Being A Writer #3: This Book Needs to be a Movie!

Hey, everyone.

Unlike last week's Being A Writer, this one is much more positive. And probably much shorter.

Explanation

When I first wrote Remnants of Chaos: Chaotic Omens, when I finished it, I posted it to Inkitt where it got some great reviews, including one or two people saying it should be turned into a movie.

I quite enjoyed how emphatic they were about it, one claiming ROCCO "needs" to be a movie. It says quite a lot about your writing when the audience approves of it being turned into a motion picture. I know not all cinematic adaptations are homeruns, but when people are saying, "Someone should spend $100 million+ to bring this to life!" you can't help but take it as a compliment. You wrote a story and built a world that's worth hundreds of millions of dollars to somebody, and that could be your hundreds of millions of dollars.

But it's not just about the money. It's about the exposure and recognition. Movies have a wider reach than books, and generally, most cinematic adaptations are fantastic pieces of art and sometimes they're better than the book. The fact that there are people out there who believe your work is worthy of that sort of effort to properly imagine it and they believe you're good enough to be worldly acclaimed are significant feathers in your cap. Compliments like this are why we stay in the business.

The only thing better is if someone says your book is their favorite.

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If you enjoyed this uplifting Being A Writer post and you want to stay in the loop with whatever I write, please consider joining my mailing list or even supporting me on Patreon. $1 a month keeps me from doing "real" work, and I really appreciate that.

Keep writing, my friends.

More About Bryan C. Laesch:

Amazon: My Author Page
Facebook: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar
Patreon: Bryan C. Laesch
Instagram: Bryan C. Laesch
Twitter: BryanofallTrade
Youtube: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar

Being A Writer #2: A Horrible Truth

Hey, everyone.

So this Being A Writer is a little dour and a little sour, and largely dependent on the individual writer, but for many it's true. Let's look at it a little deeper.

Explanation

Most of the world still carries a bias against self-publishing. To many, traditional publishing is the only way to go--apparently, if people front your cover design costs, you're worth being read. Unfortunately, this isn't a strict maxim. Ever heard of 50 Shades of Grey? I hear it's not that good. Meanwhile, Twilight, while written well, it doesn't deserve the hype. But I'm getting a little off topic here.

For many of us self-pubs, we hardly ever see any real money from our writing. Now, there are ways to boost the odds of course: Facebook and Amazon ads, press releases, podcast interviews, and even having a team of beta readers who buy the book first day and leave their real reviews a few seconds later. But if you're broke and don't have connections, and if you're not big into self-promotion, no one will really care about your book, even if it's the best book in the world.

But! Like I said, these are all conditional from writer to writer. Some self-pubs do quite well for themselves. However, I fall into the group of writers that write on a wing and a prayer. All I really have in my life are a few friends, who don't buy my books, and some family members, who are very supportive, but still don't buy my books. And the only family member I have who does read everything I've self-published doesn't even believe in my future as writer. So... yeah.

No doubt about it, regardless of what stage you're at when it comes to writing, whether it be outlining, writing, editing and proofing, publicizing, or you're already well-established, it is a challenging gig. And from what I hear, it's getting more difficult all the time for traditionally published writers. Apparently, the advance they give you is supposed to be used for advertising, and if the book flops, they may just take the advance back. Yikes...

But, I'd take a bad day at this over a good day of almost everything else. And my intention with this post is not meant to scare you or complain. I admit, I was not in a good place when I created this entry to the Being A Writer meme, but instead of letting this one get you down, use it as an opportunity to prove me wrong. Say to yourself, "Yes, they do. People do care when I publish a book. And they're going to buy it, and you, meme/Bryan C. Laesch, will just have to wallow in your failing career while I go on to make millions."

Good luck.

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If you enjoyed this sobering Being A Writer post and you want to stay in the loop with whatever I write, please consider joining my mailing list or even supporting me on Patreon. $1 a month keeps me from doing "real" work, and I really appreciate that.

Keep writing, my friends.

More About Bryan C. Laesch:

Amazon: My Author Page
Facebook: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar
Patreon: Bryan C. Laesch
Instagram: Bryan C. Laesch
Twitter: BryanofallTrade
Youtube: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar