Hiatus

I'm going on vacation next week and won't be back until the beginning of December.

However, I will leave you with a task - something to do while I'm gone.

I recently saw the following quote by John L. Schumacher and almost immediately disagreed with it.

I have no wish to impart to, or plant within, the younger generation any of my philosophical or psychotic teachings, for they speak the truth, and the truth being what it is, they are perforce seemingly bitter and cynical, and not meant for the young and tender soul.

Those few subjected to wise counsel and given to profound thinking will learn in due time, and the remaining soiled, sordid, sundry masses will have no need or gift for philosophy - for their minds are impenetrable.

I believe that this is entirely the wrong approach to take, especially with regards to those who are about to enter the publishing industry. Individual authorial success lies in making sure that the lessons are spread around as much as possible. It is important to dispel myths and crush nascent dreams. For a writer to achieve his financial goals, the fiction must stop at the page. Brutal reality must be imposed willingly or it will be imposed by fiat. There are many reasons to explain why you don't have any money, but they don't change the fact that you don't have any money. Either you come to terms with that or you starve.

Which leads me to my task for you. Go out and educate other writers. Explain three basic points:

1. Constructive criticism is better than unrelenting ridicule.
2. If you are willing to work your ass off, success will probably take up to ten years, regardless of publishing route.
3. Blaming someone else for your marketing inadequacies does not make you look like a mature, credible businessperson.

The self-publishing revolution will only succeed if the individual authors are willing to accept realities of the business world. Interestingly, many successful businessmen live by the motto of "you make your own reality."Authors should be confortable with that - it's what they'd love to do on a full-time basis.