Spilled Ink In Vain: A Lack of Respect For Self-Published Story

Spilled ink, crumpled paper, and let's not forget about our lovely friends: procrastination, burnout, and writer's block! These are the realities of the everyday writers in our communities. Despite this turmoil combined with everyday life, those that choose a creative career can't find jobs to make any income as easy as people who work in other industries. Don't get me wrong, practical jobs and careers are important like doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc. However, the arts and those industries are just as important and have an impact on society. Finding work, where you can earn money with a writing degree, can be difficult and is not for the faint of heart!

     There's a reason why having creative writing as a career is considered "a pipe dream", unfortunately. According to Merriam-webster, "a pipe dream" is described as an "unattainable or fanciful hope or plan." Oh, the irony! Creative writing can be seen as something that requires minimal effort. There is a mistaken notion that writers sit at a desk for hours…daydreaming. Perhaps, they are right, but that's not all they do.



 Creative writing is the reason why we have movies, TV shows, books, or Broadway plays that we can enjoy. Where do you think these ideas come from? Certainly, not from thin air, nor do they fall from the sky!  

       It surprises me that authors including self-published ones don't get the respect they deserve despite all their hard work.  What are self-published authors? Self-published authors are authors who decide to publish their work without a publishing company.  How did self-publishing begin and how has this influenced this industry? According to Medium. com, the origins of self-publishing began in 1979 with a method known as "desktop publishing". This was more convenient time-wise and helped authors save money by doing even things by themselves including the writing process, design, and advertising their books too. It is an easier way to help them gain exposure quickly by posting it online. The same method applies today. For the modern self-publisher, freedom of choice is one of the main reasons for using this path. Another reason for self-publishing is that publishing with a company requires you to give a percentage age of sales and royalties to the publisher. Of course, everyone wants to get paid but if you're spending hundreds, even thousands for a product and you're getting a minimum reward, I would find another way to publish if I was in their shoes too. 

Reflecting on the influences of self-publishing and entertainment such as movies or TV a lot of your favorites are based on books including self-published ones. An example is  " Zero" on Netflix which will begin production in 2020 and "Carrie Pilby".

     So, yes, it isn't a traditional 9 to 5 career, but it does impact society and deserves respect