What are the pros and cons of being an author for a living?
I LOVE being an author! I get to spend my days creating worlds, and writing stories about people falling in love. I get to be creative, romantic, and let my imagination flow. But, being an author can have its down sides too.
So, let’s talk about the pros and cons of being an author… specifically a self-published author.
Pros:
—I get to make my own schedule.
—I can wear pajamas to work, and no one knows.
—I get to stretch my imagination every day. There aren’t a lot of adults who can claim that.
—Writing sci-fi, I spend time reading publications about science, and it actually pertains to my job!
—I don’t have to interact with people. (other introverts know what a big deal this can be!)
—I don’t have a boss. I’m beholden only to myself and the goals that I set.
—I have control over my books. From story content to cover designs, I’m in charge.
—I get to share my views with the world. My hope is to show that love comes in many forms, and through my books, I get to showcase that.
Cons:
—Managing my own time means that I have to schedule time for writing. If I don’t, “life” takes over.
—Being my own boss means that I don’t risk my job if I fail to make deadlines, but this also means that it’s tempting to be lazy; to take days off. To not make my writing goals because no one is holding me accountable. Being your own boss and working from home means that I have to keep myself in check.
—Ignoring household chores is difficult. Anyone who works from home understands that it’s hard to ignore the dishes in the sink, the unfolded laundry, and pet hair on the carpet. If I don’t watch out, I’ll spend an entire day “working” on the wrong things.
—I work alone. I don’t have co-workers to help me if I run into a problem. Most of the time it’s just me, and Google.
—I have to do it all myself. This isn’t as much of a problem now that I have people to help me with things like my website, marketing, and running promotions. But, I still oversee everything, and sometimes it’s overwhelming.
—People judging me, or drawing conclusions about me, based on the fact that I write erotica and/or gay content. Yes, it happens. And yes, it sucks.
—Maybe one of the biggest cons: most self-published authors don’t make enough money to “make a living”, like the question implies. If my family was counting on my income for us to live, we’d been on the street years ago! I can only be a writer because I have a husband who has a successful job, and who emotionally supports what I do.
Sure, there are plenty of successful authors who have made big bucks… but so far I’m not one of them. Maybe someday. If that happens, I’m sure this pro/con list will need to be updated.
Comments (2)