Category Archives: self-publishing

Overcoming Writing Excuses: Start Your Book Today

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You have an idea for a novel/nonfiction book/stage play/screenplay/book of poetry/book of essays/etc. but you haven’t been able to actually do anything with it.

It sits there. An idea. Going nowhere.

If you don’t activate it soon, you’ll lose interest in it and enthusiasm about it.

You may have any number of excuses for not moving forward and developing your idea. Some of the most common excuses are:

  1. I don’t have time to write.
  2. I don’t know how to write or, I don’t know how to do this kind of writing.
  3. I’m not good with spelling and grammar.
  4. Other people whose works I’ve read are really good writers. Where do I get the nerve to even think that I can write in their space?
  5. This will take me such a long time. Is it even worth it to start?
  6. What if I finish it and it doesn’t get published?
  7. What if it turns out to be awful? I’d be so embarrassed.
  8. What if it gets published or I self-publish it and no one reads it?

Most of these excuses are bullshit, and badass writers don’t indulge in bullshit. Acknowledge them for what they really are: AN EXPRESSION OF FEAR.

  1. I don’t have time to write. There are ways to squeeze writing time into the busiest schedule. I’ll recommend some in another post. But this is probably about you being afraid. If you write TEN MINUTES A DAY, you’ll put it more than an hour a week. You can accomplish a lot in an hour.
  2. I don’t know how to write or, I don’t know how to do this kind of writing. You learn. You learn by doing and by reading about writing. There are MANY resources available to you (including some I offer).
  3. I’m not good with spelling and grammar. Then you write what you want to write and either hire an editor/proofreader or get that smart English major friend of yours to correct your masterpiece for a few beers.
  4. I’ve read books like the one I want to write by really good writers. Where do I get the nerve to even think that I can write in their space? These writers inspired you to write! And keep in mind the fact that they didn’t start out being really good writers. They probably started out feeling just as doubtful about their ability as you do now – BUT THEY DID START.
  5. This will take me such a long time. Is it even worth it to start? That’s something you need to decide. However, wasting time thinking this way will not get you to the finish line any faster.
  6. What if I finish it and it doesn’t get accepted by a publisher? Then you self-publish it. (SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION ALERT: See my course, How to Self-Publish Your Badass Book on Amazon. It’s on Teachable.com.)
  7. What if I self-publish it and no one reads it? You will have to promote the hell out of it. I cover how to do that in the above-mentioned course.
  8. What if it turns out to be awful? I’d be so embarrassed. There is no limit on the number of times you can revise it. You can continue to improve that. You can hire a co-writer or an editor to help you improve it.

There. There is no excuse for the excuses you’re using to excuse yourself from writing what you want to write.

Get to it.

Self-Publishing is for Losers…or is it?

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The only reason a writer should self-publish is if they are unable to land a deal with a publishing company, right? And the only reason a writer can’t get a book deal with a publishing company is because their book isn’t good enough, right? They’re losers.

At one time, self-publishing did have a stigma attached to it. That still may be the case among some snobs at elite publishing houses, but since I’m not invited to dinner parties at their luxury Manhattan apartments, or to summer weekends at their Hampton estates, I don’t care what they think.

Neither should you.

The internet has had a democratizing effect on publishing. When you look up a book on Amazon, is it immediately apparent whether or not the book has been published by, say, Simon & Schuster or by you? Sure, if you scroll down and squint at the fine print, you’ll see the publisher’s name, but it’s not what you’re going to base your decision on. You’ll have already been intrigued by the title, or the cover art, or the synopsis.

The point is: the self-publishing option has helped level the playing field.

And there are some good reasons for self-publishing instead of attempting the traditional route:

  1. Fewer hoops to jump through. Most major publishers won’t accept unsolicited manuscripts. They will only consider submissions from established literary agents. That means you have to first get an agent to represent you, and then that agent must try to get your book placed with a publisher. If you want to try this, get ready for a lengthy and arduous process that involves researching agents to find ones that would be a fit for your book, writing and sending query letters to those agents (some of which you’ll never get a response to) and then, if a miracle happens and one agrees to rep you, formulating book proposals for the publishers your agent will query. If you self-publish, your book can be available online quickly.
  2. Numbers. You are up against tens of thousand of other writers who are also querying literary agents.
  3. Time. Let’s say your dream comes true and your manuscript gets accepted by a publisher. It could take two years until your book actually gets published. The wheels grind slowly at these big companies. I don’t know about you, but…tick tock. Two years???
  4. Support – or lack thereof. Publishers tend to focus their attention on their big moneymakers, not on newbie authors. James Patterson gets plenty of marketing and promotional support. You won’t necessarily feel the same love. Even if you’re published, your book could minimal marketing attention.
  5. Control. This has both pros and cons. As a self-published writer, you have total control over your book’s cover art, back cover description, marketing, etc. For some writers, that’s a relief. For others, it’s frustrating. Once you sign a contract with a publisher, you relinquish a great deal of control over your book.

Writers who self-publish aren’t losers. They are making the choice to not let the traditional publishing industry control their writing destiny and prevent them from doing what they want to do: get their books into the hands of readers.

I’m not saying it’s easy, but it is doable.

For badass writers, anyway.

Just sayin’: I can help.