I've thought about this alot and I was wondering what other people's opinions are on this. If you could choose would you choose to be a bestselling author or would you be indifferent? For me personally, I would be indifferent. Sure it be cool to be a bestselling author, but I write because I love to and I love reading; and I want to be published so I can share that with other people. But it doesn't matter to me if everyone in the world reads it, or just a few read it as long as someone out there loves and appreciates the story. That's just my opinion anyways. What does everyone else think?
I like being a writer who writes for her own pleasure. Writing is something I've always done. It's more than a hobby, as it is something I love, but I dont think I could ever make something I truly love my career. I'd just end up hating it. As long as I had fun writing it and have gained something from it, that's all that matters. My writings usually have some point I would like people to hear or know about, but my writing is primarily an outlet and functions as therapy and aids to my clarity than anything. Plus, I'm not James Patterson. I'm not necessarily prolific in my writing; I guess that comes with my perfectionist nature. It would be a doomed career for me. Besides, I have other dreams that I want to pursue, dreams I dont think could be attainable if my full time career was writing creatively.
Not that I'll ever write anything that can be published, but I feel that the fewer number of people who like my work the better it will be. That way I can pretend that my fan base, small as it is, consists of intelligent people who actually "get" me - as opposed to people who claim to like my work simply because everyone else does.
I'd want to be able to survive on my writing so that I didn't have to work at some other job in the day and keep my writing to nights & weekends. I don't know if I'd want to be a bestselling writer like Stephenie Meyer, for instance. Her life seemed much more simple when she had the surprise success of Twilight. I remember her saying that she was excited that it looked like they'd be able to pay off the cost of her van (or something like that). She had also gotten a trainer and was trying to exercise (back when only Twilight was out). But when you have so much success and exposure to the world, I think it makes life less pleasant and less about the joy of writing and reading just because of the complexities of book signings and movies and this's and that's. So, yeah, just moderately successful writer...whatever that would look like.
Bestseller of course, because then I would have a reasonable chance of being able to live off my writing, and I'd have an established fan base with whom I could then share the works and ideas that are most interesting to me.
It would be a nice bonus. I'd be lying if I said the financial windfall would be unwelcome. I am not terribly intimidated by public speaking, so I could probably handle the various public appearances that would be required. The intrusions on my privacy would be the worst aspect. Hopefully that would be short-lived. Fame is fleeting.
While it's nice to daydream about writing a best seller, I don't know that I would ever really want that to happen. Sure, the money would be nice, but not necessary. And I've never wanted to support myself by writing...writing for fun I love, but writing for work? I don't like it.
True. Hmm...if I just wrote one bestseller, and it wasn't like suddenly my publisher or other people were pressuring me to write more, I would be very happy about it.
I want one of my books to become a bestseller. Not for the money, as I don't know if I'll keep the money for one of them, and I know I definitely won't keep the money for the other. But both of my books have a purpose. One is to renew the sense of nationalism in expatriate Gaels (that's a hundred and ten million people), and to tell the truth about Gaelic history (and British history in general) whilst criticising the modern government (although I don't plan on making that too obvious). The other is to raise awareness for human trafficking. If one of them was a bestseller, that would be brilliant.
I would love to be a bestselling author. I like to write for myself, but I love to write for other people. If I can brighten their day a bit, that makes me happy. If I was a bestseller, not only would the cash be a nice little bonus; word could get around about my book and I would be able to make myself known.
I would love to write a bestseller. It means that someone is reading and enjoying the story I am trying to tell. The financial bonus would be really nice too. It's not like that if I were to get a bestseller, I am suddenly going to write only for work. I am still very much going to write for the fun of writing.
yes, but for my own reasons. i wouldn't want to be a best-selling author because i appeal to a popular demograph, i would want to be a best-selling author because my writing reaches out to all who find it, and speaks to everyone who opens its pages. i'd want it to happen because i've touched something in the human mind.
I find this an odd statement. Many natives of the two "major" Gaelic nations I've seen or talked to (Irishmen and Scotsmen for those wondering. Never actually met a Manx person.) seem to think that us people of Gaelic heritage are "fakes." The term "Plastic Paddy" (in the case of the Irish) seems to be bandied about a lot. Indeed, let me throw in a tiny anecdote. When visiting Ireland with my family, we went to Ballyvaughn in County Clare, the village my grandmother's father or grandfather was from. When we visited a local historical society and tried to research our family's genealogy, we were snubbed. The people there sneered at some Yanks (my family) trying to, in their eyes, pretend they were a bunch Paddy O'Loughlin's and not a gaggle of Bob Wilcox's. Now, I'll be the first to say I'm proud of my Gaelic heritage but really, it seems like being proud of your heritage is akin to an insult to some people. I wish more people were like you in this respect Gallowglass, trying to nurture connections between the Gaelic expats and those who still live in their native areas rather than just sneering at people and thinking (wrongly) that they are leeches on your culture. Rant over, sorry y'all. And yeah, all the money from being a bestseller would be nice. I'm just not signing no contract with anybody!
Both natives and expatriates are somewhat justified in calling the other plastic, if I'm honest. We both subscribe to the three major exports of Gaelic culture - haggis, kilts, and bagpipes - which are not Gaelic, and it is a matter of opinion which 'side' does this more. The clan system itself was simply a way of dealing with a power vacuum, and not a significant part of Gaelic culture. Back on topic, they're the misconceptions that are part of the reason I'm writing. I've done some research into oral stories rather than written sources, and think I've found out a lot more about history, society, and culture than others. It's that true history that I hope to get across through the book I'm writing, as the book is set in the Lordship of the Isles/Kingdom of the Hebrides.
since all i write is intended to enlighten, of course i'd choose 'bestselling' so it would get to the most people... however, i don't see that as a possiblity, since i don't do anything--including writing--for money and give away all i write...
I totally agree with this, I would want to be a bestseller because of the content of my writing, not because of a demographic.
I would really really love being a best selling author because it would just be awesome! I love to write just to write but like others have said it would be nice to be able to live off my writings. I just wouldn't want to be a best selling author who seems like they're overdoing it. Sometimes I think that some best selling authors just try to milk a series for all it's worth, and after a while it's like "okay we get it now please just write something else!"
I'd choose to be a bestseller in a flash - then put my indifference to my new-found wealth and fame down to eccentricity, thus increasing my mystique (sales, too, I might suppose).
I wouldn't care either way as long as I am earning enough money to live comfortably, though unless you write a lot of books that sell consistently, which I doubt I will, I'd probably be better off with one or two bestsellers and managing the money so it will last as long as possible.
