Three Hurdles
I think writers today face three daunting hurdles (beyond the creative act itself, which is beyond most where writing is concerned). Those hurdles are:
Hurdle One
Writing something anybody wants to read. This is the entry-level hurdle. The old line about "write what you know" and/or "write for yourself" is all well and good, but if you're writing what nobody wants to read, you're hosed. Some genres, like Romance and Mystery, have baked-in audiences who are voracious for new books. Most others seem to have to claw for audience.
Hurdle Two
People don't want to pay for books. Sadly, in the streaming, oh-so-digital universe, the idea of paying creators for their work has somehow become anathema. People want stuff for free, whether the junkpile that is Kindle Unlimited or just the desire to get something for nothing. When getting to choose between buying a book or a burger, most people choose the latter, because they're highly certain the burger will satisfy, whereas the book is an unknown (even by known writers, there's "risk" in reading something new).
Hurdle Three
Reading is work, and takes time. Any book you're lucky enough to have sold can sit unread on someone's shelf for years, maybe decades. From a writer's perspective, a sold book is about as good as it gets (and the more books sold, the merrier). But if you're looking for honest word of mouth (that is, good reviews from objective strangers, versus allies and co-conspirators), the curse of time can weigh heavily on a writer -- I've heard it: "I wanted to read it, but, you know, life gets in the way" -- in a world of infinite distractions, only a fraction of people are willing to take the time to actually read a book.
The problem of the Three Hurdles can be a nearly unbreachable barrier for most writers, and there aren't clean and sure answers for it. If you're associated with a particular subgroup (ethnic, sexual, religious, etc.) that can help boost your chances, but even those are niche wins.
Relative to other art forms, writing asks a lot of readers. Visual arts can be accessed at a glance. Musical art just requires being able to hear.
But writing? It has that extra lift in that it requires time and attention to be appreciated, and most people don't want to pay the money for it, don't want to take the time to read it, and lack the attention span to do it, either. Writers are, unfortunately, cursed in trying to sell products only a small number of people want to buy, and fewer still want to spend the time unpacking it by reading it (and fewer still to review it and post that review somewhere).
There's a fourth hurdle I can speak of, but I'll wait, in deference to fleeting attention spans.
Hurdle One
Writing something anybody wants to read. This is the entry-level hurdle. The old line about "write what you know" and/or "write for yourself" is all well and good, but if you're writing what nobody wants to read, you're hosed. Some genres, like Romance and Mystery, have baked-in audiences who are voracious for new books. Most others seem to have to claw for audience.
Hurdle Two
People don't want to pay for books. Sadly, in the streaming, oh-so-digital universe, the idea of paying creators for their work has somehow become anathema. People want stuff for free, whether the junkpile that is Kindle Unlimited or just the desire to get something for nothing. When getting to choose between buying a book or a burger, most people choose the latter, because they're highly certain the burger will satisfy, whereas the book is an unknown (even by known writers, there's "risk" in reading something new).
Hurdle Three
Reading is work, and takes time. Any book you're lucky enough to have sold can sit unread on someone's shelf for years, maybe decades. From a writer's perspective, a sold book is about as good as it gets (and the more books sold, the merrier). But if you're looking for honest word of mouth (that is, good reviews from objective strangers, versus allies and co-conspirators), the curse of time can weigh heavily on a writer -- I've heard it: "I wanted to read it, but, you know, life gets in the way" -- in a world of infinite distractions, only a fraction of people are willing to take the time to actually read a book.
The problem of the Three Hurdles can be a nearly unbreachable barrier for most writers, and there aren't clean and sure answers for it. If you're associated with a particular subgroup (ethnic, sexual, religious, etc.) that can help boost your chances, but even those are niche wins.
Relative to other art forms, writing asks a lot of readers. Visual arts can be accessed at a glance. Musical art just requires being able to hear.
But writing? It has that extra lift in that it requires time and attention to be appreciated, and most people don't want to pay the money for it, don't want to take the time to read it, and lack the attention span to do it, either. Writers are, unfortunately, cursed in trying to sell products only a small number of people want to buy, and fewer still want to spend the time unpacking it by reading it (and fewer still to review it and post that review somewhere).
There's a fourth hurdle I can speak of, but I'll wait, in deference to fleeting attention spans.
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