As much as we'd like to be, not all writers are millionaires. Don't get me wrong — there is always hope there, and I've got my fingers crossed — but very few are millionaires.
A question I'd like to propose to you is, are we only successful if and when we reach the threshold of £1,000,000 take-home income?
You see, as a writer I often get asked, jokingly or otherwise, whether I am a millionaire yet. Whilst I appreciate the inferred confidence and pride the other people seem to have in me and my abilities, with that comes the pressure (that I have put on myself) of ‘what if I'm not as successful as these comments are suggesting I should be or will be?’ I know, for the most part, that I'm probably taking this too personally, but I am a recovering people-pleaser — so if people have these expectations of me, I try to fulfil them. Though, in all fairness, as a perfectionist this train of thought is quite useful, in terms of giving me the drive to succeed and do my best.
I think the assumption that all writers are millionaires comes from the fact that we really only hear about people who have written a book, and become insanely successful. And by ‘insanely successful’ I mean successful to the point where — through sales or otherwise — it surpasses everyone's expectations. When you think of writers, who do you think of? Perhaps Stephen King, James Patterson, Colleen Hoover, Karin Slaughter, Patricia Cornwell?
In my opinion, they have become successful to the point where somebody who's not even interested in books or reading knows who they are, and has an inkling of their ‘literary prowess’, as it were. In other words, they have become household names.
What I'm trying to say is that becoming a writer and an author is a process (and a long one at that), there is no guarantee of success. Just because I have written a book, it does not mean that anybody in the entire world has to read it.
Readers of authors such as Stephen King, and others mentioned (any book, really), are reading the final product, and as such, there becomes this mentality and this subconscious assumption that the manuscript — however great — has just landed on the author’s lap — there is little to no thought of the lengthy process behind writing and publishing a book.
That's the drafts, the edits, more drafts, more edits, and further edits. Yes, it's as annoying to me as it is to you. Many authors and writers describe writing as a ‘labour of love’, because they know it is likely that their writing is not going to pay the bills, and they won't be leaving their day job anytime soon. That's not to say that all of us want to leave our jobs for writing, but if you are a writer, then writing and creativity fuels and consumes your soul at times. It takes discipline and compartmentalisation to essentially balance two lives or two personas; there is ‘Author Daniel’, and then there is ‘Every Day Daniel’.
I feel as well that, once a writer’s career gets to a certain level, they don't have to work in the same way to get their name and work in front of people; their name itself carries the weight.
The books sell the name, and the name sells the books.
That is not to say that successful authors haven't worked hard, because they obviously have — otherwise they wouldn't be where they are — but every day there are more writers trying to break out onto the world stage, or at least some platform. Understandably, the success and awareness that comes with it does not come without blood, sweat, and tears.
My point is the popularity of a book can sometimes be carried and propelled by the ‘status’ of the author more so than the book's contents. That's not to say that they're not good, it's just a factor to consider. On the same vein, this means that not all writing is fantastic — but at the same time, a lesser-known author (yes, that includes me), has the ability to write a book to a greater or lesser standard; it just so happens that said author perhaps has less of a platform, compared to that of a famous traditionally published author.
Turning point now: not everybody actually wants to be a full-time writer, and not everybody has the aim of becoming insanely successful. For example, if I were to write full-time, I would feel pressure to literally be writing every second of the day, and I would find it hard to compartmentalise my time and energy. Whereas if I am forced to write in certain sets of time, then I can make the most of those periods of time, and actually refine my work quicker, because I am forced to focus. I am forced to make the most of the opportunity.
Why do I think that not everybody wants to be insanely successful?
This is a difficult one for me to answer, because it depends on the individual. First of all, nobody writes because they know it's going to be a lucrative career, they write because they enjoy it — hence it being coined a ‘labour of love’. The money, and the so-called success and fame, literally come as a by-product of the writer's work. For example, I wouldn't particularly want to be successful to the point where I have attained so-called ‘celebrities status’
I would love for my books to be massively popular, but not me; it is about my books and my writing, not me. It's quite ironic that writers tend to be introverted and keep themselves to themselves, and yet to make a career out of being a writer, we have to put ourselves out there. And there is a danger of it going beyond your comprehension, and losing that sense of control; see who's buying books, and where, and why, and how. As my writing career is relatively new, I take pride in the fact that I know various copies of my books are around the world; people are reading my work, they have read my work. I have had some fabulous feedback.
Writing is a journey as I'm sure many — if not all authors — would agree, so it may be my tenth book, or it may be my fiftieth book, that pushes my writing career to the next level.
As you can see, it is a matter of just keeping going, and seeing what happens — as and when it happens — but a writer does not write to make money, they write because they need to.
The most important thing to take away from this is that writing a book is a success in itself. It is also not all about writing the actual book;. It is about the ‘philosophical enrichment’ that we get from writing a book: we learn a lot about ourselves, we learn a lot about society and other people, and it expands our understanding and appreciation for the world around us. Which is not to be underestimated.
Writer’s write because they need to, because they love it. The key to success — however we define it — is to keep on going. For me, success is — first of all — writing a book; making the most of the opportunity and seeing where it takes me.
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