Sometimes I read what I wrote a few years ago and feel embarrassed. It’s not necessarily bad – it’s just that my priorities have changed. I look back and am relieved I didn’t publish it. You’ve studied numerous books. What is the trend that you’ve noticed between an author’s earlier works and later works?
Imagine writing a poem, posting it up on the web, then seeing it shared… not so bad, unless you want to sell or control how that poem is distributed. That involves copyright law. Copyright laws protect the work of writers and poets, and that of musicians, painters, and photographers, among others…
If the author is the mother giving birth, I am the midwife making sure that the baby comes into this world safe and sound. Each work of creation is different, and comes into this world through a different passage. Having worked with lots of writers and writing styles, I know that it’s a different experience each time. No two births are ever the same.
To authors, a book is a precious baby that they’ve nurtured and brought into this world. But giving birth is almost never a solitary process. The editor is the midwife – the one that stands by the author and pushes the writer as they labour through the long hours before the baby is finally born.
We writers are searching for that elusive soul who will see us. Truly see us. And no one can understand an author quite like another author. I have a chat with Sanchari Das about how her journey as a book reviewer has shaped her as an author.
Every time I feel this way, I shove my write-up aside, as far away from me as possible, even if the guilt chews me from inside. No matter how hard I try, I don’t seem to come up with anything at all. I went through this feeling about a couple of thousand times before I understood something very important about writing and writer’s block.
Traditional publishing is a long time-consuming process. Big publishing houses are highly selective when choosing content. If an author doesn’t have an existing audience, it becomes even more difficult to crack a deal. On the other hand, self-publishing favours the author in many ways. The author has full authority to decide when to publish the book. He or she also retains all rights relating to the book.
There is a reader for every book. The author’s challenge is to connect with readers who will understand and appreciate their book. Welcome to Club Mith Books: the book club for authors by authors.
People often have thoughts, ideas and knowledge in relation to their area of expertise that they want to share in a book. Working with a ghostwriter will help you narrate this expertise into a book that readers will enjoy. Celebrities, chefs, make-ups artists, spiritual leaders and individuals from all walks of life work with ghostwriters. A ghostwriter’s skillset enables them to help you communicate your message and your story to readers from all over the world.
There is a certain poetic stereotype that is linked to the thought of a ‘great’ writer – The Tortured Artist. Take any famous novelist or poet that you know of that doesn’t come under this time period – Mark Twain, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickenson, Edgar Allan Poe. What do these people have in common?