Many writers I work with are initially plagued by self-doubt. They face questions like:
- Should I even write a book?
- Is the book I’m writing good enough?
- Will anyone even read my book?
I’d like to use today’s newsletter to provide some answers.
Should you write a book?
The answer is yes, always yes.
Will your book be good enough to publish?
Yes. The first draft will not be. The second draft probably won’t be either. But eventually, with proper editing, it will be. Never let anyone tell you otherwise, even editors or successful authors.
Will anyone read your book?
Yes. The difficulty is in building the bridge that connects you with your readers. The book market is extremely saturated, and I strongly recommend you research strategies to reach your audience or talk with a professional publishing consultant (oh, hello) or book marketer.
Now, it’s important to understand that I’m talking about independent publishing specifically here. Traditional publishing is another beast entirely. Contrary to popular belief, often, it’s not even about whether your book is quality enough to publish; it’s about the quantity of readers that agents and publishers think will buy it, based on their limited, defined audience categories, based on past data or what’s currently trending.
I’m not hating on traditional publishing. Many people who work on the independent side of the publishing landscape think the traditional publishing model is broken. I believe it still has its place and contributes certain benefits to authors, readers, and others in the book world. (I did my master’s dissertation on this very discussion, actually—the different capabilities among traditional publishing, hybrid publishing, and independent publishing, specifically in their business models—so I have many, many thoughts on this.) However, I will say that traditional publishing often harbors elitist attitudes, perpetuating the notion that only traditionally published books equate to quality literature. One of the more well-known examples is this New York Times op-ed by Joseph Epstein, which I encourage you to read and then reject in your mind (you can also read this article to help with that). Whenever I read it, I think, Goodness, what a sad viewpoint. What is it like to move through the book world like that?
The PassKey Publishing community does not and will not move like that.
Of course, depending on your goals as an author, there are strategic decisions to consider when writing and publishing. For example, if your aim is to make a living as a fiction writer, certain genres and adherence to reader expectations might be safer bets. We’ll explore these strategies in more detail in future content, and I welcome any specific requests you may have on this topic.
But despite the myriad considerations, my core message is this: never let doubts, self-imposed or otherwise, keep you from writing the book you want to write.
So, should you write that book?
Yes.
Right now.
To get more content like this straight to your inbox, sign up for the Author’s Atlas newsletter!