How about a book?
QUESTION: Masters, since I was a child, I wanted to write a book. I became a journalist and have written many things. Since then, publishing has changed. Many books are accessed only in digital form. I have thought of many book topics, but each time someone would point out a book that had already been written and I would lose motivation. Publishing is a difficult, for-profit business. People who get published are usually those who are already famous, making profits sure. Please advise me about this possible path for me. Should I write a book? Or has everything already been written? Of the topics I have considered, which is best? Would a book I write ever be published? Would it garner any profit? Or would it be an exercise in ego? Or worse, an exercise in futility that sits in my basement, along with my screenplay and movie? ~Christina, USA
ANSWER: What has been your reason for desiring to write a book? You must be able to answer that question before you know if writing is really for you. As a career, writing has served you well but the subject matter has not always been of your choosing.
In your search for a book, listening to others does not help you at all. Some of those “advisers” did not want you to be able to succeed where they haven’t been able to, so they did what they could to discourage you. When you give the decision-making processes of your life to others, you are saying that they know more about you than you do.
Whether to write a book is up to your freedom of choice. Everything has not been written or there wouldn’t be thousands of new books coming out each year. Yes, a lot of books cover the same subject matter; genres are limited in nature but content is not.
Famous people do have an edge in publishing because they are already a household name and some people will read anything they write, even if it is garbage, just because of their name. That does not mean new writers can’t be discovered and succeed in getting their books read.
E-books are extremely popular at the present time. They are easy to publish and easily obtainable. True, they don’t produce the financial return of a print book, but many more copies are purchased with no outlay of money up front. You need to question your reason for writing. Is it to share your knowledge and experience? Or to entertain a chunk of society? Or to be honored as a best-selling author?
Your first step should be to answer the questions presented herein and then, if you wish to proceed, start changing the intention you project. Any hesitancy, doubt, or negative thinking will sink your boat. The energy of thought is powerful.