Have you ever wondered why so many authors struggle to make a living from their writing?
I mean, we’re all in this together—we’re all here to tell stories, right? And yet so many of us are barely scraping by. Some of us even have to work multiple jobs just to put food on the table.
The truth is that writing is not easy. If you’re an author, you know the feeling of growing a reader base and then having that reader base disappear. And if you’re lucky enough to make a living off your writing, you’ll also know the feeling of not being able to keep up with your bills and wondering if you’ll ever get there.
So what’s going on? Why are so many writers struggling to make ends meet?
In this blog, Custom book writing services explain some of the most common mistakes that aspiring writers make and what you should do instead. Keep reading to find out!
8 Reasons Why Some Authors Fail To Earn A Good Living
Let’s talk about why authors fail to make a living from their writing. So you can avoid these mistakes and become a successful author!
- They Have Unrealistic Expectations.
One of the biggest mistakes that writers make is expecting to make millions from their first writing. This is especially true for those who have published books, and are hoping to attract a large audience for the next one.
Are you also one of the many authors who want to make a living from your writing? It’s possible, but you have to know how to do it. But it’s important to note that this isn’t an overnight process. It takes time and effort, which means you need to be patient with yourself as well as others who might read your work. You also need persistence if you want your dream career in writing to become a reality!
- They’re Trying To Appeal To Everyone.
Another common mistake authors make is trying to write for everyone. This can be dangerous because it means that they’re not writing what their audience wants. Or worse, they’re writing something that doesn’t work at all. You need to know who your audience is, and then write only for them.
If you’re looking at your book as an attempt at being popular in general (and not just with a specific group), then it’s likely going to fail in its mission of reaching out and appealing to an audience that actually cares about what you have written. Instead of worrying about whether or not this particular book will appeal to enough people who aren’t interested in reading it—just focus on writing something better for a particular audience!
- Fear Of Failure.
It is easy to become afraid of failing. You’re building your career and you want to be successful, so why would you want to fail? But the truth is that failure doesn’t have to be the end of your writing career—it just means that you’ll have learned something from it. If a writer can learn from her mistakes, then he/she will be able to write better next time around.
Another reason why authors fear failure is that they think no one will publish their book if it does not sell well or if it doesn’t get good reviews on Amazon (or wherever). This misconception can lead them into making some poor decisions when writing their stories. For example, thinking that what works in fiction might work equally well in nonfiction. Or trying too hard on a novel-length piece instead of focusing purely on short stories, etc.
- Don’t Understand The Business Side Of Writing.
When you’re a writer, it’s easy to think that your job is just sitting down and writing. But that’s not the case. The business side of writing is just as important as the creative side. You must learn how to market and sell your work if you want to make a living from your writing. If you don’t understand how to sell your work, you won’t be able to make a living from it. And that’s why some people give up on writing altogether: they think it’s not worth their time if they can’t make money doing it.
Learning how to market and sell your work might seem like a daunting task. But once you get over this hump things will start falling into place! The key here is knowing where to start and how long it will take before an idea becomes profitable enough for an author’s needs—and then sticking with those plans until they succeed!
- They’ve Never Published Before.
It takes time and effort for an author to build up their readership base. Writers who have been published before understanding this process better than those who haven’t yet had their work accepted by an editor (or anyone else). They know what works well in terms of marketing strategies and how best to promote themselves as professionals who are worthy of respect from other professionals in their field—not just writers but also editors and agents alike!
If you’ve never been published before and you write a book, it will likely be rejected by editors. Do not give up at this point and keep trying. It could take six months or even years for your first book to be accepted by an editor. But once it’s published, the rejection letters will stop coming!
- They Don’t Take Advantage Of Free Education And Resources
If you want to make money from your writing, there is no magic formula or secret skill that will get you there. Instead, it’s a series of small steps that require some hard work and commitment. The good news is that multiple resources are available online where you can learn how to start making money from your writing—and these resources aren’t just for beginners either!
If you want your writing career to be successful, you need to understand how the publishing industry works, what makes an effective marketing plan and how social media can help promote your work. You should also learn about SEO (search engine optimization) and blogging as well. There are so many resources available online to learn these things for free, but few writers seem to take advantage of them.
- Easily Get Distracted By Meaningless Metrics.
Metrics are important, but they’re not the only thing that matters. You can’t just focus on the numbers and ignore your goals. Your
writing should be driven by a purpose—not just some arbitrary metric you come up with to measure how well your work is doing at any given moment in time.
Metrics can be misleading because they don’t tell the whole story. They don’t show whether or not your work is improving over time or if it’s actually making an impact. The best way for authors to figure this out is through hard data collection and analysis!
The goal of your writing is to help people. That’s why you’re doing it in the first place. You want your readers to feel something after reading your work—whether that feeling is joy, sadness, or anything else in between. But if you can’t measure how well your writing is doing at achieving this goal then how do you know if it’s working? You need to collect data on your readers and their reactions to your writing. You can do this through surveys and polls, but it’s much better if you can actually talk to them.
- Spend Too Much Time Writing For Free.
There are a lot of people who write for free, and it’s easy to see why. Writing for free means that there is no need to spend time doing things like editing or submitting articles for publication. It also means that your work won’t be devalued by other writers who might want to use some of your ideas without giving anything back in return (like giving credit).
But if authors not charging money for work, then how do they make money? The answer is simple: they earn royalties when someone buys their book! The problem with this approach is that it involves spending lots of time working on projects that aren’t going anywhere. They are not building your career. You could spend this time, energy, and creativity on something more productive (like building up an audience).
End Note
We hope this article has given you a better understanding of how to turn your passion into a living. As we discussed, there are plenty of reasons why people fail to make the transition from hobbyist to professional. But by adopting the right mindset and taking steps to improve your skills, we believe that anyone can earn a sustainable income from their writing!
