The profession of writing has changed in recent years. And as we are in the midst of a major transformation, definitions have become vague. For example, what does it mean to be a writer? It is very difficult to determine who is the author, since there is no degree-based profession like being a doctor or a lawyer. Before the digital media did not exist, those who wrote in newspapers or magazines and those whose books were published were considered authors. Since the number of magazines, newspapers and books was low, there was no writer inflation.
The digital transformation experienced in the last two decades has led to the emergence of a new category such as blogging. And as the cost of printing books decreased over the years, the number of books published increased. Even writers have come to the point where they can print their books with money. When bloggers did not get the attention they hoped for, they got bored and started to engage in other work. Those who paid and published a book faced the fact that the readers did not look forward to their books.
Luckily, Read.Cash came out last year and people started to earn a little money from what they wrote.
So, does anyone make any money from writing? Aren't the authors whose books are published by big publishing houses a sigh of relief financially? The impression I got from the market is that no one earns a decent income from writing, except for eight or ten authors whose names are on the agenda.
At this stage, I'd like to set aside mortal issues such as making money and return to the definition of authorship. I think anyone who considers himself a writer is a writer. Authorship is not the monopoly of anyone. If we go one step further, we can count people who make a living by writing or who have more than one published book as authors. Even if he paid and printed it, a person who can sit down and write his second book after his disappointment has passed a certain psychological threshold.
For those who are looking for a clearer definition of authorship, I can suggest a criterion such as having written 1 million words. 1 million words equals 4000 book pages. No one can say, "You are not a writer," to a person who has written 15 books of average thickness or produced an equal amount of text.
I want to move on to the issue of fame here. Whether it is a coincidence or not, the most famous authors are among the authors who have written the most. In other words, if not to be a writer, it takes 1 million words to be a famous writer.
As we all know, every profession has its own challenges and advantages. The good thing about being a writer is that it's a creative job and one day you can become famous. The disadvantage is that it earns very little money compared to the effort given. Of course, there is also the issue of the author's acceptance in the relevant cultural environment.
Writers, artists care a little too much and complain a lot if they can find someone listening. However, is the job of the writers difficult and that of the greengrocers easy? Maybe grocers cannot express their difficulties as effectively as writers. Or maybe there are such people among them that the author who says he is mine about the art of eloquence takes it out of his pocket.
In my opinion, the essential thing is the opportunity to express oneself and display creativity that writing provides to people. If the person really enjoys writing, other subjects are secondary.
Thank you for reading.