Common misconceptions - Author Video Transcripts
Video 1 Transcript
Some common misconceptions that are for self-published authors is that once you finish your book, you're done. You just have to tell people about it, put it on a shelf, and people are going to buy it. And there's a lot more that goes into marketing books than just finishing your book. And so some things that I've seen my mom, who is a self-published author, do is continue to learn about marketing techniques and skills so that she can promote her books and getting on sites that other authors are promoting their books with. It's a good solution. You have to be the one to promote your own book.
Video 2 Transcript
Common misconceptions. There's a few that I'd throw out there. One is that once you practice writing, like you've got it all down, you can just sit down and pound out a draft the first time. I rewrite like crazy. I edit like crazy. I need editors like crazy, right? I'm not perfect at all the grammar. I can tell a fun story, but I need that. Another misconception is kind of once you've published your first book, you're in the club, and then from there, it's going to be perfect. And that's not true, right? Each book is its separate challenge. Each book, you have to pitch it to publishers. They have to like it. They've got to want it, right? You can have a draft that publishers don't like at all, right? And you kind of start over. So there's a misconception there. But by the way, you can always edit and redo and get better and better at that. Sometimes it's just going draft after draft. And we'll just do those two because I'm out of time. Good luck.
Video 3 Transcript
So a lot of people think authors are like really great at editing and they think we're amazing typers. When I started writing my first book, Pride and Popularity, in 2008, I hadn't been into school in years. I graduated in 1995, can't tell you how old I am, but I started writing this book. I didn't even know how to type. I used one finger or two fingers, barely, and I definitely did not remember proper editing at all. I had to ask friends for help and to read the book for me and then ask them to help me edit. And they did, they came back with like the first chapter edited and then I learned from there. Wait, that's where, that's where quotations go. This is how to, this is how to, you know, end a sentence. This is silly, silly things like past tense and present tense. Don't stress about that yet. Nobody's perfect. And now guess what? I can type. I just look straight at my screen and just type away.
Video 4 Transcript
There is a common misconception that authors make a ton of bank. You know, we're just kind of rolling in it. There are those authors. They do exist. Making money at writing isn't impossible, especially if you're willing to do other kinds of writing that are more steady and profitable, like copywriting. And you do your novel writing here and your copywriting over there. But as a novelist, your chances of rolling in the dough are okay. It happens. But it also doesn't happen. So I think it's probably wise to do it for the love of doing it. Treat it like a job. You will make money, most likely, if you're really doing it. But don't count on a J.K. Rawlings mansion.
Video 5 Transcript
Some common misconceptions about being an author. One of them that I hate is when I tell people, yes, I'm a full-time author, and they go, oh, you're a full-time author, what's your wife do? Because they think that my wife is the one supporting me. Being a full-time author means that you can make a living income. I made six figures last year off of three books, and my eventual goal is to be hitting seven figures regularly as an author. It is entirely possible to do this job full-time and to be able to support a large family and live in a nice house and go places and travel and do the kind of fun things that you want to do. It is entirely possible to do that as an author. And also that it's easy. Being an author is not easy. You have to be very disciplined and dedicated to get your daily word count in every single day.
