5 Reasons You Should NOT Write A Book
Over 80 percent of people say they have a book in them.
“That’s cool. I’d like to write a book someday,” he says hopefully, and I nod. Yes of course you would. You and the rest of the world.
When you work in publishing and you learn that more than 80 percent of people think they have a book in them, you become quite selective about how and who you talk to about your line of work. (This is one reason in fact, most literary agents and publishers avoid social media and keep their cards close to the vest -- they don’t want to get mobbed.)
Does it surprise you that 4 out of 5 people think they have a book in them? For aspiring authors, it should give a snapshot of how competitive and difficult it can be to actually get your book published. Only a select few books will find a publisher, and even fewer still will land on the shelves at Barnes & Noble, Target, and Costco.
5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Write A Book:
Reason #1: You shouldn’t write a book if you think it is going to be fun or easy. Writing a book is not for the faint of heart. It looks romantic on the outside, but on the inside, it’s a fistful of blood, sweat, tears, and {sometimes} wine. It means vomiting your heart or your personal story or your idea to the mass public – putting yourself out there permanently on paper, forever recorded for critics or family or friends to scour over. It means scheduling writing weekends and weeks away. It means poring over words when words don’t come. Writing a book means saying hard things, feeling a weight of awesome responsibility to your audience, and standing in a spotlight of scrutiny. It involves a considerable amount of insecurity and angst – will readers like it? Will my agent like it? Will my publisher like it? Am I really qualified to say this? Am I blowing smoke out my you-know-what? Is this what I really want to say? And it means a whole lot of work that doesn’t involve writing whatsoever — like marketing, networking, platform building, media interviews, speaking, traveling, and kissing babies.
Reason #2: You shouldn’t write a book just because you have a large social media following, a successful business, or a popular blog. Some people write blog posts, not books. Some people write for magazines, not books. Some people are amazing entrepreneurs, but that doesn’t mean they should have a book published. Not every writer, business owner, popular blogger can be successful in the book format.
A while back I was at a friend’s party and there was a woman there who had a growing small business, a medium social media platform (several thousand followers), and she wrote for an online publication. Wouldn’t you know it, an agent came knocking, which felt very flattering to her. After hearing what we do, she asked me, “Do you think I should write a book, and what do you think it should be about?” “The better question,” I responded, “is do you want to write a book?” (Because it didn’t sound like she did.) “Of all the things you are juggling right now, do you feel like writing a book is what you are supposed to do?” I was asking the question rhetorically, because if she is pondering whether she should write a book and she has no clue what even to write about, I think she has her answer. Just because an agent approaches you doesn’t mean you should write a book, nor does it mean the timing is now.
Reason #3: You shouldn’t write a book you aren’t passionate about just to fit the current buying market. I’ve had many, many conversations with writers who are passionate about a certain subject, and they want to write about that subject, but the general reading public is not very interested in that topic (right now). The publisher tells them there isn’t much of an audience for what they want to write. Do they change their book idea to write what people want to read, or do they keep trying with the book they already have? It’s such a blow to our ego to get a rejection, but it is not uncommon. Kathryn Stockett’s book, “The Help,” was rejected over 60 times and took over three and a half years of persistence to get published. Change your book idea if you must, but if you aren’t passionate about your new idea, your readers will be able to tell. Don’t give up your passion to fit a fickle buying market.
Reason #4: You shouldn’t write a book if you aren’t open to editorial critique. Several of my author friends loathe the editorial process. They labor over every word of the manuscript and send it off to their editor, only to get it back in red-line scratched up, and (in certain places) butchered. It bruises the ego. It makes them mad. It feels overwhelming. It seems nit-picky. But many of them also become very close with their editor, too. They find their editor becomes a trusted companion on the publishing journey, because they have some hard conversations, and their editor really makes them better. A good editor is like a good coach – she can be hard on you, but she can make the difference between a mediocre book and an extraordinary one. But you have to be open to her feedback, and that can sometimes hurt. I also think this goes for literary agents. Recently we helped a client reshape her proposal. The first draft just wasn’t as sharp as we thought it could have been. While I know it was discouraging and inconvenient for this author to go back to the drawing board, part of our job is to help sharpen her to her best. She spent the next five months rewriting her proposal. The end product was stellar. She had six book offers to choose from, and ended up securing a six-figure contract with a fantastic publisher.
Reason #5: You shouldn’t write a book if you aren’t willing to promote it. I’m not saying you have to be obnoxious about it, and I realize it can be awkward talking about your book, especially during launch time. I know you don’t want to seem braggy. But the reality is, if God has given you a message to write, you should share it, and you should be proud of it. You can do both of those things with humility. Your book is a labor of love. You’ve pored over it. You’ve dreamed of it. You have a publishing team of people who are also proud of the project. You should boldly share it with others because you believe in it. Particularly with female authors, there is a sort of false humility – a fear of being criticized by others, rather than a boldness to step up and share what they’ve written. Again, I think this can be done with humility and grace, but also with a certain kind of pride – you have birthed a book! You have stewarded a message. It is worthy to be shared. Pragmatically, a publisher has invested in your book, and you’ve given your time [which is money], so I’d also argue you have some responsibility to promote it as well. But if you are unwilling to promote what you’ve worked so hard on, how can you expect your publishing team and friends and family to get behind it?
Bottom line is this, there are many reasons not to write a book. In fact, there are far more reasons you shouldn’t than why you should. There will be an exorbitant amount of distraction and pressure to give up on your dream, to do something easier, to take a shorter, more guaranteed route. There will be temptations along the way, too, a voice in the back of your head whispering doubt and fear, telling you that you’re alone and you should give up. Apart from the practical advice and their experience within the industry, one of the reasons it's helpful to work alongside an agent is for the sheer emotional support you’ll need along the way.
Will you let these reasons keep you from writing? Or are you ready to take your publishing to the next level? The choice is yours.
