: How many people are writing novels? A YouGov survey shows that 60% of British men an women would like to become an author. 81% of Americans feel they have a book in them. But how many people
A YouGov survey shows that 60% of British men an women would like to become an author. 81% of Americans feel they have a book in them.
But how many people do actually set out to write a novel?
Replies to comments
@Jay In the context of my question, "set out to write" means that they begin to write it. The number I'm after includes those that eventually give up, as well as those that manage to publish their novel.
@MarkBaker : I'm not after professionals here. I'm trying to understand the situation of aspiring writers.
The percentage of the population that attempts to write a novel directly reflects how desirable writing as a profession appears to the general public, compared to other professions.
@ggiaquin Any numbers would be helpful at all. Of course there are cultural differences, but given the scarcity of data, numbers from all over the world are relevant for a first impression.
If the scope of this question must be regionally limited, I am mostly interested in the Western world. There is a lot of cross publishing among countries of Europe and the Americas, there are many cultural similarities, and there should be some similarity among aspiring writers, too. Also, those are the countries where most of our users come from, so that is where we will have most information.
More posts by @Welton431
: Well, you are going to have to start asking yourself questions and provide answers. Why do men exist? In your premise there is absolutely zero role for a male, and if God created women in
: In the context of experiencing a story, character-driven and plot-driven mean very little. It is only during the writing process that these terms have any importance. In a character-driven story,
2 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
I'm a little confused, maybe because I skimmed over the question. Are you looking for a poll, like a raise of hands from members of SE writing a novel currently?
Asking in a writers forum, may give you a limited sample size, but still might be interesting if it falls within the rules. I'm still new here so I may be a poor one to answer.
Anyways that said, I've been working on a story for most of my life, but like most of my hobbies I work in spurts. I will focus one at a time until I grow bored, then put it aside and work on another hobby to develop it until the challenge wears off, I get bored, and I cycle back to a hobby and the skills I long to develop.
Writing is one of the hobbies I'm most passionate with, but is also the weakest of my skills, in my self reflective opinion. Some day I hope to complete a novel and have it published, but I have a long way to go and my tendency to switch off to other hobbies can get in the way.
I know you are looking for data, but based on your edit I will say, don't worry about the numbers, or how many are trying out for the job. Does it change the way you interview if you know you are the only one vs 1 of 100? Hopefully not if you want to get hired because nothing says it has to be you guaranteed or from the 100. They could still choose to wait.
You know that most people fail for various of reasons. Some get derailed by life, others lose interest in their own story, but again that really has no relevance to you making the best story you can! Whether you are book #1 of 2000 submissions or of 10, either way, there is still a vetting process to go through. Many people choose to self-publish because they don't want to wait (it could take months/years) or they get declined and still want to publish anyways.
The state of writing as a profession is no doubt a rough path. Many people set to write full time and earn enough to actually be able to write full time but not many actually achieve that. It's very competitive and again why many choose to self-publish as it provides the best path to getting published.
In the end, good books will rise up from the bad. I can't think of any book that has been a huge hit and also self-published, but this may also be because a publisher approached them and they took over the book.
Sorry I don't have any specific numbers, but I wanted to address a few things you brought up in your edit. Bottom line is to just write! Write your best you can! Once you have a book actually finished and edited, then worry about competition. Until then, you can't compete if you have no product ;).
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © selfpublishingguru.com2024 All Rights reserved.