Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop!
Today’s topic is: What assumptions do people make about you when they hear you are a writer?
And remember to pay a visit to my fellow writers to see what they have come up with. You can find their works here!
There is an honest answer to this one – I don’t know. I’ve never actually asked. And if I am honest, that is because I am not too worried. You see, I write my books for me first and foremost. Some people react with surprise when they hear I am a writer. Maybe it’s because they expect I am suddenly a “career writer” soon to gain huge book deals, fly up the best seller lists and end up with enormous film franchises made from my book (unlikely).
Or (more likely) they didn’t have any clue that I had written a book. I’ve been asked a few times what shops my book is in, or who my publisher is. When the answer is simply Amazon, and I am my publisher, some are pleased for me, other reactions are a little less muted. Sadly, I suspect there is still a high stigma attached to self-publishing. And I do get it. Having spent many years reviewing books from a range of authors and publishers big and small, I’ve seen it all.
Some are really well written. Edited, typeset, formatted and covers designed to a professional level. They would hold up on a shelf in any bookshop without issue. Quite a few though aren’t so good. At best they’ve been run through a word processor’s inbuilt spell checker, with limited success. Covers look like they’ve been created using shapes, clip art, word art and other simple drawing elements. Unfortunately, they come across as passion projects with limited care or investment.
Amazon’s KDP has made it easier than ever to publish that book that we always dreamt of writing. It’s easy to generate a cover, upload interior matter and produce an ebook or even printed copy. But I wanted to produce something to be proud of. I had it read by test readers and sent off for professional proofreading and editing. I had the book formatted, typeset, and covers designed to suit the book properly. The final product is a wonderful piece, I am beyond proud of. Sadly, the stigma does still persist. People buy based on reviews, but very few people actually take a moment to write them.
While I don’t write for validation from readers, I’d love for more people to ask about my work on hearing I am a writer. And if a few more of them bought a copy and left a review, well that would be brilliant!
Steven Smith 
Self-published authors can be their own worst enemy sometimes, by wanting to be taken seriously without producing a product that backs it up. A little time and effort is all that’s required to produce a quality product, having a good story to tell is (sadly) not the only part of the equation.
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Agreed. And yes, it can cost a lot of money to hire a professional designer/editor, but the standard of the finished item is worth it.
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It would be wonderful to fly up the bestseller lists, but I’m happy writing for my own enjoyment as I am a realist and just write for a hobby.
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Exactly! I’d love my books to sit in and around Stephen King, but realistically, just seeing a book on my shelf at home with my name is reward enough.
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Indeed. If somebody buys it and gives a 5 star review then it’s a bonus!
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I understand what you mean with the self published route and I am right there with you. Most of us that are on the self published route also have issues getting the funds we need to do those last touch ups too (Professional line/story/word editing and covers etc) but we still try as we just want our novels out there. I am disabled myself so this is one of the outlets that I have for my life at the moment. I totally get both ends of what you mean for self publishing.
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It’s a tough one. The cost is not insignificant. But I’ve read too many now that charge the prices that I’d only pay for, say, a Stephen King novel. For that money I expect it to be fully edited, well designed, some TLC given.
I do think there are options out there. As far as editing, friends, colleagues, other authors even, would be an avenue to get some level of outside input that would at least give some feedback. My issue is where little to nothing is done, but higher prices are still asked.
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Sadly, inflation has hit even self-published books. (especially the print versions.)
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That is true. But I have ready self-published books where no care has been taken, and seen authors say there is no way they would invest in their book. Which I do find sad.
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Pricing is always fun. There’s an assumption that a self-published writer has made no investment in their books, so can afford to give them away for free.
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I agree. And yet there are books that have had little to no investment and charge top prices.
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Fifty Shades of Grey comes to mind — poorly written (what I read of it anyway) and the first editions were horribly edited, but it became a smash hit and made a lot of money. It makes no sense, but there you have it.
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