Here are a few things I believe about being an author in 2013:
- It’s a great time to be an artist
- It’s a tough time to sell art
- Reading is a fundamental human activity; even reading for pleasure
- Yes, we need more books
- And more authors
- And more music and art of all kinds
- Gatekeepers serve no purpose in the world of art
- Selling art is still a business
- We have more tools than we can use, for writing, marketing, reading, sharing
- Literature is not an endangered species
- Nor are readers
- Or writers
- Or print
- Money comes second, or third; writing comes first
- Some people don’t believe that, but I don’t think it’s just my opinion, I think it’s a fact
- Nobody writes without fear
- Emotional fears do far more damage than good
- I hold back far more than you think I do
- Helping authors is more important to me than money
- I’d still love to have plenty of money and so would you
That’s the short version of the list.
And none of that is why I do what I do.