One Wild Write: The Depth of What Is Required In Today's Competitive World of Writing

With the advent of the ebook revolution, many things have shaken the once well defined writing field to its foundations. Now, its time to bring in the bulldozers and backhoes because the game has changed forever. The days where the publishing companies, with their piles of manuscripts, would throw half of them in the garbage with not even hardly a glance are going the way of the ancient history. Those same publishers realize the threat of self publishing and now have no choice but to step up their approach.

The days of innovative, engaging, and, yes, personal marketing have arrived. Readers want to feel important, too. Technology has opened up a whole new world of interpersonal communication via social media. So many so called marketing gurus claim that numbers do not matter. This is only true if you don't use them to your advantage. If you fail to engage with your followers then they will fail to support your endeavors. Anyone who says having a million followers doesn't matter is delusional. Anyone who believes that they can write a book, place it on Amazon, and send out a few posts to their circles of a few hundred people and expects to sell thousands of copies their first day has also set themselves up for a rude awakening.

Talent is important. No argument there. But, if you have just written the next smash hit book of the century and you don't place your faith in it in tangible ways then nobody will buy it because they will not know its even there. I have a belief that 70% of all authors fail to do hardly any sales due to either poor writing ability, lack of investment, and lack of engagement with potential readers, or a combination thereof. I also believe that the next 20% sell books but far from enough to make a living writing full time. Lastly, I think the numbers sit around 9.5% of writers who make anywhere from a modest living to a comfortable living. The final .5% make a killing or at least enable what might be called a "rich" lifestyle.

I believe that if you have some natural talent and are not afraid to invest heavily in your work then you are ahead of the the curve. The rise of the indie authors will eventually filter down to those who have ability because those without talent will have no choice but to give up due to lack of sales. I think the giant wave of writers will eventually be hacked down by a large number. It might take ten years for this to happen but I feel it is inevitable. To get yourself in that top 10% you have to put in time and money. Plain and simple. There is no choice but to organically and financially diversify your social media endeavors to include a couple hours of engagement each day. If you have a day job then create time to write. Even if its just for an hour a day or night. You will eventually yield results. Be patient but, most importantly, be consistent.

I am full of advice and am just now getting to the point where I can back up my words with action. This blog is not to brag about my writing prowess. It's here to give a fresh, reality check style take on becoming a writer. Writing is my absolute passion. My one true love. It is my solace and outlet for all that will become my future in life. My drive and willpower is unstoppable. I have the talent and the dedication to live my dreams. In order for any of us to become highly successful at what we do; We must love every facet of what we do and feel it to be fun and something that brings us true joy. For me, writing fills me with that everlasting river of all encompassing wonder and excitement. If you do not love to read and write then I will tell you that failure is certain. If you feel it to be just a job that may or not pay the bills then I guarantee your failure. But, if you have a love and appreciation for the craft then you have just as much a chance for success as myself or any number of other authors out there.

So, garner an army of followers across all social networks. Communicate with them. Compliment the posts you enjoy. Begin conversations with others writers and, more importantly, other readers. Don't be afraid to ask them what they would love to see in their favorite genre. Ask hundreds. Create polls. Be ruthless in your pursuit of knowledge. Gather statistics about successful books and what makes them great. Follow the exploits of great authors. Cross reference your data and combine it with current trends and make sure you are getting honest feedback from your targeted demographic. Knowledge truly is power. Wisdom comes from knowledge of yourself. So, reach deep inside yourself and pull out the roots that spread any doubt in your capabilities. Do not bite off more than you can chew, though. Do not make promises to your fans that you can not keep. Once you have a following, even if you have not yet written a book, those followers count on you to deliver when you say something. Lose that and you lose your trust that took you so long to build with them.

Competition is fiercer than ever. There are plenty of hungry writers out there. Waiting to take your place in the market. If you do not attack it with every molecule of your being then your place will be lost. Your pen must become an extension of your hand. Your fingers an extension of your keyboard. Your mind must become a wealth of imagination and an extension of your wildest dreams. There are zero rules to content. The plot and characters and their worlds and surroundings are begging to be birthed onto paper and screen. New ideas and concepts are waiting to be expressed in the latest non-fiction that sparks a revolution of much needed growth in our world.

Thank You & Namaste <3
Christopher Storm


Post Script: Like this blog? Check out my other blog here.