What realities do authors face after publishing a book? The light and hope after publishing a book or winning an award are often quickly tempered by reality. Utsudo lists common situations: giving up or going part-time after a few books because the work is so hard; still getting rejected after winning an award; being ignored by the publisher when books don’t sell; always submitting like a newcomer; only ever receiving the guaranteed minimum fee; and fees that never rise while manuscripts get harder to pass. Even knowing all this, she still wants to make a living writing novels and walk alongside her dream.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

The high spirits of publishing and winning awards

Recently I’ve seen people publish books or win awards, their posts glowing with light and hope. It reminded me that I used to be full of high spirits like that too. While applauding them for earning recognition through their hard work, it also made me reflect on a few things.

Six common realities after publishing

The creative path is never a line that only goes up. A few gifted people may have smooth sailing, but that’s definitely not the norm. When creators bask in the joy of their efforts paying off for the first time, they may have an overly optimistic view of the future. What happens more often in reality is:

1. After a few books, realizing how hard this line of work is, you give up or do it part-time

2. After winning an award, nothing follows—your submissions still get rejected

3. Your books don’t sell well, and the publisher stops paying attention to you

4. You always submit like a newcomer, still facing rejections and dead ends

5. You only ever get the guaranteed minimum fee and never earn royalties

6. Your fee may never go up, while manuscripts get harder and harder to pass

Of course, all kinds of other situations can arise, but they all leave writers feeling deeply defeated.

Dreams after being tempered by reality

Tempered by reality again and again, writers’ ambitions slowly fade. As they get older, they carry more and more on their shoulders and become more aware of how important money is. Yet writing earns money with touchingly low efficiency, so some gradually set aside their dream of writing, write books less and less often… and slowly return to the embrace of reality.

In the end, the dream of changing the world through writing is gradually replaced by reality, and you can only keep it in your heart.

You think maybe once you’re less busy, you can pick up your pen again, but that may be a decade or more later.

By then, maybe you won’t need to strive so hard to be seen or win over investors. You can write from the heart, and without the pressure of reality, your pen might be lighter and freer.

I still want to make a living writing novels

Even though I know all this, I really, really want to make a living writing novels!

I want to wake up every morning to the urge to write, drink a cup of coffee, then immerse myself in my own world—playing other characters, meeting companions from all walks of life and setting off on adventures together. What a wonderful life! So romantic!

And after writing a work, if it gets published, I not only get paid but also get placed on bookstore shelves—what an honor! Not to mention, if readers buy the book, share their thoughts online, or greet me directly online to tell me how much they love the work, I’d be over the moon!

And if someday my work gets made into a manga or a film, that’s another kind of joy.

Immersing yourself in a dream and continually making it bigger—a life that walks alongside your dream—just imagining it makes me giddy! I think this is many creators’ dream, and mine too. And I’m still working hard to chase it, hoping to bring everyone more wonderful work and leave footprints of my life.

So, are you still moving toward your dream today?

FAQ

Further reading

• Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #255: Writing Is Solitude
• Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.