If you listen to those who bill themselves as experts, they’ll tell you that there’s one way to make it as an author. There are groups which tell you that if you produce a certain number of books, you’ll be making a five-figure income. They’ll talk about things like “write to market” and “rapid release”. Now, I’m not saying these things don’t work. What I am saying is that they work for some authors, but not everyone. Publishing isn’t a one-size-fits-all endeavor. In fact, when there are one-size-fits-all clothing, even that doesn’t fit everyone and for those it does fit, it often doesn’t fit well.
The problem with believing that there’s only one way to make it as an author, or to do anything for that matter, is that it often leaves those who are members of marginalized groups by the wayside. And when it comes to publishing, it’s not just marginalized individuals who are left behind, though they do make up the bulk of the authors. It’s also those with small children, those who have to work full time amongst other responsibilities, and even those who are caretakers or who have extensive volunteer projects. In short, it’s a lot of people.
And this is why I have believed for a very long time that the gurus are wrong. They are selling you what worked FOR THEM and considering that most of them have a background in internet marketing, the truth is what they’re selling is also what was sold to the coaching community. It’s tweaked for its new audience, made to appear shiny and new, when it’s the same old thing only now they’ve broadened their audience and expanded their scope.
You’re not a scope to be expanded, and you’re not a new market to tap. You’re an author, someone who pours their heart and soul into their work, telling the best damn story they can, and sharing it with the world. This is not a place for widgets, products, or anything that can be prepacked and presold like a candy bar.
Part of this is sitting in the painful places, figuring out the hard parts, whether that’s something within your story or finding a new way to tell it. Part of this is reveling in the sheer creative bliss that happens when you find that sweet spot and just write. And part of it is being able to name what’s happening, the good and the bad, so you can decide what to do.
The way to be an author isn’t like a restaurant with only one thing on the menu and that one thing has to work for everyone. It’s like being at a beautiful, global buffet with more foods than you can ever imagine, more tastes, more flavors and choosing what appeals to you right now in this moment. No two plates will look alike, and my dear author, no two paths to publishing will look the same either.
