Paperback writer

That's good to hear, the economy is ina crisis because people want convenience,. Ironically the first three letters in convenience are c o n

Its not convenient its often a pain for courier deliverers esp when you not there to pick the goods up. Plus cost of delivery...? lol
Also, reading books is a tactile experience you cant get much online. I do prefer going into a bookstore and choosing the exact copy I want in the format, seeing it in print I like rather than reading through screeds of reviews and inaccurate descriptions which is what shopping online is like ugh.

Plus you can go to the library and borrow books and then read them first to decide so why pay if you dont need to. Authors do get royalties from library copies its not like they miss out.

Im not a writer by any means.... but imagine a world where God allowed us to experience other people's pain (physically, emotionally, spiritually, ect) for 1 day to help us better minister to them..... As a care aid for 2 mentall disabled ladies, Imagine how much better I could help them if I understood their struggles better. People with invisible pain like nerve damage , fibromyalgia, ect.... imagine of we knew what their flair ups felt like... people who suffer from extreme depression and anxiety that maybe we personally cant relate to.... imagine the compassion we would gain. It could change the world.

It would make a cool book

a lot of books are painful/harrowing to read...some poetry is like that.

Many people with depression have written books of what it is like. I think The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath was one that I related to. I was around her age 19 when I read it - the protagonist is a college age girl who ends up in a mental hospital having a breakdown. She wrote under a pseudonym but it was basically autobiographical.

Sadly she ended her life soon after it was published, she was 33 I think.

Most books are published as E-books anymore...
Independent publishing is dwarfing the big boys.
Random House and the others can't compete with the sheer volume of books sold. Brick and mortar bookstores are hanging on by their fingernails.

Sure you can get a paper copy....even a hard bound copy. It's the most expensive way to read a book. I only get books like that for technical books. Electrical Code book, Machinists Handbook, and etc....also coffee table books are the usual ones I get.

Otherwise I just read books on a tablet or phone. A hard bound book is usually $50-$90 or more. E-books are $5-$10....sometimes as much as $25. Why kill a tree? It isn't worth it anymore to me.

That's an interesting thought, when I try to get my book published I want to try and stick to physical copies for that reason, keep the economy going supporting local book stores, publishers and printers, warehouses etc... I even put a genealogy chapter in so you can sign it and pass it down generation to generation.

I’m a writer and it’s much harder than I expected. I’ve been writing since I was 12 and I learned not to share my work openly. Keep your ideas close to your vest because humans steal and it hurts to read your work under someone else’s name.

Its sad isnt it.

Very much so

why kill millions of people mining for gold and other minerals for soon obsolete e-equipment?
Not really worth it to me....

True,

Christians were in the publishing and printing world when it first started as a way to spread the gospel using mass production of books. If you are going to get into digital, the way to go is record your book on audio if its a good narrative.

Why print ...because once its printed, its permanent . E-books are inherently unstable medium and wont last.They are here today and will be gone tomorrow.

Thats just it only Amazon is offering a fee for $400 for basic publishing and its only for an ebook. I would like to find a traditional publisher of the chriatian faith publishing physical books and offering an advance.

I want to use the advance to cover fees I cant afford out of pocket, worse case scenario I just work with what ever is available.

The ones I know of in the US are..Zondervan, Thomas Nelson, Bethany House, Baker Publishing

Destiny I think are ones that make you pay. There are a few Christian vanity publishers. I guess for rich christians who can afford to self publish.

I remember a lady at my old church published her memoir and she did it through amazon but she made me pay twice as much to get it it was weird. I think she was onselling it because I couldnt buy it online. I read it for a bookathon and she was going to donate the money to charity. I think she could have used an editor. The book rambled all over the place and their were quite big gaps in her story.

I know that my advice isn't going to be well received....

A piece of writing such as fiction and some non-fiction are in essence consumables...like a dinner or plate of food that is consumed by the general public.

As such it has a limited market and particulars in trying to market this product to that group.

First off you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip. There is a subset of the recreational reading public that simply will never pay for a recreational book. They are the "used/bootleg" readers....but that doesn't mean that they can't be employed to work for you.

A consumable product needs "buzz". That's how these bootleggers can be employed. Because endorsements are expensive and they don't always work. We see them from time to time printed on the backside of books...the NY TIMES bestseller and comments is a good one but tightly controlled by their publishing parent.

Also a consumable product needs to be "fresh". Meaning that a consumable product has a "shelf life" for how long it can and will generate the largest portion of income that can be derived from this product.

A new book released to the public will generate the largest portion of its potential for a year and falling the second year into a trickle and then drips for the subsequent years.

(But if you continue to write new books you can create a steady income)

Patreon is the most expensive way to purchase a book...and the most profitable way to sell a book. Chapters are released a week or month at a time for a subscription fee. The highest paying subscribers get access to the author and receive Christmas cards. They might even get a mention as a character's name in the book as a non-essential character.

This generates a LOT of revenue for a book. Of course the book is completed but the author doesn't have to tell this....because they are in process of a third book as the second one is being edited and set up for release while everyone is still paying for chapters of the first book.

It's about creating a steady stream of revenue for the writer.

Professional writers are usually gainfully employed by magazines or other publications on a steady basis...but they too have "discovered" Patreon and other sites that they can generate revenue from for their writing talents.

If you put all your eggs in one basket and try to successfully get paid for every egg your basket really will never make it to the market to be sold.

One off book writers usually don't become professional writers...cooks make food...musicians play instruments, and singers always sing...writers write.

Ok, well thats one of the reasons I want an editor to help, I never wrote or published a book before, so a professional oppinion to polish it up would be an asset. My income and what I can afford to do is the issue.

I understand what you're trying to say, but not every author is trying to make a career out of writing or publishing books. Maybe they aren't trying to sell a million copies. Some like myself just want to tell a story, leave a legacy. Even if their book gets lost in the multitude of published work, it's still out there. Maybe they aren't trying to reach everybody, but whoever needs to read it and with God's help, there is no telling what could happen. Not every author is thinking about money, sure you hope to get enough money to recoup your costs, at the same time it's quite an achievement to hold a copy of your published book in your hand, to received the admiration of your family and friends as they celebrate this achievement, something that many, many aspiring authors will never do.

thats right not everyone is money minded or worshipping mammon.

Some writers are just born writing and wanting to express themselves. Its publishers and agents that are the ones actually making all the money off it.

There is a difference between being a hack, writing for pay, and being an author, not many can make a full time job of it. Otherwise go into journalism. (which is not so lucrative these days thanks to the demise of newspapers and magazines)

I understand that, but how many other authors are trying to find a way to get off social assistance?? Or are living on less than $1000 a month while supporting their sick dad??