Friday, March 09, 2018

Switching hats, changing gears, taking your meds

Dear certain particular author (if this doesn't apply to you, then it doesn't apply to you),

You have decided to publish your book yourself. Great. I'd love to help you do that. Please understand, though, that while writing a book requires all the free-flowing creativity you can muster if it's going to result in anything people will want to read, publishing is a business that requires a more disciplined creativity.

If you are going to publish your book, then you are going to be a publisher, and that means you are running a business, not an atelier. You have to take off your writer hat and put on your publisher hat.

And when you are wearing your publisher hat, I beg you, I implore you, at least until we get the product out the door, after which you can be your wild genius self once again, please take the meds your doctor prescribed.

Thank you.

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