These days writing is becoming more and more of a glamorous profession. It’s kind of cool, you might say, to become an author. Often, I get asked by wannabe writers how I made it as a full-time professional writer. At first, I used to think people wanted to know about my writing process, or how I started as a writer. But at last, I have understood that most of these people only want to know how fast I can complete the first draft and find a publisher or agent to get my book published!
Either these wannabes do not know or do not want to know that there is a long way between the first draft and the final manuscript. These newbie authors are in a rush. They just want to get the book published and earn the author tag! When I tell them that I had to edit my book 40 times and have even lost count of how many times I had to check and revise my manuscript, some people don’t believe me, others think I am crazy!
This is an era when the rich and the super-rich are entering the writing industry to earn the title of an author. Authors are buying thousands of copies themselves and turning their book into a bestseller in the pre-order phase. Some of these authors do not even write their own book. They hire a ghostwriter and get the book done.
These days, the magnificent book trailers, grand book launch events, stunning posters, and marketing gimmicks can basically make anyone an author. Or so one might think because if you have the money you can buy interviews and even good reviews on your book!
So, it is a question of whether or not the writing profession will stay for ordinary people? Earlier most of the writers all over the world came from humble backgrounds. But in this age of publicity and propaganda, can a writer stand out based on sheer merit?
Of course, one can. Ultimately, hard work pays off! If you have some amount of writing talent and you keep persisting enough, you will shine as a writer. The level of success cannot be guaranteed but in the long run, you will definitely create a reader base for yourself. I have experienced that in my writing career. If you are putting in the effort to polish your craft, if you are showing up consistently with good work, people will notice you.
Eventually, you will reap some reward if you are persistent as a writer. And to tell you the truth, writing in itself is a reward as well!
Ishita Ganguly
Ishita is a published author, poet, Udemy Instructor, and freelance writer from India. She is the author of the book, “Stories from the City called Kolkata” and co-author of three international anthologies – “Ardour”, “Pivot and Pause” and “What if Love happens again?” Her articles and poems have been published in leading websites and international magazines.She is a book lover who believes words have immense power and writers can make a huge impact in the world! She desires to leave the world better than she found it through her contributions as a writer and as a responsible global citizen.
