Ask someone what an author does and they will more than likely say, “They write books.” This is true but it passes over the many, many other things an author has to do.
“Like what?” you say. Since you asked, I’ll tell you.
Authorship involves writing naturally enough. But it also encompasses many more areas.
Thinking is one such area. Being an author involves thinking about: New stories; How to sell more books; New plot events; Another new character; More research.
Publishing is another area that requires work. And this work occurs no matter how the book gets published. If the book is published in the traditional fashion i.e. with a publishing company, we get to write query letters to agents or to publishers. In both events, it involves a lot of waiting for a response which may never appear. If the books are self-published then we get involved with covers, editing, formatting, dealing with packagers and developing book launches.
And then there is the ever-popular marketing. That requires selling books, promoting books, get interviewed, writing blog posts, developing landing pages. advertising and putting up with every day, quite ordinary frustration.
Authorship is also a business. We get involved with profit and loss tracking, business decisions, break even analysis, marketing plans and more stuff that keeps us from writing more books. And don’t forget the taxes.
Since this is the 21st Century, authors are heavily involved with social media. So we’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and who knows what other sites. We spend time trying to understand Search Engine Optimization (a virtual impossibility), building websites and watching click-thru rates.
By now, you see that authorship is a lot more than just writing. I installed a slideshow on a webpage depicting all these activities graphically. You can see it here: https://padlet.com/hanque/authorship-
6mr7nvni4om6yjxu/wish/2513430034 This webpage also shows an authorship ecosystem with links to all sorts of content to help other authors maintain a grip on their sanity.
Don’t miss Hank’s must-read book on writing, Creating Your First Novel. Purchase on Amazon.
