Laura’s Blog

In the movie, Miss Austen Regrets, an admiring fan gushes to Jane Austen, “I could write a book.”

Jane gives him a long look, then replies, “And you are most welcome to do so.”

Over 80 percent of the U.S. population believes they have a book brewing inside them. I’ll bet you do!

But should you write that book?

Probably not.

Here are six good reasons why you shouldn’t.

1.  You earned an A or B in high school English.

You spent years mastering the art of the five-paragraph essay. You read Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird (or, at least, the CliffsNotes). After graduating from high school, you spent the next 15 years working as a chef… or an accountant… or a homemaker. High school English is a vague memory, but you do recall getting an A in 11th grade English. That qualifies you to write a book, right?

Not so fast, buckaroo! In my former life, I was a high school English teacher, and most of my students were not – er – stellar writers. Even the ones who earned As and Bs.

Many A and B students earn those grades through determination and hard work. Their writing is competent, but is typically not author quality. Surviving the American education system does not automatically qualify you for authorhood.

2.  You think “more” means “better.”

That 120,000-word tome you’re itching to write won’t sell. Period. End of story.

I recently proofread a non-fiction book manuscript intended for a general-interest audience. The author relayed every thought, whim, and bit of research he could dig up on his topic. While he made some good points, he could have made them more powerfully in 100 pages instead of 250 pages.

This author fell into the trap of over-researching. Fearful his book might get criticized, he beat his topic to death.

Readers are fickle, particularly in our text-messaging, tweeting, sound-bite era. If you want your book to sell, you HAVE TO think in terms of what your readers want.

Don’t tell us everything about your subject. If we wanted that, we’d read an encyclopedia. Instead, give us tightly-written, entertaining, intriguing word pictures. We’ll eat them up and beg for more.

3.  You want to skip the dues-paying.

An author was having coffee with her surgeon friend. The surgeon said, “I’ve decided to take three months off to write a book.”

The author replied, “What a coincidence! I’m taking three months off and becoming a surgeon!”

Literary agents and editors constantly remind would-be authors to pay their dues. That means due-ing whatever it takes to develop your all-important “platform” (i.e., becoming known so people will buy your book).

• Speak regularly.
• Attend writers’ conferences and pitch your project in person to editors and agents.
• Take classes to fine-tune your writing skills.
• Present a portfolio packed with magazine articles you’ve written.
• At the very least, blog weekly for at least a year on your topic so you can prove, statistically, that zillions of people are interested in your topic and will shell out $14+ for your book.

Authoring a book is not a short-term project you do on a whim. It’s a job. It’s a career. You’ve gotta be committed. And you’ve gotta pay your dues.

4.  You believe your book will be a best-seller.

We’ve all read self-published books like The Shack, which for some mysterious reason rocket to the top of the best-seller list. “If that guy’s book can reach #1, mine surely can,” you think.

Every author believes his or her book will be a best-seller. They may not admit it, but deep down inside, they believe it. Trouble is, approximately 70 percent of all published books do NOT earn out their advance (sell enough copies for the author to begin collecting royalty checks).

Set a more realistic goal: for your book to sell steadily within its genre or niche. My first book, The Adoption Decision, has not earned back its advance (yet), and it’s usually buried at the back of Barnes & Noble, on that tiny little “adoption” shelf that’s sandwiched between baby name books and infertility books. But it’s a strong seller within the books-for-adoptive-parents-written-from-a-Christian-worldview niche. And I’m content with that. Mostly.

5.  You just want to write.

A first-time author told me, “My book has been out for a couple of months now. I guess I should start marketing it.”

My jaw nearly dropped to the floor. I began marketing my first book three years before I started writing it.

If you are one of those creative types who waits for the muse to strike, and you can’t be bothered with marketing your project, you’re in the wrong profession. Marketing your book takes 10 times more energy than writing it does.

A good friend who has had four books published (all of which have earned out their advance) pitched a new book project to her publisher. Her publisher asked, “How many speaking engagements have you done so far this year?”

“During the first six months of this year, I spoke 90 times.”

Ninety.

Guess what her publisher said?

“That’s not nearly enough. If you want us to offer you a contract for another book, you need to speak more often than that.”

Ouch! My friend was literally wiped out from all the speaking she’d done, and she was in tears after her publisher delivered this harsh news.

But it’s a reality of the highly-competitive publishing industry. No one but you is going to market your book. So, in addition to being a superb writer, you must become a savvy marketer. You have to be willing to put everything you’ve got into marketing your project.

6.  God told you to write a book.

The author of a book manuscript I proofed mentioned at least five times in the first 100 pages that God led him to become a writer (led was spelled lead every time). The author wrote, “My job was to write – I left the typing, editing, and marketing to God.”

You certainly did! And God (that must be me, since I’m the proofreader) found an average of four errors on every single page of your manuscript!

If you’re a Christian author, you have an obligation to honor God with your words. If your manuscript is riddled with typos, misplaced modifiers, passive voice, and run-ons, how does that honor God?

If you’re unwilling to hire a professional editor who will help make your book shine, how does that honor God?

God may have directed you to write; I firmly believe He led me to write. But God also urged me to equip myself for the writing profession. I earned a master’s degree in English. I taught English for over a decade. I freelanced for another decade… all before I penned my first book.

I’m not saying you have to do all these things. But I strongly urge you to equip yourself for writing. God isn’t going to just call you to writing and then leave you hanging. He’s going to send you critique partners, teachers, editors, and proofreaders to help you become the best writer you can be.

Take advantage of these resources, and thank God for sending them your way.

*Feel free to reprint this post on your own blog. I’ll be happy to e-mail you the HTML, so all you have to do is copy & paste, and the formatting will remain intact. If you reprint it, please include the following byline:

Laura Christianson, aka, The Blogging Barista, owns Blogging Bistro (www.BloggingBistro.com), a Seattle-based social media marketing company.