Ask Yourself Hard Questions
We know there are two distinct processes in writing: the actual writing process (everything from brainstorming, outlining, drafting and revisions) and the publishing process (everything to get your book out into the world). The first one is what most of us want to do as writers; the second one is what we wish would magically happen for us.
It doesn’t. There are simply too many good books by too many good authors to have your very good book automatically rise to the top of the discoverability pile just because it is good. It’s not fair, but alas, for now, that is the way of it. Quality itself isn’t an automatic ticket. (Though you have to start with quality! If you don’t have a solid manuscript that you’re proud of, you’ve got nothin’ for part 2!)
So we learn all the marketing and networking and publicity skills we may never have had before. And then we learn that those techniques, too, are not a guarantee. In fact (sigh) there are no guarantees.
But here’s something I rarely hear: you don’t have to learn all those additional skills. Absolutely it’s much less likely your book will make a big splash without them, but perhaps the effort to market your book isn’t, ultimately, worth it. Writing is meant to be fun, engaging, fulfilling. If your writing time is now only marketing time—and you hate it—then consider you have a choice. There are consequences, yes. But maybe, just maybe writing is, in the end, all you want to do.