is it still possible to be author?

[k.akash]

Now, everyone is an author. Is it over over-saturated now?

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Yes. No.

 

[Corty]

No, the author illuminati will assassinate you. The seats are filled and you can only become one of you take another’s place by force.

 

[Jaystern]

Nope. Lots of authors drop out of the competition so there's still lots of space. It's basically like an infinite marathon where people can join and drop out at any time.

 

[HeWhoNeverWas]

Hey, I understand that everyone is different and has their own way of looking at things, but I think you should re-evaluate the way you think about writing. Creative work (like writing) can never really be "over-saturated". Everyone has their own ideas (if you're really in it to express yourself) and these ideas are always welcomed, regardless of how many books someone has already read. Have you ever complained about there being too many good books to read? No, I think not.

Now if you're asking this because you want to create another generic isekai (no offence intended) then the answer may be yes. A lot of people are tired of reading the same old recycled shmuck. Now if you add your own twist perhaps you may interest a few people, but at the end of the day so long as there was no real creative passion to it, then you may be "competing" with a very "over-saturated" pool of authors.

You could argue a lot of successful authors on some platforms may have created recycled shmuck and somehow made it, and my reply to you is "Get gud kid". I'm just joking. A lot of novels seem generic on the surface but turn out to have their own creative twist to things, though I won't deny that some authors do make it through with a little bit of luck.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how 'over-saturated' this is. Not all authors are good at writing, that's the sad truth. So many of us end up writing things that only a few people will ever read. And even those that do get some traction still have to deal with their own issues (being an author is not easy) and another group is eliminated. Only a small group of authors can be termed 'successful'. With that in mind, you may end up being one of them, and if you have ideas, I think you should publish them. Though making money out of it is an entirely different dream.

 

[nemonusquam_]

I recommend reading the short story titled "The Library of Babel", by Jorge Luis Borges. Its basic premise is that there is an infinite number of story configurations in our Universe.

Stories aren't a limited resource; as long as there are stories to be told, new authors will continue to heed their vocation.

 

[ManwX]

yes but no my friend. the perpetual dance of the authors, dipping their quills or pens into the ink of inspiration, sometimes with the aid of DRUGS, sometimes without. The eternal cycle of creation and dumpster fire biohazards within the esteemed authorial realm. people dip and slumber as they get 1 star.. though some say that is true power.... alas there will be room for more as many fall and new arise.. such is the councils WILL

 

[Insomniologist]

No, the author illuminati will assassinate you. The seats are filled and you can only become one of you take another’s place by force.

This is correct. I welcome all challengers. Come over and decapitate me, I dare you.

 

[Paul__Michaels]

Now, everyone is an author. Is it over over-saturated now?

Firstly, how many chapters have you written? From what I've seen on this site you haven't written much and you're doing a chapter a week. (correction: you spammed out six chapters between two novels in the last 24 hours.)

Sometimes you get lucky but you have to put in the effort to get a audience.

 

[georgelee5786]

yes

 

[Sagacious_Punk]

People above have already made the usual platitudes and variations of "Yes, you can do it, just keep doing it!", including a little real talk. But only a little.

Well, I'm here to give you some actual real talk.

Yes, everybody is an X (writer, artist, musician, "content creator", etc.) these days. Some more than others, both in terms of skill and in terms of vocation/passion/time invested. The wonders of the digital age have given a platform to everybody.

As a result, the floodgates have opened. And among the deluge of new stuff, Sturgeon's Law reigns supreme. (The paraphrased version of the law: "95% of everything is trash.")

Why? Well, the new paradigms giving everyone freedom of expression have bypassed all kinds of quality control systems. Sure, in the past, some of those systems have been unnecessary gatekeepers. Yet having too much is like having too little; it leads to an imbalance. Once, to become a successful creator (of anything), you had to go through the crucible; you had to be tested, approved, to prove that your creative output has meaningful value. Nowadays, those systems are still in place (and declining), but they aren't mandatory anymore.

Because of this, writing specifically (although I'm sure the same holds for other types of art) is absolutely what economists call a "red ocean". Meaning, the waters are full of predators, and its a furious fight to scrape by. I'm not talking only in terms of financial success; I'm talking about merely reaching your readers, who would otherwise like your story, if they just knew about it. Visibility problems and awareness raising are just the tip of the iceberg in today's war for the most finite resources of them all: attention (and time, by extension).

So, in short, yes, there are "too many writers/authors" out there. Yes, the competition is soul-crushingly fierce. Your only recourse is either to do what everybody else does - i.e. some variation of incessant screaming into the void information dataspheres, or luck out by divine providence. Or just give up and find something else to fill your time with (provided you don't write for your own enjoyment).

Are there solutions to this "problem"? There are, but: most of them are either blue-sky dream visions, or highly-theoretical sociological paradigm shifts for which there isn't enough data, know-how, and wherewithal to be implemented in the foreseeable future. But that is another topic for another time.

TL;DR
Yes, the literature market/art sphere is over-saturated, and anybody who says otherwise is some kind of an apologist.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

People above have already made the usual platitudes and variations of "Yes, you can do it, just keep doing it!", including a little real talk. But only a little.

Well, I'm here to give you some actual real talk.

Yes, everybody is an X (writer, artist, musician, "content creator", etc.) these days. Some more than others, both in terms of skill and in terms of vocation/passion/time invested. The wonders of the digital age have given a platform to everybody.

As a result, the floodgates have opened. And among the deluge of new stuff, Sturgeon's Law reigns supreme. (The paraphrased version of the law: "95% of everything is trash.")

Why? Well, the new paradigms giving everyone freedom of expression have bypassed all kinds of quality control systems. Sure, in the past, some of those systems have been unnecessary gatekeepers. Yet having too much is like having too little; it leads to an imbalance. Once, to become a successful creator (of anything), you had to go through the crucible; you had to be tested, approved, to prove that your creative output has meaningful value. Nowadays, those systems are still in place (and declining), but they aren't mandatory anymore.

Because of this, writing specifically (although I'm sure the same holds for other types of art) is absolutely what economists call a "red ocean". Meaning, the waters are full of predators, and its a furious fight to scrape by. I'm not talking only in terms of financial success; I'm talking about merely reaching your readers, who would otherwise like your story, if they just knew about it. Visibility problems and awareness raising are just the tip of the iceberg in today's war for the most finite resources of them all: attention (and time, by extension).

So, in short, yes, there are "too many writers/authors" out there. Yes, the competition is soul-crushingly fierce. Your only recourse is either to do what everybody else does - i.e. some variation of incessant screaming into the void information dataspheres, or luck out by divine providence. Or just give up and find something else to fill your time with (provided you don't write for your own enjoyment).

Are there solutions to this "problem"? There are, but: most of them are either blue-sky dream visions, or highly-theoretical sociological paradigm shifts for which there isn't enough data, know-how, and wherewithal to be implemented in the foreseeable future. But that is another topic for another time.

TL;DR
Yes, the literature market/art sphere is over-saturated, and anybody who says otherwise is some kind of an apologist.

 

[J_Chemist]

Since I can use proper grammar for a forum thread title, I'd say I would do better than most at being an author.

As for over-saturation, no. Technically writing and being an author aren't synonymous. You can write a story and post it to a page online, but you're not an author until the book is complete.

 

[Jerynboe]

Being a successful and beloved author, YouTuber, blogger, camgirl, or podcaster are all possible, difficult, and luck based. The barrier to entry to get your content out there is very low, you need a certain level of natural talent and dedication to get your metaphorical lottery ticket, and there is nothing that will 100% make sure that you will be successful (even by fairly modest standards).

 

[ThrillingHuman]

Now, everyone is an author.

No

Is it over over-saturated now?

Depends. There are some very obscure genres that are criminally undervalued. But this site in particular has found its niche, and is now stagnant

 

[Sylver]

I'm not sure, I believe it depends on what you consider to be an author.

Google defines author as the writer of a book, article, report, or piece of writing. It's vague enough that it can be applied in any student's writing assignment, so in that way one can argue that everyone is an author at some point.

But my personal rendition is the writer of a published book, novel, or article. In this website, I would consider all of us to be writers or authors in practicing, but there are some users who have their novels on sale through publishers or self-publishing, and they would be who i refer to as Authors.

But it really depends on interpretation, that's my two cents of this

 

[Lysander_Works]

I've been wondering the same thing myself.
If you ask me, authorship is on the decline, in terms of quality. It used to mean so much more way back when, cause authors used to have to compete really strongly to get any attention, and so there was naturally more effort despite the barriers. Now, there is such a huge over-saturation that finding anything good is generally difficult in that of itself. Big Publishing companies and Hybrid-publishers (including many similar companies that are just massive scams and shell corporations) have found ways of draining authors of their wallet without giving them a dime, and so anyone trying to make money off of books either has to be very popular from the start or incredibly lucky (lottery level luck). On top of that, people (readers) generally have far less attention span now than they did before due to some elements including the internet. And now, we have A.I. prowling along creating threat to the entire art.

Is it possible to write something great, get it out there, and get it attention? Sure, totally. Is it possible or even rational to assume you might make money off of it? Not in any lifetime. You're pressing luck at that point. The authorship industry has already been damaged, and it's only getting worse, despite all our tools for it getting stronger.

 

[Sagacious_Punk]

Since I can use proper grammar for a forum thread title, I'd say I would do better than most at being an author.

As for over-saturation, no. Technically writing and being an author aren't synonymous. You can write a story and post it to a page online, but you're not an author until the book is complete.

Yes, writing is not equal to being a writer. A writer is someone who has skill and talent (and more importantly, discipline and persistence) on a level good enough to earn a living through writing, or at least with the capacity to reap financial gains from their creative output.

As for an author, practically everybody is an author of something. Even if it's only a grocery list. Being an author merely means you have "authored" some written work, even if it's an unfinished one. ;)

I've been wondering the same thing myself.
If you ask me, authorship is on the decline, in terms of quality. It used to mean so much more way back when, cause authors used to have to compete really strongly to get any attention, and so there was naturally more effort despite the barriers. Now, there is such a huge over-saturation that finding anything good is generally difficult in that of itself. Big Publishing companies and Hybrid-publishers (including many similar companies that are just massive scams and shell corporations) have found ways of draining authors of their wallet without giving them a dime, and so anyone trying to make money off of books either has to be very popular from the start or incredibly lucky (lottery level luck). On top of that, people (readers) generally have far less attention span now than they did before due to some elements including the internet. And now, we have A.I. prowling along creating threat to the entire art.

Is it possible to write something great, get it out there, and get it attention? Sure, totally. Is it possible or even rational to assume you might make money off of it? Not in any lifetime. You're pressing luck at that point. The authorship industry has already been damaged, and it's only getting worse, despite all our tools for it getting stronger.

Word.

Well, except for the AI* part. I think that problem is being blown out of proportion from people who are too future-shocked to get out of their comfort bubble and embrace new paradigms.

Spoiler

*(They're not even AIs, people. They are expert systems; learn your definitions. Ah, who am I kidding...)

 

[Deleted member 1244]

Writing is full.

Come back tomorrow.

 

[MatchaChocolate69]

The real question is, is it so important to be authors or to be considered as such?
Isn't it enough to write because you enjoy doing it or because you feel the need to?
If your intention is to make money from writing, then that's a different matter. I'm sorry, my friend, but reality is something else.
You won't make a living from writing. But nobody is stopping you from doing it out of passion.