Most likely, you have been working hard to “make it” in publishing for a very long time. But have you ever stepped back and really thought about what “making it” means to you? And most important of all, are you willing to do the necessary work and make the sacrifices that it will take to “make it?”
Some people will say that of course they will do whatever is comfortable for them or whatever they think it is reasonable to do. But that is not the real question. Instead, ask yourself where you want to go and how you will get there. Then sit down and calculate the cost – in effort, money and time. If you cannot afford those costs then you will not be able to get there. It’s that simple.
Your only choices will be to either lower your goals or increase the amount of money, time and/or effort that you are willing to invest. You will not achieve your goal if you are only willing to put in 20% of your resources to reach it.
The real truth is that you need to be completely honest with yourself. Stop lying to yourself about what you will be able to accomplish. It really doesn’t matter if you lie to the rest of the world but don’t lie to yourself. It will get you nowhere and, worst of all you start to believe your own lies. Life is short and if you are not honest with yourself you are not doing yourself any favors. For example, if you think you will become a successful writer by just writing and hoping someone will discover your book, your strategy is based on make believe. Or you might be telling yourself that you can just build a website and unimaginable profits will come to you. In both cases, you are lying to yourself and wasting your own valuable time. Instead, create a solid, actionable strategy that will get you the results you want or don’t do it at all.
That might sound harsh but if you cannot pay the price you will have to revise your goals. Search your soul and find a better objective that fits your available time, money and effort. You will be much less unhappy and miserable than if you set impossible goals that you will never be able to attain.
In the case of bookselling, if you love to write and hate to market then you should write. Do it because it makes you happy and outsource all the rest. If you want to self-publish, that is a business and it is very competitive. It takes a very high level of effort, drive, commitment and luck to create a successful publishing business. Of course, there will always be those exceptional people who can be successful with 20% effort but don’t count on that. It is better that you accurately assess your capabilities and move forward.
If you do not want to run a business, then think about submitting your books to agents and publishers who will be able to market your book effectively. That’s ok too. It all depends on what makes you happy and what you want to spend your time on.
In the end, if you love to write, keep writing. If you want to run a publishing business, do that. Do work you love and you will be able to find a way to be successful.
Check out Anik Singal Publish Academy for in-depth information on how to publish digital products.