When you sit down to write a book for the first time, you dream big. What if this book sells really well? What if you see your book in bookstores? What if your whole life changes from this book and you can be a full-time author?
I think we’ve romanticized what being an author actually is, especially in the modern publishing landscape. There are definitely some big ideas that we have about being an author that make it sound amazing and why people resort to AI to make that author dream come true (please don’t do that). But let’s get real about these author myths vs the actual reality of being an author.
Myth #1: The lifestyle
When you think of an author, what do you picture? An office filled with books and sunlight streaming in and someone sitting at a big wooden desk clickety-clacking away on their keyboard or scribbling in a journal thinking beautiful thoughts?
That would be lovely, but most authors are not living like that. Most people are trying to find time to fit word count into their busy days, and their desks are probably a mess with multiple cups and mugs scattered all over. And most writing probably isn’t getting done during the day—maybe in the early hours of the morning before everyone else gets up and before work/school/life, or late in the evening when the house is finally quiet and you can actually have some time and space to think beautiful thoughts.
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Myth #1: The lifestyle
When you think of an author, what do you picture? An office filled with books and sunlight streaming in and someone sitting at a big wooden desk clickety-clacking away on their keyboard or scribbling in a journal thinking beautiful thoughts?
That would be lovely, but most authors are not living like that. It certainly isn’t this dreamy ideal image of the author. Most people are trying to find time to fit word count into their busy days and their desks are probably a mess with multiple cups and mugs scattered all over. And most writing probably isn’t getting done during the day—maybe in the early hours of the morning before everyone else gets up and before work/school/life, or late in the evening when the house is finally quiet and you can actually have some time and space to think beautiful thoughts.
Myth #2: ✨The glamour ✨
Again, similar to the lifestyle myth in that it’s an idealized version of what being an author is like. It’s so glamorous! Travel out on a book tour to meet fans! Sign books! Be interviewed on TV! Sell a bajillion copies and get that money! Buy a giant house and a fancy car!
This is the dream, right? Like, you know probably you’re not going to be the next Emily Henry or Colleen Hoover and have widespread/mainstream recognition, but buried under the self-doubt and imposter syndrome, there’s that little voice in your head very quietly whispering “…but what if? It could happen.” It could, but it is so, so rare, and particularly so if you’re self-publishing (even if you get a trad deal eventually). Also, I’m guessing the glamour and fame come with a ton of downsides too, and a different kind of stress and anxiety.
Myth #3: The freedom
Let’s think on a smaller scale and be more realistic here. Yeah, probably you’re not going to hit the author jackpot—but what if all you want is to just be able to write full-time and quit your regular job and be free of your corporate overlords?
I see lots of people thinking they can quit their jobs after they put out a couple of books, and then getting down on themselves when that doesn’t happen. This is actually really hard to do in romance (and in publishing in general, no matter the genre), even at the rate that most romance authors publish, because it’s such a saturated market. You need solid sales and a decent backlist to even consider it, and also the determination to continue putting out at least two to three books (or more) a year. The days of being a full-time author and putting out one book every year or two are loooong gone in romance (if they ever even existed)—there are some authors who can put out a book a year and do well, but they also have a deep backlist supporting them.
Let’s go to what I’m sure you’re already well aware of: the realities of being an author.
Reality #1: It’s really freakin' hard
Not only is it hard to, you know, just write one book, but then you have to keep consistently putting out more books. And they have to be good and on trend, and you can do all the right things and they still don’t sell the way you expect them to.
And being an author is not cerebral or magical or glam. It’s lonely and isolating, and you spend a lot of time in your own head staring at a computer screen.
Reality #2: It’s not just about writing the book
It would be amazing if it were just about writing the book, because you know how to write—that’s why you wanted to be an author in the first place! But it’s actually about writing and revising and editing and all the admin and promoting and cultivating relationships with contractors, book influencers, and other authors. It is a full-time job, except you’re probably not getting paid well for it, and you probably also have another full-time job that you’re doing at the same time.
Reality #3: It’s still a job
It’s a really cool job, but like any job, there is competition (real or imagined), imposter syndrome, highs and lows, and you can’t escape those things by working for yourself. And it’s your business, and you have to run it like one and wear all the hats. You’re the boss, so you’re in control, but for a while, it’s probably going to be just you as a solopreneur, and there’s no one else to help make the final decision on things.
So, why do we do all this if it’s all doom and gloom? Well, because it’s not, of course. You’re going to have your own personal reasons for being an author, but I’m guessing that most authors have the following reasons in common:
Reason #1: It’s meaningful work
Sure it’s work, but it’s work that means something to you. You got into this because you love writing and you’re good at it, and as much as it’s hard and frustrating sometimes, it is really incredibly rewarding when you’ve nailed that dynamic or you finished that scene that was making you anxious or you just got the perfect sentence down.
Reason #2: It’s a creative outlet that’s all yours
Yeah, it can be isolating to be a writer, but this creative outlet is your baby and comes from your beautiful brain. And I think we all need something to exercise our brains beyond the daily grind of life, and something that’s all our own. You have total control over it too, and as much as I bitched above about how it’s hard to be the boss who has to make all the decisions, that’s also kinda the great part. You get to direct everything, and if you’re a control freak and you hate people micromanaging you, you are the only person bossing yourself around.
Reason #3: It’s actually important work
Romance books—and by extension, romance authors—get belittled all the time for being “unserious,” “guilty pleasures,” “fluff,” or just not important, period. But we all know that romance is a lifeline for people, a way for readers to see themselves being represented and loved, a way to reach out and form community, and a way to express hope. Your book could change a reader's life, or help them get through a hard time, or take them out of their world for a bit, or realize what they need to do to change their world. Your books and your voice have tremendous value—don’t let critics who don’t understand our genre undermine that.
I did not intend for this post to be a downer (or to be so long, but you know me), so I really want to just shift perceptions here from overly romanticized writer life to a more realistic view. Obviously, I never want to dissuade you from pursuing your author dreams! I want you to get out there and absolutely kill the game! But I want you to have a very clear idea of what it might really look like to be a successful romance author with a long-running career, and that it’s not nearly as easy as we’d love it to be. But it IS worth it.
So, be honest: you totally had the “my first book is going to pop off” dream, right? (I would too, don't worry.)