Being an Author Is Difficult
In his most famous speech, JFK said, “We do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard.” I’ve always liked that quote, and I went into writing fully aware of the uphill battle. My biggest concern was my inadequate grammar and spelling. Next was the criticism; I really do not like it when people cut me down. Plus, a glaring bad review of my work that anybody can find is soul-crushing.
But that was it. All I had to do was work really hard writing, and the rest would be easy. After all, being a writer involves writing; like using a thesaurus, structuring a plot, or creating the perfect character. Those would be the real challenges.
Turns out, I completely missed the mark on what the most difficult part is. In fact, I have even coined a phrase. “Being a successful author is 99% marketing and 1% other.” Wait a moment, that is not true because large publishing companies like Penguin Random House and HarperCollins take care of the trivial effort of marketing. All they have to do is splash some pop-up ads on other internet sites. “Do you like to read books? Check out Bill Conrad’s latest book, Cable Ties.” It is in their best interest to promote the products they are selling. And for big publishing companies, trivial advertising expenses do not matter. It turns out that this is not the case. Traditional publishing is a dying industry that only spends limited funds on its most successful authors. Bummer.
When I finally had a draft of my first book that was worthy of a traditional publisher. I hit a big brick wall. Publishers wanted nothing to do with a nobody like me. It was not even possible to submit my book to them. They demanded I go through a “book representative,” and they all charged $2,000 to look at my book; never mind showing it to a publisher. My only option was to self-publish.
So, I paid a formatter to convert my document into an eBook and a print-on-demand file. Then I submitted it to Amazon, who would do their best to promote my glorious work. Again, it is in their best interest to promote me because that would lead to sales! Yeah…
After my first book, Interviewing Immortality, went on sale on Amazon, nothing happened. Even a Google search could not find my book a month later. To make matters worse, an Amazon search only yielded “Interviewing for Immortality” (a strange self-help book). What’s worse was that Interviewing for Immortality was not even for sale. Meaning Amazon would rather show a nonexistent book than mine. Dang!
Those initial steps were harsh, and I had to shift my focus to marketing if I was ever going to be successful. So, I began writing articles, begging people to write reviews, creating a website, contacting other authors, doing lots of research, and trying new approaches.
I still have not entirely accepted my 99% goal. Presently, I spend 60% of my time self-editing, 30% marketing (reviews, communications), and 10% writing. Of that 10%, the majority is on articles, which I consider a marketing activity.
Why is marketing so difficult and time-consuming? While I have a technical marketing background (writing internet marketing patents), I do not have any actual marketing experience (selling products), and there are no legitimate services to help market my book. The ones I have found only want to separate me from my money; essentially glorified spam generators. The world has enough spam.
I had no idea that the promotion side would require so much effort, which begs the question: Would I have gone down this path knowing at best my break-even point was many years away, if this is even possible? My answer is that I am an optimist. On some days, the journey is hard, but I still find writing enjoyable. And my efforts have paid off. Now my books are searchable on many sites. I have several good reviews, have published FIVE books, met many great authors online, and my sales have gone from nonexistent to minuscule. Yay!
Can I do something to make things easier for myself? The problem is that the world has changed. There is a river of new authors every month, all chasing a dwindling market because books are not as popular as they once were. To make matters worse, authors are competing against powerhouses like YouTube and AI. Further hampering us is the torrent of new things. Have you ever played a virtual reality game on Meta Quest? It is astounding! So… why would you ever read one of my fantastic books? They are flat things without graphics. Boring!
So, yes, being an author is difficult, but I maintain hope. With the right attitude and effort, I will be successful. And there is a substantial upside. More free articles for my dedicated readers!
You’re the best -Bill
April 13, 2022 Updated August 01, 2026
But that was it. All I had to do was work really hard writing, and the rest would be easy. After all, being a writer involves writing; like using a thesaurus, structuring a plot, or creating the perfect character. Those would be the real challenges.
Turns out, I completely missed the mark on what the most difficult part is. In fact, I have even coined a phrase. “Being a successful author is 99% marketing and 1% other.” Wait a moment, that is not true because large publishing companies like Penguin Random House and HarperCollins take care of the trivial effort of marketing. All they have to do is splash some pop-up ads on other internet sites. “Do you like to read books? Check out Bill Conrad’s latest book, Cable Ties.” It is in their best interest to promote the products they are selling. And for big publishing companies, trivial advertising expenses do not matter. It turns out that this is not the case. Traditional publishing is a dying industry that only spends limited funds on its most successful authors. Bummer.
When I finally had a draft of my first book that was worthy of a traditional publisher. I hit a big brick wall. Publishers wanted nothing to do with a nobody like me. It was not even possible to submit my book to them. They demanded I go through a “book representative,” and they all charged $2,000 to look at my book; never mind showing it to a publisher. My only option was to self-publish.
So, I paid a formatter to convert my document into an eBook and a print-on-demand file. Then I submitted it to Amazon, who would do their best to promote my glorious work. Again, it is in their best interest to promote me because that would lead to sales! Yeah…
After my first book, Interviewing Immortality, went on sale on Amazon, nothing happened. Even a Google search could not find my book a month later. To make matters worse, an Amazon search only yielded “Interviewing for Immortality” (a strange self-help book). What’s worse was that Interviewing for Immortality was not even for sale. Meaning Amazon would rather show a nonexistent book than mine. Dang!
Those initial steps were harsh, and I had to shift my focus to marketing if I was ever going to be successful. So, I began writing articles, begging people to write reviews, creating a website, contacting other authors, doing lots of research, and trying new approaches.
I still have not entirely accepted my 99% goal. Presently, I spend 60% of my time self-editing, 30% marketing (reviews, communications), and 10% writing. Of that 10%, the majority is on articles, which I consider a marketing activity.
Why is marketing so difficult and time-consuming? While I have a technical marketing background (writing internet marketing patents), I do not have any actual marketing experience (selling products), and there are no legitimate services to help market my book. The ones I have found only want to separate me from my money; essentially glorified spam generators. The world has enough spam.
I had no idea that the promotion side would require so much effort, which begs the question: Would I have gone down this path knowing at best my break-even point was many years away, if this is even possible? My answer is that I am an optimist. On some days, the journey is hard, but I still find writing enjoyable. And my efforts have paid off. Now my books are searchable on many sites. I have several good reviews, have published FIVE books, met many great authors online, and my sales have gone from nonexistent to minuscule. Yay!
Can I do something to make things easier for myself? The problem is that the world has changed. There is a river of new authors every month, all chasing a dwindling market because books are not as popular as they once were. To make matters worse, authors are competing against powerhouses like YouTube and AI. Further hampering us is the torrent of new things. Have you ever played a virtual reality game on Meta Quest? It is astounding! So… why would you ever read one of my fantastic books? They are flat things without graphics. Boring!
So, yes, being an author is difficult, but I maintain hope. With the right attitude and effort, I will be successful. And there is a substantial upside. More free articles for my dedicated readers!
You’re the best -Bill
April 13, 2022 Updated August 01, 2026
Follow me
