I have an ambitious nephew who wants to become a writer. I think he has the idea in his head that this is romantic and free and inspiring.
And if this is what you think, you’re right. Writing can be one of the best vocations in the world, if you get involved for the reasons of “writing” and if you have the stuff to “write”.
In my opinion, it’s not the number of books you sell or the readership you can attract that determines your success. It’s whether your readers really enjoy your work, and indirectly, you.
For example, one of my habits when I was reasonably new to publishing was to look for my books in every B. Dalton and other store I came across.
One day, I saw four of my titles on a shelf when a woman came in to browse. She spied her ten feet away and, sure enough, she picked up two of these books, she smiled as she flipped the pages, took them to the cash register and paid for them.
I will never forget what she was like. Of the hundreds of thousands who have done the same over the years, all of whom I have never seen, his is the face I see when I think of NOT writing my next book.
“What are you going to read, then?” I wonder.
I have also been fortunate to receive calls and emails over the years from appreciative readers asking when my next book is coming out and asking about my audios and videos.
For me, it has the “writing” stuff if you’re interested in communicating with an audience, conveying a message, something that they just won’t hear or see, at least in their own particular way, from any other source.
If this is your motivation, welcome to the club!