Don't Be Pressured To Be Published

For a lot of authors out there, writing is a passion. They love the chance to just create stories, to give their characters a life on the page. They love going to their weekly writing group and sharing their writing and reading what others have to offer. Many of these authors love to attend conferences just to learn more about the craft of writing and to share in the fellowship of others who have the same passion. For many published authors, this is the first step they took before moving to a professional career in writing. However, this is not a path for everyone.

And yet, for many of these writers, when they finish that first manuscript, they are immediately pushed, encouraged and (sort of) pressured into publishing their writing. They hear from their friends and families "You should publish this!" or "I can't wait to see this on the bookshelves when I go to my bookstore." They many be at a conference and their critique partners start pushing them to go and sign up to pitch their story to the editor of Random House. "Come on, what do you have to lose?" the argue. 

What they have to lose is that passion for writing. Making the jump to being a published author is much more than simply signing a contract. You have to be mentally and emotionally ready to make the jump. You need the backing from your family to be there for you day in and day out to commit to the craft. You need to be ready for the pressure of rejection letters and the pressure of deadlines, all of which you did not face when you were writing as a hobby.

I have had the pleasure of working with a lot of authors who were fantastic writers, and yet, I have watched these authors give up on that passion because they were pressured into writing. They just stopped. They turned off their computers and walked away from something they once loved. One author, who I talk about a lot here on the blog took three years getting up the courage to attend a conference. Once there, she felt the pressure to submit her writing to a critique session where 6 agents all jumped at wanting her manuscript. She signed with an agent, but soon realized that professional writing was not for her. 

She walked away.

I want to simply say, you do not have to be published to be successful. You do not need to sign with a traditional publisher to be successful. You do not have to self-publish to be successful. If, for you, printing that story out at a local Office Depot, binding it and giving it to your family as a gift brings you joy, then do it. Keep going to those writing groups. Show support to those who share that same passion.

One of my authors has a group she works with at her college. Once a month they get together on Zoom and talk about their writing with each other. For the majority of them, this is enough.

So, when you are being told to publish, feel confident in yourself to say no if that is the right decision for you.