I think it is important to examine the business of writing as a whole and look at who does make money -- the publishers, editors, graphic designers, printers -- everyone is expected to be paid well and profit except the writer.

You make money in the business, not the art.

We have a romantic notion of what it means to be a writer. We see someone in a refurbished farm house, drinking coffee and writing the next bestseller. They want that life. Who wouldn’t? For most successful writers, the actual craft is about ten percent the work.

People want the dream, they don’t want the reality. And they want that fantasy so desperately that they close their ears to the truth.

That life is not attainable any more than the idea you can become an Instagram influencer and make millions. Even if you did, it is not what you imagine.

Writing is a business. People need to embrace that. That’s going to be my next article.