6 Myths About Being A Published Author
Time and again, someone will ask me what it’s like to be a published author. Usually the person asking the question wants to write a book. I’m always at a loss for words. I don’t want to discourage anyone, but blind encouragement isn’t helpful either.
If you’re wondering whether to pursue writing, we can at least go over some of the most common myths about publication to help you make your decision. Before we tackle the misconceptions, let’s talk about two major types of book publication: traditional publication and self-publication.
I’m a traditionally published author, which means my publishers paid for the publication of my novels, and I receive royalties from book sales. Self-publication is the opposite model. Authors pay for the publication of their books, from manuscript editing to book-cover design to marketing and distribution. They earn every cent generated by their book sales. Which model is better? That’s a whole different conversation.
Debunking the Myths
In this article, we’ll talk about the most common misconceptions about being a traditionally published author.
Myth #1: Publication of your book will change your life. Anne Lamott said it best in her book, “Bird by Bird”: “Publication is not going to change your life or solve your problems. Publication will not make you more confident or more beautiful, and it will probably not make you any richer.”
So why bother at all? Everything depends on why you’re writing. I write novels out of love for the writing itself. There’s no greater validation of all my hard work as when a publisher acquires my manuscript and invests in it. Again, Lamott described the experience well. She wrote, “The fact of publication is the acknowledgment from the community that you did your writing right. You acquire a rank that you never lose.”
Myth #2 If you finish writing a book, it deserves to be published. Writing a book is hard, but just because you wrote one doesn’t mean it’s good enough to be published. As Kate McKean, a literary agent, said, “Every story is not a book.” The title of her article summarized her point well: “No, You Probably Don’t Have a Book in You.”
A manuscript is usually never ready for publication after the first draft. Let your manuscript sit for a while before going back to it. Find a critique partner or group for feedback. Attend a workshop where you can get feedback from a writing teacher and your fellow attendees. Some writers hire a developmental editor to evaluate their work or a writing coach to guide them throughout the writing process.
Also, having a clever plot or new idea isn’t enough to get you published. This is especially true in fiction; the execution of the idea and the actual writing will sell a book, not just the plot.
My biggest challenge after I completed my latest manuscript was finding the right literary agent. Big publishers don’t accept unagented submissions; smaller publishers are more open to reading unagented manuscripts. I’m lucky to be represented by Maria Napolitano of Jane Rotrosen Agency. Finding the right agent who believes in your work is a thousand times harder than writing and completing a manuscript. Write the best book you can in order to persuade the right agent to represent you.
Myth #3: You’ll get rich when your book is published. Not true. “Half of full-time authors earn less than the federal poverty level of $12,488,” according to a report by the Authors Guild titled “The Profession of Author in the 21st Century.” Most published authors hold day jobs to make a living, myself included. If you’re thinking of writing a book, don’t quit your day job.
Myth #4 Authors control the publication process. This is true for self-published authors, but not for traditionally published authors. In my experience, the publication process requires continuous negotiation in big ways (negotiating the terms of a book contract, deciding on the final title of the book or book cover design) and small ways (following the publisher’s style guide, adjusting deadlines).
Myth #5 Once your book is published, you can sit back and relax. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once a book is published, an author’s biggest task is to help the publisher in marketing the book, from attending book fairs and speaking at public events to writing blog articles and interacting with readers on social media. Bottom line: authors have to work hard to sell their books. If you’re a born salesperson and you love selling, consider yourself lucky.
Myth #6 Being an author is easy. Don’t buy into the romantic image of the writer sitting before a computer all day long without any cares outside of her or his creativity. Ask yourself whether you want to write as a hobby or as a career. If it’s the former, then yes, it’s easy. All you have to do is write. You don’t have to worry about publication. But if you want to make a living as a published author, then treat writing as you would any professional endeavor. Get the proper training and experience and write as much as you can. Hopefully, one or two of your manuscripts will earn your place in the sun—and help you acquire a rank you’ll never lose.
Read related stories:
What Got Me Published Could Be the Very Thing You Need
Writing Fiction About a Famous Person: What You Need to Know
Promoting a book is part of an author’s job. The Filipino American National Historical Society Museum (FANHS) hosted a book event in Stockton, Calif., for my historical novel, My MacArthur, on Aug. 18, 2019.