{"id":6809,"date":"2025-04-13T19:09:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T09:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michellecooper-writer.com\/blog\/?p=6809"},"modified":"2025-04-13T19:09:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T09:09:29","slug":"miscellaneous-memoranda-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michellecooper-writer.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/miscellaneous-memoranda-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Miscellaneous Memoranda"},"content":{"rendered":"

An anonymous author of children\u2019s literature tells it how it is at The Bookseller<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis whole business is founded on the desperation of children\u2019s authors to be published and then their willingness to put up with terrible pay, because they want to be published again…This allows publishers to pay us a pittance, but it\u2019s okay, because we will make up the difference in school visits. The publishers expect it. They even arrange free ones for us, hoping that we will learn on the job and convert that into an income stream. <\/p>\n

But it\u2019s exhausting […] Above all, it is not fun. For many of us, the physical and mental toll of turning up and performing can be debilitating. And that\u2019s if we can even do it. Giving up your day job to visit schools isn\u2019t easy, nor is parking your own children or dealing with health issues on the road. Some of us feel massively unconfident about it. We are writers, not performers. We are not teachers either, and yet find ourselves running workshops for keen and unkeen young writers.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Also, publishers prefer to publish children\u2019s books \u2018written\u2019 by celebrities and most of these books are terrible. But not all of them! Here Emily Gould rates the best celebrity children\u2019s books at The Cut<\/em><\/a>. <\/p>\n

Not that things are much better for those who write for adults, as Kate Dwyer explains in Has It Ever Been Harder To Make a Living As An Author?<\/em><\/a>: <\/p>\n

\u201cWithout any other revenue streams, it\u2019s highly unlikely that someone could make ends meet or support a family by writing novels. Most novelists have day jobs, and the majority of those who don\u2019t are either independently wealthy or juggling a handful of projects at once, often in different mediums like film, journalism, and audio.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But here\u2019s some advice on how to deal with the depressing life of an author. Ask Polly<\/em><\/a> consoles an author who\u2019s devastated that her book barely sold: <\/p>\n

\u201cBlaming yourself for not selling books is like blaming yourself for aging. It\u2019s irrational. Books don\u2019t sell, period. Have you ever skimmed the best seller list? If a book is truly great, it\u2019s almost guaranteed not to sell. You\u2019re calling yourself a failure for things that are out of your control […]<\/p>\n

But listen to me: You write because you believe in it. You still believe, even now. You crave love, and that part of you isn\u2019t humiliating. It\u2019s sad and pure and true. It\u2019s a gift. So stop telling yourself lies and repeating this world\u2019s bad noises. No one smart measures quality on sales. No one enlightened reduces art to commerce.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To be an author, you need to be intelligent, creative and resilient. You need to be stubborn. You must never give up on your goals.<\/p>\n

You need to be Stoffel the honey badger: <\/p>\n