Do you have a book inside you? No, I’m not implying that you’ve swallowed a library tome or consumed a volume at your local bookshop. I’m talking about a book that’s waiting to be written.
“They” say that everyone has a book inside them. While I don’t totally subscribe to that theory, I do think that for many there is a book just waiting to be plucked from the thought processes and set down on paper—or electrons.
For many people that book is their memoirs, and in most cases, those memoirs will be of interest only to friends and family. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been approached by people who tell me some variation of: “I’ve led such an interesting life that all my friends tell me I ought to write a book about it.” In the overwhelming majority of these cases, the book simply isn’t publish-worthy. Even were the individual to find a publisher willing to put it in print—or, more likely these days, indie-publish it herself/himself—darn few people would actually buy it.
That’s not to say the person shouldn’t write the book. I’m a big advocate of writing one’s memoirs for one’s family. But don’t expect your memoirs to be a best-seller in the open market. Scale back your ambitions. When you write your memoirs, write them for your family and closest friends. Consider indie-publishing on a small scale: Perhaps 50 or 100 copies printed at your local Office Depot, Kinkos, or other print shop, although there’s always CreateSpace or IngramSpark. Roundtable has a printing division, too: PhotographicsUSA. Don’t think of getting the book on the shelves of B&N or in the stacks of libraries everywhere. Just write for those who know and love you.
But what if you have a book inside you that isn’t your memoirs? What if you have a novel brewing in your mind, or nonfiction about a subject you’re particularly knowledgeable about—perhaps you’re a Civil War buff and want to write a historical overview of the weaponry of that conflict. Or maybe what’s forming in your mind is a book for kids, or even a collection of your best poems?
I just finished editing—in one case very nearly co-writing—three books for kids that were entrusted to me by clients. I think the authors are planning to indie-publish (self-publish), so there’s no question of whether the books will ever find publishers. None of the books struck me as being future Caldecott or Newberry winners (prizes for excellence in children’s books), but none was a real dud, either. They each should find an audience somewhere. While I doubt any of the three books will become a best-seller or make its author famous, their authors are not self-deluded folks who merely imagine they can write. They’ve got something there.
I salute the authors in question for following their dreams, believing in themselves, and following through by actually writing their books. I also applaud them for realizing their books were rough around the edges and needed professional help (mine) to sculpt and mold them into something better.
Too many people let their books linger in their minds. “I really should write that book some day,” they say, but “some day” never comes, and the book never gets written.
Then there are those with more bombast than talent, who dash off their books, don’t take the time to lovingly shape them, and think that every word they write is a pearl and doesn’t need any help from a professional editor, co-writer, or ghostwriter. When no publisher will touch the book with a ten-foot pole, they blame short-sighted publishers or idiot editors and never will consider the possibility that their words may somehow be lacking.
I hope you don’t fall into that category. Fortunately most people don’t. But all too many fall into the “I’ll write it someday” category. You know—the ones who say that but then never get around to it.
Do you have a book in you? Write that book. If it’s your memoirs, bear in mind that in all probability they won’t have commercial appeal—but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write them anyhow. They may become a valuable family keepsake. If the book is something else, something with more commercial viability, remember that if you think the book has a market, even if a limited one, you can always go the indie route if no publisher is willing to take a chance on it.
But these days there are ever more boutique publishers—Roundtable is one—that work with small press runs and will take a chance with a book the New York biggies wouldn’t touch.
So what’s holding you back? Got a book in you? Write it!