't expect to ever make any money. Maybe if I had someone to handle marketing for me, I might make a buck or two, heh.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I've never even considered the idea that I write for money. It's not the end goal for me. The end goal is telling the truth.

I am also terrible at sales. I had to work retail in college, and I HATED IT. I am not a pushy person. I dislike the game. When I submitted my stories this weekend, only one site requested a cover letter. How I hate those! I used to try to suck up, blah blah blah, but honestly I couldn't do it. This time, I just explained what the story was about and thanked them for their consideration. I figure, if they don't even want to read it because I didn't list all my impressive writing credits (I haven't got any), then they're not a good market for me.

So, I don't expect to ever make any money. Maybe if I had someone to handle marketing for me, I might make a buck or two, heh.

I totally agree! I hope my small-business analogy didn't imply that I'm totally mercenary about writing. I just think that the process of sticking it out and believing in yourself and your product is the same process, and can't be "scripted" in either case. I never ran my business to make money, either! I wanted to pay the bills, and I wanted to make a difference to young people's lives--mission-driven, not profit-driven.

 

[Emurelda]

I personally don't think there should be any shame to say that being paid for what you love and making it a primary target to make a sustainable living off of it. I presume that's why people submit to agents. The other option is to say I don't want to make money off my writing just love doing it..but it's a nice bonus if I do - which is what the position many authors will admit to taking.

I think sharing ones work is the real reason people do it. To share your work and make someone smile, laugh and cry just be amazing. It's such a wonderful feeling. And I agree with sentiments that the side effect of achieving all this is monetary later.

@Robinne Weiss I like your business analogy partly because I can relate to it. But it's like a job application too in that you put in lots of time in the background and if you've persevered you get there.

My biggest problem is my flaws! I shan't mention them ...yet...though they might be obvious to some .. but recognising them is my guilt trip to beat myself with...I mean recognising them is half way to overcoming them.

 

[Emurelda]

Also it's late and I've had one too many ice-creams! Not good after a healthy salad so apologies for my mumblingness of drivel above this...

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Can you have too many ice creams?

 

[Emurelda]

Can you have too many ice creams?

According to my husband you can ...and my waistline

 

[Stephen Drake]

I've never even considered the idea that I write for money. It's not the end goal for me. The end goal is telling the truth.

I am also terrible at sales. I had to work retail in college, and I HATED IT. I am not a pushy person. I dislike the game. When I submitted my stories this weekend, only one site requested a cover letter. How I hate those! I used to try to suck up, blah blah blah, but honestly I couldn't do it. This time, I just explained what the story was about and thanked them for their consideration. I figure, if they don't even want to read it because I didn't list all my impressive writing credits (I haven't got any), then they're not a good market for me.

So, I don't expect to ever make any money. Maybe if I had someone to handle marketing for me, I might make a buck or two, heh.

I agree wholeheartedly! I know you can't please everyone, but if even one person likes what I write, then I have accomplished something.

 

[Nicole Wilson]

According to my husband you can ...and my waistline

Stupid waistline - that's the only reason I'm not eating all the ice cream sandwiches in my freezer right now!

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Oooo! Ice cream sandwiches!? Can I come to your house, Nicole? My mom used to always keep ice cream sandwiches in the freezer--takes me right back to my childhood!

 

[Nicole Wilson]

Oooo! Ice cream sandwiches!? Can I come to your house, Nicole? My mom used to always keep ice cream sandwiches in the freezer--takes me right back to my childhood!

C'mon over! Though I have to warn you, it's only a 300 sqft apartment with two cats, so.... hope you're not allergic Plus these things are healthy(ish) and they taste super good!!

 

[Stephen Drake]

Can you have too many ice creams?

Nope!

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Hey, we've only got 900 sqft...and we have two active teens in the house (both of whom play musical instruments...yes, drums, too). And a cat, who is the size of two cats. I know about small...

 

[Nicole Wilson]

Well then, I say it's time for an ICE CREAM SANDWICH PARTY!