A while a go I wrote about whether being self-published is the same as being published. The next question I ask myself on a regular basis is: am I a writer? Are you?
Alan Moore offers three things to remember. I’ve offered my take on them.
- Getting a book published is no big deal and has nothing to do with fame and fortune – I have to admit that it is pretty cool to hold a book in my hands that I wrote, but it’s not a unique endeavor. There are hundreds of thousands of published authors in the world today, and I am now one of them. It is an important achievement, but I think my friends and family were more excited about that I was. I knew going in that I wasn’t going to get rich, overnight or otherwise.
- Write every day and be critical of yourself (in a good way) – I try to better myself with every paragraph I write, and the more I do it, the better I get.
- Publishing today is a mess – Lots of great writers never get published. I chose to self-publish. There’s a lot of steps, but I retain control and in the end, if done well, the product is indistinguishable from books published by the big publishing houses. Take the time and do it well. Indie-publishing is here to stay and will only pick up traction.
I found Alan Moore’s advice surprisingly refreshing.
Photo by Isabelle
