Late Night Writing and Other Matters

It's late at night. I was about to head to bed, but I felt the need to update this blog. 

I am accustomed to staying up late at night. It seems to be a part of my natural rhythm. Since I work from home, I often feel compelled to strike a balance between writing and taking care of household chores that surround me. If I were working in an office, I wouldn't constantly be reminded of the things that need to be done. I find that I can write better during late hours, perhaps because I am free of the competing thoughts and distractions that come up during the day.

Not only do I tend the home, but my dog can be pretty bossy demanding walks as often as possible. She doesn't understand, "Momma's got to sit and write today." 

My dog is a good fitness coach, but everything I do for her is time-consuming too. My writing is often traded off for dog walks, shampoos, and feedings. 

By day's end, it seems natural to push aside all the other responsibilities and finally focus on writing. The husband is in bed, and the dog sleeps at my feet. 

SOMETHING TO CLARIFY 

But the above isn't what I was going to share just now. Here's what I wanted to write about dreary-eyed as I am:

During a recent meeting, a woman shared off to the side her suspicion towards individuals who have experienced a difficult situation, wrote a book or became a speaker and earned a significant amount of money from doing so.

I wanted to correct her. Why? Because most writers don't make millions of dollars from their books. That is a myth many believe.

The person this woman was referring to who had solved her problem and written a book wasn't a high-profile individual with a broad platform. Today, publishers will rarely take on an average person. They want writers with credentials. They want to know the writer will bring in book buyers and do successful marketing themselves. Becoming published is hard enough and selling books is harder. 


DEBT

The idea that an average woman who's written a book will make millions is inaccurate. Most writers put in more unpaid time than they will ever make back. Publishing on Kindle is free, but Kindle takes a cut of the sales. Personally, I only make about $2 to $4 per book. It makes it hard to justify all the time I put into my ebook writing.

Self-publishing hard copies is even more problematic. It's difficult to sell hard copies especially when shipping costs need to be factored in. Shipping across borders is even more problematic as there may be exchange rates and duty payments included. 

I know a few women with garages full of unsold self-published print books. And these are books they paid out-of-pocket to have produced. Some will see a financial loss. 

Why Writers Write 

I pondered this friend's statement and reflected on it as the web content and eBook writer I am. I decided the purpose of writing for most writers is to share our story with the hope to encourage or inspire someone. We may hope to hit it big financially, and that's not unheard of, but we write because we have something to say. And more of us write because we love writing. 

The woman seemed to mock the idea of the woman writer's sad story. But most good stories have a crisis and turning point in them. Even self-help books point to problems and provide solutions. Hallmark movies always have a crisis and turning point. (I know there are more official terms, but I can't think of them just now.)  

Sad stories are part of telling a story. 

I'm not sure what the woman was so skeptical of unless she sensed impure motives by the woman speaker she'd recently listened to who had a book for sale. Maybe she wasn't impressed with her story. That's okay. She doesn't have to buy the book.