Most Authors Aren't Making Money Writing... But Some Make It Gatekeeping Marketing Knowledge

I've said it before on this blog, and I'm probably going to say it again; most authors do not make a living writing books. While there are a handful of Big Names who cash fat royalty checks, and a few Smaller Names who cobble together enough for a decent living, most of us who do this are rolling the dice and hoping for the best. However, there is a... let's call it a strategy among a lot of authors for making those ends meet.

In short, they're selling courses teaching others how to succeed as an author. And while I'm all for structured education and paying people what they're worth, a lot of the time these things feel like they aren't worth the cost... especially when there are ways you can get the information free-of-charge from authors who don't want to put a paywall on what you want to know.

Just push... the door is open.

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Too Many Authors Are Aping Capitalism's Playbook

All right, at the risk of the Soviet national anthem playing while I write this, the strategy used by capitalists and corporations (there's barely a functional difference, but I list them both for completion's sake) to make money is RARELY to invent new things, improve new services, or to actually be competitive. Instead, these monied interests find something that is either a public necessity (water, land, healthcare, food, housing, etc.) and they take control of it. They then force you to pay for access to it, while keeping control and ownership of it so they can make you pay them as much money as possible until you die.

If you've been on the Internet for any length of time, then you watched this happen with paywalls. Once upon a time you could just read the news, play games, and consume content all across the Internet... but then more and more sites started putting up paywalls so that only people who forked over a membership fee could actually access the services, or information. Hell, it's also happening with "free" websites like YouTube, and several social media sites where you can pay a fee for a kind of VIP package.

So what does this have to do with writers? Well, it seems that a LOT of us aren't actually trying to make a living selling copies of our books... instead, we're trying to make a living selling people who aren't writers the tools to publish and market their own books. And we're doing it in the form of online courses that can run for hundreds of dollars.

And holy crap is this becoming an issue.

Now, the idea of this is fairly simple. An author will put together a series of videos that act as a kind of digital lecture, which will be hosted somewhere that the prospective students can then pay money to access. The idea is that you are getting the inside scoop on publishing and writing from people who have been in the trenches, and who can tell you how you can become a writer just like they did. While this isn't new (there are countless books that claim to be able to make you a bestseller, a business tycoon, etc.), it has become something of an issue for a few reasons.

I'd argue that the first reason is because this information is often (though not always) presented as some kind of secret knowledge that will put one on the fast track to becoming a successful author. That it's marketing using the glitz of a get-rich-quick scheme, which is something that has become all too pervasive in the writing world. What makes you successful is rarely the knowledge, but a network of connections and a proven track record; and those aren't what you're paying for.

Secondly, though, is that the information being paywalled isn't secret. It is all over the Internet, and there are authors out there who are literally giving away the techniques to get published, find an agent, market your book, and even down to the nitty gritty where they'll walk you through building an Amazon ad campaign that will actually get noticed (something that's pretty damn valuable). Hell, I make a show that does this on the Azukail Games YouTube channel titled Tabletop Mercenary, and author Alice Liddell has an entire YouTube channel stuffed with topics titled Alice The Author. If you go watch our videos, you'll save yourself a cool C-note... and you can leave questions in the comments if we don't answer everything you need to know!

This whole trend first came to my attention over a year ago when I was talking with PatZi, the host of the YouTube channel (and former radio show) Joy On Paper (which you should go follow if you haven't yet). At the time I figured that every author with any kind of name recognition putting together a course for prospective writers was just another part of the cycle... but it hasn't gone away.

Now, I'm not here to yuck anyone's yum. If you feel that this is a fair deal, and that you want to hear what a particular writer has to say, that's your decision to make. However, I've been doing this for a pretty long time now, and I've met a lot of folks doing it longer than I have. The information being paywalled is absolutely out there for free, and you could probably find it in less than 20 minutes of searching. I am of the opinion that people who want to write better books, or who want to learn how to actually sell their books once they've released them, will be far better served by using the resources they already have at their fingertips. Also, join communities of writers. Social media platforms are jammed with them, and we are all more than happy to share our experienced and tips with folks.

Most of us actually want to sell copies of our books. Information, though, that we generally give out free of charge because we understand that creating community means you help others out where you can.

Support The Literary Mercenary

If you want to see me produce more work, consider some of the following options!

- My Facebook

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And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Also, if you're curious about how to write for tabletop RPGs, don't forget to check out my show Tabletop Mercenary, which you can find on both the Azukail Games channel, as well as my Rumble channel listed above!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list.

Consistency Trumps Talent Every Time

We've all heard the story of the tortoise and the hare. The two of them set up to race one day, and the hare bounds off, taking an early lead. The hare decides there's no rush, and pisses about, having a snack, taking a nap, etc. When all is said and done, even if the hare had all the natural gifts in the world, he didn't apply them properly to the task at-hand. Thus the tortoise, who was here to win the damn race, crossed the finish line first.

This is something you see a lot of when it comes to writing. Because there are plenty of people out there who have a lot of talent... but the person who shows up and writes every day is going to be the one who finishes their projects, and crosses that goal line. Not just once, but over, and over, and over again.

You'll get there... eventually...

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Lastly, don't forget to check out my Vocal archive for additional fiction, articles, explorations of weird history, and more!

Discipline, Not Passion, Is What Lays Your Foundation

When people think about art, they usually focus on the thrill of creation, and the happy brain chemicals that flow through you when you get do it. Whether it's drawing, sculpting, or writing, the rush of translating something from your mind and onto a page is the part that most folks tend to focus on.

However... that is only a tiny fraction of what actually goes into making art as a craft (to say nothing of doing it as a profession). Because natural ability and the joy of movement and execution is a single facet of a complicated gem. There's also studying other creators, attempting to learn new skills and master new tools, but at the core of it all there is the one thing that really makes a difference... practice.

To paraphrase Bruce Lee, you don't need to fear someone who has tried a thousand different kicks 1 time each. But that fighter who has perfected a single kick, throwing it a thousand times or more? They will be able to execute that maneuver with power, grace, and a precision you do not want to be on the receiving end of. 

Lock in. Get it done.

Think of any physically demanding job or task out there, and you probably imagine them doing drills, and going through constant training to stay on top of their game. From soldiers and SWAT teams, to firefighters, athletes, dancers, and others, the idea is that if you want to be at the top of your game then you have to put in the hours to perfect your skills. You can't just pick up a fencing rapier, mess around with it for a few hours, and become a sword master; you need thousands of hours to familiarize yourself with the weight of the sword, the strategies of attack and defense, and so on, and so forth. The same is true with wielding a story and making sure that you can twist it, turn it, and execute it as tightly as possible.

Just as important as the amount of practice you put in, though, is the fact that you need to make sure you don't lose your instincts for it because you let yourself get rusty.

Take a moment and think back to when school was in session during the Fall. You've had 3 months off, and you haven't cracked a textbook, done a math problem, or put together a science experiment. Now you're back in school, and your teachers have to spend the first few weeks of school priming your brain pump and reminding you of all the things you learned last year that you've forgotten. And if you haven't been in school for years, instead of months? Well, you might need entire refresher courses to get your brain back in gear, and performing where it was. The same is true of writing... if you have weeks, months, or even years in between your bouts of work, you're going to find yourself trying to make up progress you lost. Like if you went to the gym, got in shape, and then stopped showing up for the holidays... you're going to notice some of your gains are gone, and you aren't as tight as you were before cookie season.

I thought holiday calories didn't count...

Drive is important. Talent is important. But discipline and dedication are going to be your bread and butter when it comes to writing, because they are the tortoise who puts one foot in front of the other. Because when you practice writing every day, no matter how you feel, whether it's rain or shine, then that is the same as showing up to drill even on your off days. And it's why you're going to be that much faster, that much smoother, and that much more natural than someone who just practices when they feel like it, or when they're in a good mood, or when they don't have anything else to do.

You get out what you put in when it comes to your work. And there's going to be frustrations and annoyances, stumbling blocks and hurdles... but if you want to be able to create, you have to keep coming back every day, stretching, and trying to be just a little bit better than you were yesterday.

Support The Literary Mercenary

If you want to see me produce more work, consider some of the following options!

- My Facebook

- My Blue Sky

- My LinkTree

- My Weekly Newsletter

- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)

And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Also, if you're curious about how to write for tabletop RPGs, don't forget to check out my show Tabletop Mercenary, which you can find on both the Azukail Games channel, as well as my Rumble channel listed above!

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!