Writing A Book Is Not For Anyone
Should You Write A Book, Or Not?
Should You Write A Book?
Every person should write a book, plant a tree, and have a child before death.*
This cliché has permeated human achievement for centuries and has been evermore present since the dawn of the Internet and Social Media. Are these all noble pursuits to accomplish before death? Having a child is usually a team effort that requires a man and a woman, but not every woman can bear a child or may want to have one. Planting a tree sounds like the easiest and more convenient option for our world these days. That leaves us with the third pursuit: writing a book.
Writing is a challenging feat. The idea of being a writer or living the writer’s life may seem romantic to many, but in reality, it's different. Full-time writers write and rewrite every day and often struggle to make ends meet. It has been said that writers live twice. That’s why so many people see writing as a way to be perpetually remembered, to live long in posterity--hopefully not filled with dust on an old library bookshelf.
Note that this post is subtitled “Thoughts On Writing A Book Or Not” with the intention of conversing with the idea. I’m approaching the matter as a thinker who has pondered the subject of writing and authorship for many years, as a writer who has participated in projects and wants to author multiple books, and as an editor who has worked on over 20 books. My wife and I are the co-editors of Ediciones del Flamboyán, and we make and distribute books, primarily Puerto Rican and Latin American literature in the Spanish language (this recently started publishing poetry in Spanish-English). Therefore, we get asked: “should I write a book?”, “would you write my book?”, and “how could I write a book?”
Regardless of their approach, I often respond with another question: why do you want to write a book? Most of the time, I get answers that point back to them. They want what they think writing a book will get them. I really enjoy this conversation because it explores the motive. The motive is more important than the idea. If your motive is self-centered, you may run out of steam. Your motive is the fuel that will ground and discipline you daily. It will also sustain you when you want to give up when you face challenges in the process. The same applies if making money is your expected reward. Money as an intrinsic motivator is a temporary boost that will fade in the process of writing and rewriting, which may eventually lead to less desire to keep going.
Let's explore both sides of publishing. Should you write a book, or not?
You may refrain from writing a book if you:
Seek fame and want to become a bestselling author. “In fact, there are only about 15 or 20 (living) people who are famous ONLY for writing (and nothing else). Malcolm Gladwell is one. J.K. Rowling is another. You can probably name 5 more.” -Max Tucker. It is often the other way around: people are famous on social media, sports, music, politics, you name it, and then they write a book (or hire a ghostwriter to do it).
Expect to get rich from book sales.
Want to gain recognition and respect. Then it is not about the book, but about yourself.
Want to clean your reputation and set the record straight.
Simply want to prove you can do it or to win a bet.
Want to leave something behind when you die.
You may choose to write a book if you:
Have genuinely thought about your motive and have a burning desire to write the book.
Feel compelled that the book will add value to the world and help others.
Have something new to say from personal experience, research findings, or evidence about a mystery or event.
Find yourself diving deep into topics/ideas and want to share your newly found knowledge with others. A blog or newsletter may work even better than a book.
Want to inform a particular sector/population about something they have not previously been exposed to.
Are a reader. Writers read. You must read to understand how stories are developed, content is structured, and ideas are exposed, and validated/explained effectively. Toni Morrison said: "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." To do this, you must read a lot, first.
Are ready to commit long-term and make it a priority. At our publisher, we work on simultaneous projects, and completing a book may take over a year. I have met and worked with authors that quit halfway or do absolutely nothing once the book is published.
Are obsessed with an idea and area of interest. “Writers end up writing about their obsessions. Things that haunt them; things they can’t forget; stories they carry in their bodies waiting to be released.”- Natalie Goldberg
Can handle feedback, criticism, and rejection. You will work with an editor that will fill your pages with red ink to make the text better. Many successful authors were rejected multiple times: George Orwell, Stephen King, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, Joanne Harris, Dr. Seuss, and Timothy Ferriss.
Need to empty your head. I have been writing since an early age because sometimes it was too painful to keep things in my head. I need to get the ideas out and writing is a way to breathe out, and understand myself and the world around me. Writing has given me the freedom to think and see with more clarity. While that is great, it is not necessarily a motive to author a book.
Have extensive knowledge and experience in a particular field and want to establish yourself as an authority in a given field.
Publishing a book also comes with responsibility. If you choose to publish a book through an established publisher or self-publish, make sure it is an excellent book. Commit to it. Research. Fact check. Make your writing a priority. Writing is an introspective activity that requires thoughtful process and thinking. Let the editor do their work and follow the guidance on where to cut, revise, and rewrite. Be ready to promote it once it is published. A good book will open doors while a bad book…you can't take it back.
Humans are fascinating. I love watching them, studying their behaviors, and reading their thoughts. Sometimes it's more of what they do than what they say. We are complex creatures with unique stories.
While everyone has a particular story, not everyone should write a book. Many people think they must write a book. It has become an industry with many “publishing gurus” and companies charging you big bucks for courses on writing a book in 30 days. Actually, if everyone did write a book, we would probably have a lot of mediocre books that occupy space and eventually go to waste. Writer and literary critic Christopher Hitchens, once said: “Everyone has a book inside them, which is exactly where it should, I think, in most cases, remain.”
Everyone should learn to write well and communicate effectively. I advise everyone to journal as an exercise that improves thinking, heals, and helps us process the ups and downs of life. Start there. Don’t expect to become an author overnight if you have not written for yourself before.
In closing, write a book if it really matters to you. Maybe you feel it's a calling. Or you are obsessed. Or you’ve begun and can’t stop writing. Perhaps it's that you have so much to share with others. Or you have an imagination filled with wonderful stories that will entertain your readers. If you have the time, resources, and stamina to write that book, go for it!
If you enjoyed this post, let me know. I have much more to say about writing and publishing and will be happy to share.
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*The oldest source of credit for this saying is “found in Ingoldsby’s Legends, that has a poem The Blasphemer’s Legend (circa 1843) There are three social duties… the planting of a tree, producing a book, then a baby” -Tom Simundich
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Your fellow human,
-Jorge Fusaro