This is the mountain you are trying to climb to establish yourself.
In 2012, the last year for which data has been tallied, there were 301,642 new books released by U.S. publishing houses — and an additional 391,768 original books that were self-published.
"I knew I was a real writer, doing the work, being out there and taking my shots, the day I read to 30 empty chairs in Nashville," recalls Alvarez, an author, screenwriter and journalist
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/bs-ae-book-to...
Comments
To quote the great James T. Kirk
Never tell me the odds.
I could be adding my books to a pool of millions every year and I'd still want to be an author. Heck, those numbers you posted total less than 3/4 million together: in the grand scheme of things worldwide, that's a drop in the bucket.
Writing is fun. It is creation, and sharing, and experiencing a world together.
It is something where the odds of success never matter.
Melanie E.
Is that before
he commanded the starfish Enterprise?
Angharad
Prepare for a better furture.
The book industry is a monopoly cartel full of nepotism and cronyism. Unless you are literally born into that industry, or you are a member of the politically correct flavor of the month, they elitists that control that industry will intentionally never allow you to have success in said industry. That is why 99% of all the fiction the entertainment industry has produced, for the last few decades, has been garbage.
The same can be said for the rest of what is loosely called our civilization.
These elitists control all government in this nation, and almost all industry. The elitists have raised the taxes, can create regulations on us people, while giving themselves waivers to said taxes and regulations.
The good news is the elitists are so corrupt their corruption is about to collapse in on them. I am patiently waiting for that collapse to happen. Which is looking to happen between next several months, to the next few years. Then, I will be able to move forward with my life. That is, if I survive the collapse. If I don't, well... Oh well.
And I am not going to say anything else on this matter, because I come here to get away from the corruption of real life.
Ghettos...
It's also why female writers are generally (with quite a few, but still fairly rare – statistically-speaking – exceptions) relegated to the “Women's Fiction” shelf in the shops (both real and virtual), whilst “Serious Literature” is almost necessarily written by males. Look at the New York Times Book Review pages, where “Serious Literature” is féted and critiqued, and calculate the gender ratio both of featured authors and reviewers. Oddly enough, it turns out that men best exemplify the serious intellectual skills required to fully understand “serious literature” as well as write it. It stands to reason, then, that men would naturally dominate the arts and literature faculties of almost every university as well.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/gender-balance-and-book-reviewing-a-new-survey-renews-the-debate/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
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Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
A real writer writes. Period.
Making a living at it doesn't matter. If you want to be a writer, be one. Write. That's what I do. Even if I never earn a cent on the fiction I write, I'll still write it. I have to.
Because I'm a writer. It's who I am as much as it is what I do.
Thank goodness for all the people here who read my work, too, because I put a lot of my heart and soul into it, and I'll keep doing it as long as there's enough life in me to push a pen or hit a keyboard. *smile*
Also, for the record, I thought it was Han Solo who said "Never tell me the odds," in response to C3PO telling him how astronomical the chances were of him successfully navigating an asteroid field in the Falcon.
But to be fair, I'm sure James T. probably would have said it too. After all, he liked relying on his skill to do what needed to be done more than listening to people tell him what he couldn't do. *smiles*
Randa
It's used a few times to Spock
When he insisted on sharing the odds of a favorable outcome with the cap'n.
Melanie E.
I fully agree.
I fully agree. Write because you love it.
I have read stories posted on the web, including this website, that are, in plot, and character development, on par, or better than classic literature. And the stories I am talking about tend to also be longer, and more enjoyable, than the classics.
Better odds than the lottery :)
Just said that about something similar with a professional writer friend of mine.
Making a living writing is like any other manual labor, you got to sweat to get the rewards.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Only 693,410 books published
That is clearly not enough for a planet of 7,162.000,000 people and rising. I checked on Amazon and can see Tanya Allan is trying but she still only has 39 titles and I have more room on my Kindle.
More books and stories please from all of you
Rhona McCloud
I love this place.
I thought I was in a minority in thinking that the writing here is way above average. To have this venue to show your work in is priceless regardless of the problems we have in our personal life this is a place we can be successful at doing what we love.
My ex is a writer and a good one but there experiences in the writers groups has been at best, brutal Catty, and full of angry spite. Here all of you have given me sound critiques and honest praise.
Huggles
Misha Nova
With those with open eyes the world reads like a book
I think for me it's already too late....
I recently read somewhere that it takes a set number of hours to master a skill. I don't remember how much time it was, but I think it was more than I could conceivably expect to live.
Livin' A Ragtime Life,
Rachel
Jack(or Jill) of all trades, Master of None
If I could have gazed into that Crystal Ball when I left school aged 15 back a long time ago and seen where I was now and what I'd be doing with my life, I would be shocked and probably not believe it for one second.
To take just one point, back then, I was very Dsylexic and to be able to write more than 500 words on anything was a major task. The thought of speaking in Public would have sent me running for cover.
Now I write for pleasure (still can't spell though) and I'm going to be lecturing in the US leter this year on a very technical subject to an audience of my peers from all over the world.
I'm probably not highly skilled in anything but I'm willing to give things a go. As a result I can turn my hand to a lot of things. Yesterday I was helping rebuild a Vincent 'V'-Twin engine (lapping valves can be very theraputic). Today, I'm photographing a re-dedication of marriage vows.
Sure there are regrets. Everyone has them. The 'I wish I'd done xxxx instead of yyyy' events in your life.
Life is what you make it. Write and enjoy it. A lot of us who post their work here on BC will probably never be classed as 'experts' in the art but we all have something to offer others.
As the advertising slogan goes
'Just do it'.
{especially if the Bearded Lady can win Eurovision}
Age has little to do with it
Personally, I'd say it's not too late. Sure with age comes senility and lack of imagination, but there's also added wisdom from years of living. It's never too late to learn a skill. I failed my calculus and took my programming subject twice in university, but here I am learning how to make a game and I find that it's not too hard.
Of course, there are still things that you can't do. As for me, I'm totally useless at drawing, but I have friends who can draw. So if you think you can't sufficiently do it yourself, believe in your friends to help you, even if a little.