When we invest in something it’s normal to expect a positive return on investment. I once owned stock in Pepsi, Disney, and Wal-Mart and lost money. So, saying I don’t know much about investing is an understatement. Well, it was only money. Only money! Sure, as every politician knows, money is a renewable resource.
Writing requires investment in non-renewable resources that are more precious than gold. Time, sleep, and relationships come immediately to mind. Writers make huge initial investments in these commodities only to toss it all away with little or nothing to show for it. It almost makes me want to take up haunting the Facebook writers’ group as a marketing specialist.
Fortunately, should circumstances dictate, I could probably take up a far less seedy vocation, like personal injury lawyer or Congressman. I have published 20 books since 2007. That works out to just over one book a year. Using my final working year’s salary that amounts to about 1.8 million dollars. I could be a millionaire if only I had spent my time working instead of writing.
The sleep I’ve lost by sneaking out of bed to write in the wee hours of the morning and tossing and turning while struggling with a current project, is a number too high to think about. I credit my years nursing with my survival in that area. I’m not going into relationship difficulties, but the words “hobby” and “pipe dream” were frequently used.
I’m not saying that writing is not worth it. I haven’t hit the bestseller lists yet and I’m happy with that. I’ve gotten more from writing than I ever expected. The point of all this is that writing is only the initial investment. To take a book you’ve written and throw it on Mt. Everything Ever Published is akin to throwing it in the trash. It has about the same chance of being read by anyone.
For my money, aborting a book is better than giving it life and neglecting it. Publishers and marketers aside, the final responsibility for a book is its author.
Jack LaFountain
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