Anyone remember how auhtorship used to be?

[Lysander_Works]

I can't claim to be a master expert in all I understood, but back in the day, there used to be a time where the local library was the primary go-to source for all great reading material. I even remember the time when "e-readers" were just getting started; welcomed in, but not taking over quite yet.

How different things are now... These days, I feel like, if an author doesn't get enough attention, their entire future as an author (in terms of views or in sales) is just not there. Not saying it was ever easy, but now it just feels impossible to stick out. Maybe I'm just not in the right head-space today...

But I have so many more story ideas I would love to work on... and yet I can't...
I can't work on them, because all of my time is sent away, working for a dead-end job barely keeping myself above the water, keeping the lights on...
I can't, because any spare time I would have out of work is also consumed by a never-ending nexus of medical problems...

IDK what point I'm making here. I just wish I had the ability to do more of what I love, versus what I hate. I don't blame myself for things winding up this way; I just wish things could be different.

Spoiler: P.S. (Do not advertise)

Oh, and P.S: If anyone reading this is a "marketing expert" and thinks I want to be sold services that I don't need or can't afford, kindly GTFO. I get so tired of this every single week, and I know a scam or two when I see it.

 

[Arkus86]

I'm not an author, so I can't speak from experience, but I would assume while today there is more competition, there is also more room for authors to express and advertise themselves.
Back in the day, every book you would read was either someone who already passed a publisher check, or someone who had the means to self-publish. This means there was already some basic quality control for most works, and extensive gatekeeping, in a way, because publishers/printing houses had limited capacity and clear expenses for each book, and if an author did not sell, it would be a loss for them.
In contrast, today, everyone with internet connection and their dog can publish their slop somewhere, and even if its a total failure, nobody loses much of anything.

These days, I feel like, if an author doesn't get enough attention, their entire future as an author (in terms of views or in sales) is just not there.

So in conclusion, this was always true, but in the past, actually entering the market in the first place was harder. The books that you did see, were usually ones that already passed a publisher and editor check and were deemed worthy of printing.

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

I can't claim to be a master expert in all I understood, but back in the day, there used to be a time where the local library was the primary go-to source for all great reading material. I even remember the time when "e-readers" were just getting started; welcomed in, but not taking over quite yet.

How different things are now... These days, I feel like, if an author doesn't get enough attention, their entire future as an author (in terms of views or in sales) is just not there. Not saying it was ever easy, but now it just feels impossible to stick out. Maybe I'm just not in the right head-space today...

But I have so many more story ideas I would love to work on... and yet I can't...
I can't work on them, because all of my time is sent away, working for a dead-end job barely keeping myself above the water, keeping the lights on...
I can't, because any spare time I would have out of work is also consumed by a never-ending nexus of medical problems...

IDK what point I'm making here. I just wish I had the ability to do more of what I love, versus what I hate. I don't blame myself for things winding up this way; I just wish things could be different.

Spoiler: P.S. (Do not advertise)

Oh, and P.S: If anyone reading this is a "marketing expert" and thinks I want to be sold services that I don't need or can't afford, kindly GTFO. I get so tired of this every single week, and I know a scam or two when I see it.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

I would say that being an author is even more accessible than ever. You don't need to convince editors or publishers. You can just put it up online, and people will buy it if they like it. That's why the market is so big now.

 

[Tyranomaster]

The barrier for entry was a lot higher in the past. Either you had the equivalent of $30,000 to spend on self publishing, or after month to years of contacting every known publisher in the world you found one willing to publish you.

Technically speaking, now you can readily make and print a book for relatively cheap, and donate a copy to the library of congress. Boom, you're an author. These days, due to ease of access, the pendulum has swung the other way. In the past, a new author would often go decades before anyone picked up their work, sometimes centuries. I don't know why everyone nowadays is so focused on getting that immediate approval of peers.

The medium is still books. The process of reading is approximately the same. If anything, with the extra competition, one should expect longer, not shorter, times to be recognized. Yet all the time, every week, authors are starved for feedback, as if they don't have a story to tell. Tell your story. If your story speaks to you, then you'll write it, even when you don't want to.

If people want to play the fame and money lottery, start a tiktok profile or youtube or something other than writing. People make far more money there and also work less for feedback. Some people make some money in writing, but it is chump change compared to other sources. Even in todays world there are authors out there who spend money on writing, losing money to publish their story (editing software, illustrations, advertising, etc).

If you don't want to tell your story and you don't think people want to hear it, then sure, you do you and drop it. I'm not here to tell people they need to write. I would have stopped writing after 6 months if it seemed like no one was interested, but I was ramping up in readers still. I have a lot of projects I want to work on though, and I'd gladly have transitioned into those instead.

Now, to sympathize, I do understand how working drains you. When I was doing high stress engineering, I basically only wrote once in a blue moon. Money troubles also add aditional stresses, as do health. I had a nasty bought of lung problems last year that made it so I only could sleep for 1 hour at a time for just about 3 months. It was brutal, and I was suicidal. I basically was at the point where if the next medicine didn't work, I was done. That whole time, I kept writing. Never missed a deadline, probably should have. Sometimes, it is best to sit down and write out (and I mean write it out, not just think about it) what exactly you want for yourself in 6 months, 2 years, and 5 years, and what you need to do to achieve that. When achievements are driven by internet stranger's whims, it'll make you depressed at the drop of a hat.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

If you are from a first world country, it's hard. If you are from a third world country, it's super easy to become a full time author.

 

[Timarli]

Everybody seem wants to be an author these days.

 

[Lysander_Works]

Spoiler: msg

The barrier for entry was a lot higher in the past. Either you had the equivalent of $30,000 to spend on self publishing, or after month to years of contacting every known publisher in the world you found one willing to publish you.

Technically speaking, now you can readily make and print a book for relatively cheap, and donate a copy to the library of congress. Boom, you're an author. These days, due to ease of access, the pendulum has swung the other way. In the past, a new author would often go decades before anyone picked up their work, sometimes centuries. I don't know why everyone nowadays is so focused on getting that immediate approval of peers.

The medium is still books. The process of reading is approximately the same. If anything, with the extra competition, one should expect longer, not shorter, times to be recognized. Yet all the time, every week, authors are starved for feedback, as if they don't have a story to tell. Tell your story. If your story speaks to you, then you'll write it, even when you don't want to.

If people want to play the fame and money lottery, start a tiktok profile or youtube or something other than writing. People make far more money there and also work less for feedback. Some people make some money in writing, but it is chump change compared to other sources. Even in todays world there are authors out there who spend money on writing, losing money to publish their story (editing software, illustrations, advertising, etc).

If you don't want to tell your story and you don't think people want to hear it, then sure, you do you and drop it. I'm not here to tell people they need to write. I would have stopped writing after 6 months if it seemed like no one was interested, but I was ramping up in readers still. I have a lot of projects I want to work on though, and I'd gladly have transitioned into those instead.

Now, to sympathize, I do understand how working drains you. When I was doing high stress engineering, I basically only wrote once in a blue moon. Money troubles also add aditional stresses, as do health. I had a nasty bought of lung problems last year that made it so I only could sleep for 1 hour at a time for just about 3 months. It was brutal, and I was suicidal. I basically was at the point where if the next medicine didn't work, I was done. That whole time, I kept writing. Never missed a deadline, probably should have. Sometimes, it is best to sit down and write out (and I mean write it out, not just think about it) what exactly you want for yourself in 6 months, 2 years, and 5 years, and what you need to do to achieve that. When achievements are driven by internet stranger's whims, it'll make you depressed at the drop of a hat.

Really well said. Maybe I'm just worried about what I end up leaving behind, and if it will be meaningful to anyone.
Maybe, I'm just not sure what future I'm gonna have or how much longer I have, and it gives me too much uncertainty.
Sorry you had to go through that lung problem. I might be in a similar situation very soon.

What's ultimately important to me...?
I'm just not sure anymore. Too confusing for now. Maybe I will understand this more in July...

If only I had some sort of subject of focus to hammer down on for Youtube. Never was conformable making videos, though I did give it thought, never to decide on what it would be about...

 

[HisDivineShadow]

Everybody seem wants to be an author these days.

Go on TikTok, and you’ll see that everyone wants to be a creator. Go on YouTube, and you’ll see that everyone wants to be a vlogger. Watch a few amateur music videos and you’ll see - everyone wants to sing.. This is true for pretty much any area. The only difference is that before the internet, these things just weren’t accessible. A lot of people didn’t even have the chance to try. But with the internet, everything became easier. That’s why it feels like everyone wants to do everything.. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. What’s worse is when someone doesn’t want anything at all.
When I walk around downtown and see all these zombie-like people… I just don’t get your frustration. Would it really be better if everyone were just on some kind of drugs, wanting nothing but their next hit? Not writing, not reading, not singing, not making videos, not reviewing random stuff online? I wouldn’t want to live in that kind of world.

 

[Tyranomaster]

Go on TikTok, and you’ll see that everyone wants to be a creator. Go on YouTube, and you’ll see that everyone wants to be a vlogger. Watch a few amateur music videos and you’ll see - everyone wants to sing.. This is true for pretty much any area. The only difference is that before the internet, these things just weren’t accessible. A lot of people didn’t even have the chance to try. But with the internet, everything became easier. That’s why it feels like everyone wants to do everything.. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. What’s worse is when someone doesn’t want anything at all.
When I walk around downtown and see all these zombie-like people… I just don’t get your frustration. Would it really be better if everyone were just on some kind of drugs, wanting nothing but their next hit? Not writing, not reading, not singing, not making videos, not reviewing random stuff online? I wouldn’t want to live in that kind of world.

While mostly true, I think there is a slight misjudgement here. I don't think everyone wants to be an author/creator/singer. Everyone wants to be a *famous* author/creator/singer. If they just wanted to do it for the sake of honing a modern craft, I wouldn't be as disturbed by it (I substitute teach now). Too often, I see people who are putting the fame before the craft, which results in disappointment. You have to hone the craft before fame can arrive, unless you get unnaturally lucky, or you are talented beyond belief naturally. Content creators who do what they love, find their niche and are happy? 10/10, good job, love it, lets get more of it! Content creators who are constantly chasing fame, wanting to be the next famous trend? 0/10, horrific, zombies. In the past, a handful of these people would go to Hollywood to try to get famous, and most ended up working a regular job there. Now, however, there isn't the limitations of needing to move somewhere, so you see these attention seekers everywhere. Then they get more and more dejected because they never become famous, and so they live their life depressed and angry at the world for not providing their dream to them. They oriented themselves to fail from the start, and (in the US at least), the structure of the school system sets them up to systematically fail because it doesn't teach proper goal orientation.

 

[HisDivineShadow]

While mostly true, I think there is a slight misjudgement here. I don't think everyone wants to be an author/creator/singer. Everyone wants to be a *famous* author/creator/singer. If they just wanted to do it for the sake of honing a modern craft, I wouldn't be as disturbed by it (I substitute teach now). Too often, I see people who are putting the fame before the craft, which results in disappointment. You have to hone the craft before fame can arrive, unless you get unnaturally lucky, or you are talented beyond belief naturally. Content creators who do what they love, find their niche and are happy? 10/10, good job, love it, lets get more of it! Content creators who are constantly chasing fame, wanting to be the next famous trend? 0/10, horrific, zombies. In the past, a handful of these people would go to Hollywood to try to get famous, and most ended up working a regular job there. Now, however, there isn't the limitations of needing to move somewhere, so you see these attention seekers everywhere. Then they get more and more dejected because they never become famous, and so they live their life depressed and angry at the world for not providing their dream to them. They oriented themselves to fail from the start, and (in the US at least), the structure of the school system sets them up to systematically fail because it doesn't teach proper goal orientation.

When I talked about zombies and drugs I meant it literally. You know those hunched-over people who can just stand like that for hours. I’m not sure if they have that in the U.S. But unfortunately we do in Canada. They usually hang around downtown, though lately there seem to be fewer of them. Maybe the cops are just taking them away to some kind of hubs.
In any case, I choose ambition. Let there be ambitious people.
But let’s be honest. If someone writes a story just for fun, they can keep it in a drawer. But if they’ve posted even a single chapter online, then whether they admit it or not, they’re craving recognition and fame. The problem is, most people have no clue that those magical overnight successes only really happen on TikTok or in fake celebrity bios. And when that kind of success doesn’t come, disappointment sets in.
At the very least, they could’ve reached out to any writing community and asked for an honest critique. In smaller communities it costs next to nothing. Because.. You know, being persistent isn’t always the right move. What I mean is that if I decide I want to be a dancer but don’t really have the talent for it, then no matter how hard I train even if I give it everything I still might not succeed.

 

[Ai-chan]

Ai-chan remembers the 'good-old days' of pre-digital author experience. It was not a 'better time' in anyway. You have all kinds of gatekeepers who will tell you, full of glee and pride, that you're just not good enough.

Back in the day, if you write a story, it will likely stay in the back of your drawer, never seeing the light of day. At most your friends would read it and say "You have talent" or "It's a good story" but then give all kinds of excuses so that they don't have to read it again.

You can send your story to publishers and most of the time they will say, "It has potential" but then refused to elaborate or make another appointment with you. You can also send your story to magazines, 'for exposure' they say, which actually means you're doing it for free. And you can also send your story to contests and they will say, "Sorry, this is not what we're looking for" or "We have filled the quota for this genre, maybe next time."

And even when you finally, finally, somehow against all odds got signed up, most of the time, that has nothing to do with your writing ability. It all had to do with who's your literary agent. If your literary agent has good connections, even if what you wrote is the whole toiletbowl, it can still be published, with help from well-paid editors and their pay often comes from your cut, not from the agent's cut. Depending on the agent's negotiation, what you bring home could be as low as 2-3% of any sales of the book. Ai-chan knows one agent who promised 12% royalty but the royalty never came, as it was spent entirely on paying the agent's finder's fee and the book never sold enough to reach the author.

Back in the day, there was a joke in the literary community: “The writer pens in poverty, the editor retires in comfort, and the agent laughs from a throne.”. There were all kinds of proverbs too, such as “The pen is mighty, but the contract is mightier.” or "The writer builds the house, the publisher owns it." or “The writer earns pennies, the middlemen earn millions.”

So if anything, it's way easier NOW than it was before. Now no matter what you write, no matter how shitty it is, you can show it off. There will be people who read it and there will be people who enjoyed it. People who don't enjoy it will just stop reading and read something else. It is much easier now to make money off your work than ever before. Saying it "used to be easy and now it's hard" is like implying 'I used to be able to get readers, why are you all jumping in too and taking my opportunity?"