Four years ago, when I decided to write a novel set in Buffalo, I did the worst thing I could possibly do. I looked up “what it takes to write a novel” on the Internet. I did not find loads of encouragement.
What I found were articles like “The Quiet Hell of 10 Years of Novel Writing”[1] and “Seven Things that Will Doom Your Novel.”[2] One veteran author began his New York Times piece with the following words, “According to a recent survey, 81 percent of Americans feel they have a book in them….I’d like to use this space to do what I can to discourage them.” [3]
OK, I said to myself. This undertaking is not for the faint of heart.
I should have gone immediately to YouTube and looked at one of the “Uptown Funk” mashups to brighten my spirits, but my eyes were drawn instead to a depressing list of Google search statistics:
- Of all the people who start a novel, 97% never finish it.[4]
- Over 300,000 books are published in the US each year. (In other words, that’s my competition for space in the book stores.)[5]
- According to Publishers Weekly, the average book in America sells about 500 copies. [6]
- Typically, an author can expect to receive 10% of the retail price on the first 5,000 hardback copies sold. For paperbacks, they get 8% of the retail price on the first 150,000 copies sold. Most average-sized novels fall into the $13.95 to $17.95 price range. [7]
Yep, even though I am a writer I can do the math—authors make less than $2 per book. That suggests that for my four years of hard work, I might make $1,000, if I’m lucky! And that’s only if someone wants to publish it.
So given all this, you might ask, why on earth would anyone embark on the long, painful process of writing a novel? I suppose I could have done a Google search on that as well, but instead I will give you my honest answer. I wrote a novel because I had to.
You see, ever since I was a young girl I had this story in my head about a crazy but lovable family like the ones I knew growing up on the West Side of Buffalo. The characters used to talk to me in my dreams and I came to know them as if they were real. If I didn’t let them spill out onto the page, they’d still be in my head, driving me nuts.
What’s more, writing is how I begin to understand not only my past, but also the world around me. It’s how I finally make sense of things. If I wanted to understand who I was, and what I had become, I had to write about the world that shaped me. Does that make sense?
One of my literary heroes, Toni Morrison, once said, “If there is a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Thank you, Toni, for your words of encouragement. To all of you who have a book in you, I say do it. For I am now one of the 3% who have actually started and finished a novel, and it feels good.
[1] www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2010/07/what_took_you_so_long.html
[1] http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/7-things-will-doom-novel-avoid
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/28/opinion/think-you-have-a-book-in-you-think-again.html
[1] sharonzink.com/writing-tips/97-of-writers-never-finish-their-novels-heres-why/
[1] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-dietrich/the-writers-odds-of-succe_b_2806611.html
[1] https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/6153-a-bookselling-tail.html
[1] https://www.alanjacobson.com/writers-toolkit/the-business-of-publishing/
Congratulations Moxie. Now if I can only get this screenplay that has been in my head for over 35 years out of it and on paper and ultimately on the screen. It is a coming of age story and is roughly a cross between the movies, The Summer of 42 (1971), Saturday Night Fever and being a good deal of it takes place at an antiquated county hospital, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. All the best John. A fellow West Side Buffalonian.
Thanks John. I really enjoyed reading about your travels in the Far East. I hope you will write that screenplay, and let me know when the movie’s out!
Thanks Moxie. Glad you we’re on board for the ride this summer. That 3 month experience was a book in itself. Decorum demanded that I only post the PG-13 version. :). Thanks about my movie, titled, B4. I am hoping to pitch an episodic TV show soon. If, by chance it gets produced and gains traction and success, my movie will be closer to having the possibility of becoming a reality . That would truly be a dream come true. All the best. John
Congratulations on completing your novel. If anyone could do it, it would be you. Looking for to the next one.
Thank you. Have I mentioned I’m thinking of writing a trilogy? Talk about a challenge…
I’m so glad you let your story come out! Some of us are REALLY looking forward to reading it. You could never back down from a challenge, so no surprise that you pursued your dream. Maybe your next book could be about your travels; then I could live vicariously through you.
Hah! Funny you should mention that. I’ve traveled all over the world (hence the title of this website!) but have never written a travel article. Stay tuned to this website. You may see a travel article soon!
When will it be published????? Inquiring minds want to know
I wish I knew! I have just begun the process of looking for an agent and publisher and building my “social media platform.” Stay tuned. I’ll keep you all informed of my progress…
Congratulations, well done and mazel tov! Now, you’re actually just at the beginning. These days, you have to flog your book to publishers (unless you can somehow find an agent), find a publisher, and if you sign a contract, then there’s time on your hands, then editing, then hoping your publisher will send it out for review, then that it will actually BE reviewed; then that the reviews will actually appear in a timely fashion, in publications where the reviews will actually be read. Once the books are in your hand (and there is no joy quite like that!), you’ll have to hope you aren’t the one that has to shlepp them to book stores yourself in your very own car. I guess my next question for you is–you had these characters in your head and you invited them in, discussed it with them, and wrote their story. Is that enough–or does this story need to belong in the world? Sometimes people feel happy just having written their novel. But I have a feeling you’d like to let your characters be seen and known by other people. I wish you the very best of luck, and hope your book will have only good things happen to it–and that the universe will be kind to you and your novel and that you will be very happy with all the extremely hard work you’ve done! Your fans await!
Melissa–thank you! Wise words from a published author. I appreciate your question: Do I feel the need to publish my book and share the story of Buffalo and the people who live there with others? I would put it this way. If one person reads my book, and they feel they’ve experienced vicariously what it was like to live in that place, at that time, then I will have done what I set out to do. I would be overjoyed to reach more people in this way, but accept the uphill struggle of publishing a book these days. My next step will be to pitch agents and publishers, particularly indie presses and regional presses, and see what happens. In the meantime, I am enjoying the feedback I’m getting while writing these blogs. Many have told me they would like to read a book like this (nearly 1500 hits on my blogs and hundreds of Facebook comments so far!), and that is how I plan to pitch publishers!