For Writers

So You Want To Be A Writer?

if it doesn't come bursting out of you

in spite of everything,

don't do it.

unless it comes unasked out of your

heart and your mind and your mouth

and your gut,

don't do it.

if you have to sit for hours

staring at your computer screen

or hunched over your

typewriter

searching for words,

don't do it.

if you're doing it for money or

fame,

don't do it.

if you're doing it because you want

women in your bed,

don't do it.

if you have to sit there and

rewrite it again and again,

don't do it.

if it's hard work just thinking about doing it,

don't do it.

if you're trying to write like somebody

else,

forget about it.

if you have to wait for it to roar out of

you,

then wait patiently.

if it never does roar out of you,

do something else.

if you first have to read it to your wife

or your girlfriend or your boyfriend

or your parents or to anybody at all,

you're not ready.

don't be like so many writers,

don't be like so many thousands of

people who call themselves writers,

don't be dull and boring and

pretentious, don't be consumed with self-

love.

the libraries of the world have

yawned themselves to

sleep

over your kind.

don't add to that.

don't do it.

unless it comes out of

your soul like a rocket,

unless being still would

drive you to madness or

suicide or murder,

don't do it.

unless the sun inside you is

burning your gut,

don't do it.

when it is truly time,

and if you have been chosen,

it will do it by

itself and it will keep on doing it

until you die or it dies in you.

there is no other way.

and there never was.

• Charles Bukowski

- Odds are almost nobody makes money, but you get to keep all 100% of it.       

- You have to do every bit of the marketing    

- You have to find the right people to hire       and pay editors, designers, formatters, etc.

- The market is flooded with all of the other   self-published authors

-  You (not you personally, but you generally) probably don't have the skills, patience, and creativity to market your book for the amount of  time and with the output you need to get satisfactory results

-  Other authors, other publishers, writer       organizations, customers won't view you     as a "real" author.

-  Once you self-publish a book, well, that's             basically it. You won't be able to  traditionally publish it later. It might even hurt your ability to traditionally publish OTHER books, if sales were particularly tepid.

-  If you want to get into bookstores and         libraries, you most certainly need to purchase ISBNs, barcodes, QR codes, EIN number, Business license, Website, etc.

- Did we mention the accountants, tax preparers, lawyers, copyrights, trademarks 

- We work with our writers and help their       books be completed professionally

- We publish books in hard cover, soft cover,   digital, audio, e-book, flip books, and more

- We offer marketing services to help our        books reach the audience it is looking for

- We offer website/blog/podcast services to  help our writers create their brand online

- We offer public speaking opportunities for   authors who are looking to become a leader in their field.

- We help our writers get booked on various   podcasts, media and print

- We work with over 40,000 book retailers       throughout the world including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and more

- We have publishing programs that can work with all writers

- We take care of everything so you, the writer, can do what you do best and not have to deal with all of the editing, formatting, production, publication, marketing, email lists, and more stuff...