“I finished your book yesterday, and now I have a question…”
That happens more often than you might think.
Readers ask me how long it took to write. Whether authors can make a living. Why bookstores don’t carry every book. Why I chose to self-publish. And, occasionally, whether writing novels made me rich.
(Nope.)
The truth is that publishing is one of the most fascinating industries most readers never see. It combines creativity, business, technology, marketing, and a surprising amount of optimism.
So here are the answers to some of the questions I’m asked most often.
Isn’t writing the book the hard part?
That’s what I thought. When I began writing novels, I imagined that finishing a polished manuscript was crossing the finish line.
Now I think of it as reaching halftime. Writing one of my novels takes roughly 1,000 hours. Drafting. Research. Revising. More revising. (Even more revising!) Then discovering the first revision wasn’t nearly enough.
Only after all of that does publishing begin. Editing. Cover design. Formatting. Audiobooks. Metadata. Distribution. Marketing. Websites. Newsletters. Bookstores. Libraries. Events.
By the time readers see a novel on a shelf, hundreds of decisions have already been made.
Why does publishing cost so much?
Because books are built by professionals.
Most readers only see the finished product. Behind every professionally produced novel are editors, cover designers, formatters, proofreaders, printers, distributors and many others.
Those people deserve to be paid for their expertise.
Many indie authors invest thousands of dollars before selling a single copy.
I try to reduce costs by buying services during Black Friday sales and learning to do some jobs myself. Even so, publishing is a significant investment.
Why did you choose to self-publish?
Time. When I finished A Mercy of Widows, my mother was living with dementia. My greatest wish was for her to hold my finished novel while she could still recognize both me and the book.
Traditional publishing often takes years. First an author finds an agent. Then the agent tries to sell the manuscript to a publisher. Then the publisher schedules the book, sometimes years into the future. Self-publishing let me place that book in my mother’s hands while it still mattered.
After that experience, I realized I enjoyed having creative control over my work and didn’t want to spend years waiting for someone else to decide whether readers could discover it.
Can authors make a living writing books?
A few can. Most don’t. One writer friend jokes that his books occasionally buy him a case of beer.
Writing income varies enormously. A handful of authors sell millions of books. Many more write because they love telling stories, while supporting themselves in other ways.
That’s one reason readers matter so much. Every person who discovers a book helps make the next one a little more possible.
Why don’t bookstores stock every book?
Because there are millions of books. Even the largest bookstore has limited shelf space. Booksellers have to make difficult decisions about which titles they’ll carry, display and recommend.
It’s one reason independent bookstores are so valuable. Passionate booksellers often champion books that might otherwise disappear beneath the sheer volume of new releases.
Do libraries help authors?
Absolutely. Libraries usually buy copies that readers can borrow repeatedly. Some digital services, such as Hoopla and Everand, also pay authors a small amount each time a book is borrowed.
In Canada, authors may also receive payments through the Public Lending Right program, which compensates eligible authors whose books are held in participating public libraries.
Libraries support both readers and writers, and I’m grateful for them.
How does Kindle Unlimited work?
Readers pay Amazon a monthly subscription. Authors are then paid from a shared fund based on how many pages subscribers actually read. It isn’t much per page—fractions of a cent—but it allows readers to discover books they might never have tried otherwise.
Why are reviews such a big deal?
Reviews aren’t really for authors. They’re for other readers.
When you’re standing in a bookstore—or scrolling through Amazon—you can’t read every novel. Reviews help readers decide whether a book sounds like something they’ll enjoy.
They also help retailers recommend books to people with similar reading tastes.
A thoughtful review doesn’t have to be five stars. It just has to be honest.
So how can readers support their favourite authors?
This is the nicest question anyone can ask. The good news is that most of the best ways don’t cost anything.
You can:
- • Borrow books from your library.
- • Ask your library to order a book they don’t own.
- • Leave an honest review.
- • Tell a friend about a book you loved.
- • Recommend it to your book club.
- • Subscribe to an author’s newsletter.
- • Follow them on one social media platform.
- • Attend a local author event.
- • Buy the next book if you enjoyed the first.
Each action might seem small, but together, they’re the reason many authors get the opportunity to write another story.
If writing isn’t very profitable, why do authors keep doing it?
Because stories matter.
Books help us laugh, grieve, wonder, learn, escape, question, remember and imagine.
Long after I’ve forgotten the sales numbers for one of my novels, I’ll remember the reader who told me she called her parents after finishing A Mercy of Widows. Or the book club that debated the ending for an hour. Or the person who said they felt as though they’d spent time with friends in Erie Bluff.
Those moments are why I write.
And every time a reader chooses a book, recommends it to someone else, or simply tells an author, “I enjoyed your story,” they’re helping keep those stories alive.
Did You Know?
… writing the novel is often only half the job.
Many authors spend hundreds—or even thousands—of hours writing and revising a manuscript before they begin editing, designing, publishing, marketing and promoting it.
… most authors pay everyone else before they pay themselves.
Editors, cover designers, proofreaders, printers, audiobook narrators, advertisers and distributors are all paid before the author earns a dollar from book sales.
… millions of new books are published every year.
It’s never been easier to publish a book—which is wonderful for writers. It also means readers have more choice than ever, making discoverability one of an author’s biggest challenges.
… a bookstore can’t stock every great book.
Shelf space is limited. Every book on display means another book couldn’t fit. Booksellers make difficult decisions every season about which titles to carry.
… libraries are some of an author’s biggest champions.
Libraries buy books, introduce readers to new authors, host events, and keep stories alive long after a book’s release. Many readers discover their favourite authors through the library.
… a single review can influence hundreds of future readers.
Reviews don’t just help authors, they help other readers decide whether a book is right for them. They also help online bookstores recommend books to people with similar reading tastes.
… authors usually don’t know if a book will succeed.
No matter how much time, money or love goes into a novel, no one—not even experienced publishers—can reliably predict which books will become bestsellers.
… most authors don’t make a full-time living from writing books.
Many successful authors also teach, speak, freelance, edit, consult or work entirely different jobs while continuing to write.
… word of mouth is still the most powerful book marketing tool.
Readers trust recommendations from friends, family, book clubs, librarians and booksellers more than almost any advertisement.
… the best ways to support an author are often free.
Borrow a book from the library. Leave an honest review. Recommend it to a friend. Subscribe to the author’s newsletter. Ask your library to carry it. Small actions, multiplied by many readers, have an enormous impact in a book’s success.