Very truthful observations, and hilarious comparisons to boot . . . reminds us with an invigorating dollop of humor how human we all are, writers included!
Liz, I just read the original. I don’t know how I missed it. What a treat! You are the most comical writer I know I adore you. You are so funny. You cheer me up every time I read anything you write. I so love my new role as Former this informer that and now nothing really at all other than someone who loves to live life. By the way, I saw the asked to update to pay subscriber and went in to do that and realized I had already subscribed, but I’m glad I went in because my banking information is changed and it would’ve bounced. I have not bounced anything since I was 31 years old so I didn’t want to break my 45 year record. I would love to talk with you, but I know you are so busy writing. It’s wonderful and I enjoy reading what you write every time. It’s not that you’re not inspiring to me. It’s just that the world outside these four walls keeps calling me, and it’s very seductive❣️
1. Congratulations on surviving an encounter with an Apple Store “genius,” an act that would send me spiraling into homicidal fantasies and going back to writing books longhand in a spiral notebook.
2. Kudos for saying the quiet part out loud. Truthfully it’s the rare writer who makes a sustainable living; back in the 90’s when I started publishing, a mere 3 percent of books earned out their advance. (What’s an advance? Right. That’s the point) Today I can’t, in good conscience, hold out the promise of an advance to a fledgling author, and as you point out, despite the seeming democratization of the Internet, the financial investment associated with self-publishing and/or hybrid publishing is likely to exceed earnings unless the author is a celebrity or social media influencer with a gazillion followers.
So yeah, the truth hurts. But after years and years of nurturing aspiring writers, providing state of the art strategies for making the leap from half-baked-however brilliant-ideas to content, from doodling on napkins to autographing a signed copy of an actual, factual book, you’ve earned the write (right, rite) to have this honest conversation with your readers. It may not get you flowers, but it needs to be said.
My latest existential crisis was sponsored by an Apple Store ‘Genius’ who diagnosed my phone’s death rattle and a man who monologued for 94 minutes about how publishing is a pyramid scheme for masochists.
Very truthful observations, and hilarious comparisons to boot . . . reminds us with an invigorating dollop of humor how human we all are, writers included!
So spot on on so many things. And you’re so funny. a great post!
Liz, I just read the original. I don’t know how I missed it. What a treat! You are the most comical writer I know I adore you. You are so funny. You cheer me up every time I read anything you write. I so love my new role as Former this informer that and now nothing really at all other than someone who loves to live life. By the way, I saw the asked to update to pay subscriber and went in to do that and realized I had already subscribed, but I’m glad I went in because my banking information is changed and it would’ve bounced. I have not bounced anything since I was 31 years old so I didn’t want to break my 45 year record. I would love to talk with you, but I know you are so busy writing. It’s wonderful and I enjoy reading what you write every time. It’s not that you’re not inspiring to me. It’s just that the world outside these four walls keeps calling me, and it’s very seductive❣️
1. Congratulations on surviving an encounter with an Apple Store “genius,” an act that would send me spiraling into homicidal fantasies and going back to writing books longhand in a spiral notebook.
2. Kudos for saying the quiet part out loud. Truthfully it’s the rare writer who makes a sustainable living; back in the 90’s when I started publishing, a mere 3 percent of books earned out their advance. (What’s an advance? Right. That’s the point) Today I can’t, in good conscience, hold out the promise of an advance to a fledgling author, and as you point out, despite the seeming democratization of the Internet, the financial investment associated with self-publishing and/or hybrid publishing is likely to exceed earnings unless the author is a celebrity or social media influencer with a gazillion followers.
So yeah, the truth hurts. But after years and years of nurturing aspiring writers, providing state of the art strategies for making the leap from half-baked-however brilliant-ideas to content, from doodling on napkins to autographing a signed copy of an actual, factual book, you’ve earned the write (right, rite) to have this honest conversation with your readers. It may not get you flowers, but it needs to be said.
I don't mean to discourage. The point of this piece is - write for you, not for the money.
My latest existential crisis was sponsored by an Apple Store ‘Genius’ who diagnosed my phone’s death rattle and a man who monologued for 94 minutes about how publishing is a pyramid scheme for masochists.