Don't Give Up!
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My thought of the day.
Don't give up!
A friend of mine recently told me that after 10 years as a children’s author, he is thinking of retiring. He’s frustrated with the whole business, and he feels like he’s hit a wall. He says each year, selling books and drumming up enough school visits to help him and his family survive is draining and feels like an impossible task, as the obstacles are endless.
This conversation has been on my mind for days, as I know the frustrations that come with this job. I live with the highs and lows and the uncertainties of this career choice every day and have for nearly 20 years.
For better or worse, we are children's authors and/or illustrators, and some make a living off of it and some don’t. The book business has come a long way, and the good news is that self-published authors can be as successful as traditionally published authors. The bad news for both sets is, making a living as an author is a grind, it's difficult, it's harder than difficult, no matter how you’ve gone about being published.
In the 20 years that I’ve been in the business, I’ve gotten to meet so many great writers and illustrators, both self-published and traditional, and some of them make decent money from it, but statistics say most don't, regardless of how they went about getting published.
Most authors have to supplement their income through other endeavors; they have a day job, they do a handful or two of school visits each year, they mentor other authors, they illustrate books, offer writing classes, etc., whatever it takes to keep the lights on. And a supportive spouse is always a plus!
A publishing deal is a great accomplishment! No doubt. Can it lead to other opportunities? It absolutely can. But will it? There are no guarantees in this business. Plus, traditionally published authors get paid a small fraction of what a book sells for, and the life expectancy of those sales fades over time, as there are not a lot of books with the staying power of "Good Night Moon" out there.
So, this job comes down to churning out new stories year after year. Hoping to drum up new business and keep the pipeline flowing.
What’s the saying, Publish or Perish!
People like Dan Gutman and David Adler, over the years, have published about 500 titles between the two. I’m working on my 20th, and I don’t think I have 200 stories to tell.
But as I watch friends struggle with the issue of whether to continue or hang it up. I look at my own career and the struggles that I’ve overcome. And the realizations that I’ve had to face, which aren’t any different than the ones in front of him or any author.
And one of those realizations is this: what I’ve achieved up to today might be as good as it gets for me. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing; it's certainly not for me, and knowing what I know about my friend's career, it doesn’t have to be for him either.
For 19 years, I've lived and breathed being an author, and for the last 15 of them, I've managed to pay the bills, and provide for my family, and I have provided well, much better than I would have or could have from my original occupation.
In the end, most people don't hit the publishing lottery; there are those who do, and we are all hoping that one day we can look at our career choice and say I was one of them. But for now, we all have to keep finding ways to move toward the goals that we set for ourselves.
My goal from the very beginning was to be able to make a living doing something that I love to do, and I do that. But if the Pandemic taught me anything, it was this, as an author/presenter my lively hood is vulnerable. It's vulnerable to many things that I can't control. So, every year that goes by where I don’t have to go online and start doing job searches is another successful year.
I know exactly how my friend feels. And his fears and frustrations are shared by me and probably by most in this field. So, all I can say to anyone, as someone who has gone through it, is just enjoy what you’re doing and enjoy what you have achieved, and unless you're the main provider and can no longer provide for your family as an author, or you hate doing it, then just keep at it.
What you are doing means a lot to all those kids you come in contact with each and every year.
Don’t give up! I'd miss knowing you are out there.
As creative people we all have to come to terms with the ups and downs of this endeavor.