Amazon recently emailed to say I’m “just a couple steps away” from getting the audio version of my debut, Justice, free. I smiled and thought, I’m the author. I didn’t pay a thing to experience the book.
Or did I?
I sobered with the realization that no book comes free to its author.
In fact, an author pays more than a reader ever will.
In fact, an author pays more than a reader ever will.
Writers pay in the form of hours and hours of quiet hours at the keyboard, producing work others will never see. We pay in vulnerability, because sharing our work invariably means fielding criticism. We pay literally for conferences, webinars, and craft books.
Perhaps other costs occur to you.
Sometimes, the price of penning stories mounts so high, quitting starts to seem like a tantalizing out. After all, why pay so much to produce a book that a reader will finish in just a couple of hours?
Well, because writers might pay more than a reader ever will, but we also gain more.
A reader will only have a few hours of enjoyment from a story. Authors get to live in the story world for months, if not a year or more.
A reader may benefit from the emotional or spiritual journey of the character, but that arc will likely resonate most deeply with the author and help him or her work out some question that's been lingering. At least, that's been my experience.
A reader may enjoy a well-crafted sentence, but a writer can use what they learned in crafting that sentence as they write for the rest of their lives.
A writer also benefits from the practice of collaboration, humility, and persistence required in the submission and editing process, pieces that the reader doesn’t experience. As I write, seek publication, and navigate the industry, my faith deepens because I'm constantly reminded I can't do this alone. I need God to create, to persevere, to hope.
The practice of writing grows us as artists, humans, and believers, and that last one, especially, is worth every investment.
So, while a book is never really free to its author, what we get in return is priceless.
No book comes free to its author. In fact, an author pays more than a reader ever will. But, we gain more, too. @emilyrconrad #amwriting #seriouslywrite @MaryAFelkins
Sometimes, the price of penning stories mounts so high, quitting seems tempting. Why pay so much to produce a book that a reader will finish in a couple of hours? Because we have so much to gain. @emilyrconrad #seriouslywrite #writerslife
The practice of writing grows us as artists, humans, and believers, and that last one, especially, is worth every investment. @emilyrconrad #seriouslywrite #writetip #faithwriter @MaryAFelkins
Photo credits
Stack of books and blank page photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
Bookshelf with pages out photo by Jessica Ruscello on Unsplash
Open book photo by Jessica Ruscello on Unsplash
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Emily Conrad writes Christian romance and a blog to encourage women of faith. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and an energetic coonhound rescue. She loves Jesus and enjoys road trips to the mountains, crafting stories, and drinking coffee. (It’s no coincidence her novel Justice is set mostly in a coffee shop!) She offers free short stories on her website and loves to connect with readers on social media.www.emilyconradauthor.com
Facebook.com/emilyconradauthor
Instagram.com/emilyrconrad
Twitter.com/emilyrconrad
JUSTICEThe love of a lifetime, a quest for justice, and redemption that can only be found by faith.
Jake thought he was meant to marry Brooklyn, but now she's pregnant, and he had nothing to do with it.
Brooklyn can’t bring herself to name the father as she wrestles with questions about what her pregnancy means and how it will affect her relationship with Jake.
If Harold Keen, the man who owns the bookstore across from Jake's coffee shop, has anything to do with it, the baby will ruin them both.
Can Jake and Brooklyn overcome the obstacles thrown in their path, and finally find the truth in God's love and in each other?
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