“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”
Charles Dickens wrote those words in 1859 and as far as I’m concerned, he could have been talking about life as an author at any time in history.
The Best of Times. You write a book and discover how much you love the entire process.
The Worst of Times. Publishers won’t look at your masterpiece without an agent and agents won’t consider an unpublished author.
But you keep writing, because you can’t help yourself.
Fast forward to the twenty-first century.
The Best of Times. An author no longer needs a publisher. You can upload your formatted manuscript to any of several on-line retailers as an ebook for people to purchase and read on their computer or dedicated reader.
The Worst of Times. With no gatekeepers in the industry, the marketplace quickly grows with books that never should have been published in the first place. And scammers who game the system.
The Best of Times. Gurus of indie publishing flourish, promising fame and fortune to authors who plunk down bundles of cash to take their courses or purchase their reports on everything from ads and marketing to social media to cover design and writing blurbs. They’ll even teach you how to write the books themselves, and how to buy reviews for it.
The Worst of Times. Desperate authors throw good money after bad and the gurus reap the benefits.
The Best of Times. No subject is off-limits. Publishers are no longer telling authors what to write or deciding what choices readers will have. The book world is vast, with something for everyone.
The Worst of Times. A lot of the books for sale are really quite dreadful. Poorly crafted and executed.
The Best of Times for readers. Desperate authors start giving away their books for free.
The Worst of Times for authors. Readers expect the books to be free, and most authors soon can’t make any sort of living at their craft.
An even Worse Time for authors. Computers, or Artificial Intelligence now has the capacity to write a book. It might not be good, but hey, it’s a book! And if you’re savvy at the marketing end of things, you can make some coin without actually writing a book.
The Best of Times. I just released a new title, my 52 nd, and reviewers love it.
The Worst of Times. Readers either can’t find the book because the market is glutted, or decide to wait until I put it on sale. Or better yet free.
I don’t know how it happened, but somehow I’ve come full circle, spending all my time writing without seeing any return on my investment.
Or maybe not. What if an influencer likes my book and makes a reel for Instagram or chats it up to their followers on TikTok.
Or better yet, Netflix turns my Seven Book Series into a popular television movie or series.
Frannie (Always a Bridesmaid) celebrated her book birthday yesterday. She was written by a real person who embraces everything about the industry. And really appreciates her readers. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSP4MXXF
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USA Today Bestselling Author Kathleen Lawless blames a misspent youth watching Rawhide, Maverick and Bonanza for her fascination with cowboys, which doesn’t stop her from creating a wide variety of interests and occupations for her many alpha male heroes.
With over 50 published novels to her credit, she enjoys pushing the boundaries of traditional romance into historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense and women’s fiction.
She makes her home in the Pacific Northwest and loves to hear from her readers. www.kathleenlawless.com
Sign up for Kathleen’s VIP Reader Newsletter to receive a free book, updates, special giveaways and fan-priced offers. http://eepurl.com/bV0sb1
