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Children learn to read at young ages, and this starts a cycle of reading and writing in every year of school they attend. Then they’re hooked and want to write text and communicate their thoughts and ideas. So yes, writing is essential for everyday life.
Most writers will tell you not to write, but why wouldn’t you? And also, how could you not? It would help if you didn’t assume it would be a good career choice. But it is so rewarding to get a book published. Publishing is a growing career path that enjoys modest growth yearly. Since Gutenberg invented the printing press, it has been a career choice. The first question to the route is: Do I have a finished book?
Is it non-fiction?
If you do and it’s non-fiction, it’s okay, but you’ll still need to write a proposal. This document is simple and has a bio attached. It’s used to market the Book and sell it to a publisher, and you should get an agent if you want a large publisher that will give you an advance. Several genres do pretty well, but you can check the recent best sellers on The Time’s website.
There are many like these overseas and in Los Angeles. If you’re doing a fiction novel, write the whole thing first. Make sure to edit it or have someone else do it before your submission.
Traditional vs. Self Publishing
Most agents take a percentage of what you make in royalties, there are associations for the profession, and they pledge never to charge upfront for anything. The rate they take is around 15% of what you made. If you can’t get an agent or don’t want to, some companies support people’s rights to choose and accept work not represented by an agent. These companies accept unsolicited submissions that aren’t described.
The largest companies usually don’t accept unsolicited work, but some do. Outliers are always in any equation, and Outliers was a best seller. Being a bestseller is one in a million. These are the best sellers, and the figures come out bi-monthly. Being on the list will boost sales tremendously for new authors, but many don’t see that success when publishing a book, especially their first one.
Touring the country…
Some people don’t do any of this, and if you self-publish, you won’t have a contract stating you have to. If you like people, it will be fine, but sometimes there will be appearances that don’t go as planned. If you have an aversion to large crowds, you might not like this activity, which brings you to the next point. You might not have to see any more people, because you could work from home. So the cliche of writers being reclusive is spawned from the fact that you’re just an independent contractor selling a product — you have no office full of co-workers to travel to every day.
You shouldn’t let tours deter you from following your dreams. The median income for writers in 2014 in the U.S. was 58,000 dollars. This is better than most job opportunities, and the numbers include authors.
If you want to write but don’t want to tour the country or have to introduce yourself to a bunch of people at a book store, you might want to try a cubicle or office. These work environments aren’t the best for creativity, but you can imagine the support you would get with developing your skills. These jobs are included in the median income statistics as well.
The ending of your Book
This is the part you will love. The ending, or the completion of your manuscript, will be something you should cherish and celebrate. Some like the paycheck, and this will happen later. Also, the editing takes time, so you shouldn’t rush the process. You are only expected to write a novel a year, and some can write even faster than that. This is not as time-consuming as it sounds unless you’re writing something like War and Peace or Atlas Shrugged. And your first one shouldn’t be that long, and it will be harder to get a large one published primarily if it’s fiction.
After you get a contract and hopefully a nice advance, you aren’t through yet. You have to market your work and sign books. Some say you have to sell one Book at a time, and others don’t have to deal in person. Some books are sold long after the author has died.
