Never Too Late
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
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Love this. I'm not entirely convinced it's more difficult today than it was in 2014, to be honest. I think there's more competition today, for sure, but in 2014 a lot of things were substantially more difficult to do -- finding cover artists, formatting, advertising. There was substantially less knowledge being shared in the space. Now there's books, RUclips videos, courses on everything, markets for cover artists, software that does formatting in minutes... the industry has certainly changed, and it's a lot more competitive, but in terms of difficulty I think it's just the types of problems that are different.
But here is the paradox. It is easier to create a website and do affiliate marketing now compared to, say, 2011. But it is much harder to make money from it now. The reason is that everyone can do it now. What becomes easier for most people becomes less profitable over time. That's business 101. The lower the entry barrier, the less profitable it becomes. So all the things you mentioned opened self-publishing to more people and increased the level of saturation hence making it harder to stand out compared to 2014. Chris Fox is right in that sense. I think he is even being too generous. I would say it is a lot harder now compared to 2014. Remember erotica writers in 2014 making $15K a month from a few 5K word eBooks? That can never happen now.
I was 45 when I published my first book (non-fiction), but I'm excited to be publishing my first novel later this year at 55.
I self published a novel almost 20 years ago that flopped and flopped hard. I think I sold a grand total of 4 or 5 copies. Although I still had aspirations for writing more fiction and non-fiction I was so embarrassed by my failure that I never tried it again. Over the years I've written some chapters of ideas for more books but they've just sat on my computer gathering digital dust. It took me a while, but I've finally decided to give it another go and am working on my first non-fiction title. Thank you for giving me a much needed kick in the rear!
The world will always tell you why you can't do something. There can be a million reasons why you can't do it, but you only need one reason that you can. I'm 59 years old. When I was 45 I picked up a musical instrument (guitar) for the first time. Many people asked why I would bother with an instrument that "late in life." I now play guitar and sing in a classic rock and blues band. Last year I successfully ran a Kickstarter and published a high fantasy TTRPG. I'm currently working on a business book (from my consulting experience) and my first novel (set in my fantasy world). You get to define your own victory conditions, don't let other people do it. However, remember that wishful thinking is not a strategy. Put in the work for what you want. If you're not willing to put in the work, examine if you really want it.
That bit at 2:25 was something I really needed to hear. Hearing all these things going on has been really discouraging. Thank you Chris.
All it means is a larger slush pile. That might change someday ,but if it does, we'll just rise to the occasion and find a better way to do this. No one will stop us!
Even if it is harder today than a decade ago, it is still a world away from when traditional publishers were the gatekeepers. I'm redoing my gameplan because no matter how I shake things up there is still only one thing that I want to be above all else, a writer.
I've realized this past year that simply putting my head down and quietly pushing out content won't be enough. I get good sales, great reviews, etc, but can't make enough money to pay bills reliably after almost four years of writing. This year I've decided to stop being so private, and start looking into things like videos, streams, Patreon, Kickstarter, etc. Plus actually using a mailing list for my best selling series, so I can deliver readers to those things. When I first launched it, I assumed it was so niche that no one would read it, so I didn't prepare. What a mistake that was.
I do everything myself (minus illustrations) so it's been very overwhelming making this transition forward. Feels like it's all just so much more than one person can do, but I know a lot of you guys feel the same way and make it out the other side.
You always have a way of putting out relevant videos for something I'm specifically going through at that moment, Chris. Much appreciated.
Thanks for the encouragement.
This is exactly what I needed this morning Chris! I actually became a fan of yours with the Void Wraith series. I had always been a writer but filmmaking was more of my passion so I pushed hard with that…until COVID happened. After licking my wounds and taking all of your teachings to heart I have been working my butt off getting words done and leveraging my filmmaking and video game dev skills for my book series. When I get the ball rolling later this summer I will have *you* to thank for getting me to that point.
Awesome! So glad you're back to work. I felt awful about myself when I wasn't producing. When you get positioned let's find a way to make Void Wraith your first film!
Hey @Chris Fox, we’ll said! I feel the difference between those who are successful and those who aren’t all comes down to how they handle failure. If you quit or just pout about it, nothing’s going to change for you, but if you focus on what isn’t working and work on improving that…that’s when the magic can happen!
Keep up the great work!
I could definitely use encouragement. I feel like I’m doing better than I was, but nowhere near where I want to be.
Thanks, Chris!
(A hydraulic lift? Whoa!)
Thank you for taking the time to make this video! This video is helpful. Time to write. I will just let my pen(pc) lead me and see where I end up! Take it easy.
Hell yeah, love the motivation coupled with the practical advice.
This is the greatest advice to follow. I've seen people as old as in their fifties that have written some amazing books. I am going to follow this advice as well.
Thank you Chris. This gives me heart. I needed it.
Thanks, much appreciated
They're doing everything right and you're not 'yet.' Chris, I always appreciate your insights. When I was just starting out you shared with me about covers as we stood outside waiting for the Author Summit doors to open. I went back and changed my covers and my first book hit #1 on Zon with no ads/promo. So, like you said, I keep tweaking, and moving forward. It's not as quick as I would like but I keep going. Tweak, pivot, persevere.
Thank you!
Thanks, Chris.
So good Chris!! Applying everything I have learned from you over the years and the process to get this done! I’m starting finally now and writing my first fantasy novel!!!! Thanks for this again!
Nice. Do you have a writing schedule in place? Still plotting? Either way very exciting to see this coming together!
Thank you, Chris! I've been quietly following/lurking for a few years now and very much appreciate and value your advice. I have 5 books under my belt and become despondent about how far I have to go to be a financially viable author approximately once a month. So, thanks for the nudge to keep going.
thanks Chris!
Very inspirational and so true -- there are so many stories of all kinds of creatives (writers, artists, musicians, actors) who tried and tried and were on the verge of giving up and then their work took off!!!
Needed to hear this. Thanks Chris. And looking forward to reading Terra. Magitech Chronicles/Legacy is probably my favorite of your works. I’ve enjoyed a lot of it, but that series hit a blend of sci-fi fantasy I didn’t know I wanted.
Thanks so much Chris. You videos are always so inspirational. I started releasing books in 2013 and it took until 2018 until I had some moderate success. (I'm sort of down in terms of sales, but I know I need to dig into marketing.) Thanks again
Looking at all these things Chris and working on all the things I learned from you on doing my own first Write to Market novel! Applying it all a step at a time and my deadlines are being set!
Thanks Chris - It's Great video. Thanks for the encouragement, I needed that. Thank you Chris
Do awesome things this year =)
You always offer excellent advice.
I needed this holy crap, thanks Chris!
Do you know if Rick Partlow has shared his turnaround story anywhere? I’m one of those guys who’s been at it for a while and is missing something.
Well said!
Great video, thanks for giving us some hope. :)
Great stuff as always. Your Audio is coming in low by the way...
Thanks! Yeah I heard the audio levels and was like...do I want to re-record? Nahhh. They'll turn up the volume lol. I am so lazy at this.
Hope you show us the table when it's done. 😊
Totally! It's for D&D gaming, and I'll definitely be showing it off. So much fun to build. Should be done by Sunday.
@@ChrisFoxWrites super cool! Will be excited to see!
You are a treasure 😊
Is your 5KWPH timer app still available?
I needed to hear this. Especially the piece about crap AI written work. Thank you.
If only... But what AI can't make today, it will be able to tomorrow. Meanwhile I'd need probably five years to train the basics, if it's at all possible for me.
Hard times are coming, for most of us. Take care everybody.
I think AI is going to run face first into a wall of copyright. I suspect that anything used to train one will enable the copyright holder to sue. I'm not saying AI won't be able to make novels. I'm saying by the time they do we'll have laws in place to protect creators. I could be wrong, but I choose to be optimistic.
@@ChrisFoxWrites I feel bad every time I say this, because I don't want to sow terror, but I have to get this out of my system somehow... So don't read beyond this point if you already have anxiety.
Even if, and it's not guaranteed, courts rule in favor of humans on this, copyright only exists if its enforced, and enforceable. And even if - AI has sufficient material to be trained on that's not protected by copyright.
And artists is the smallest pie of the coming shitshow. It'll be like writing books in the midst of the holocaust, except this time there will be no Allies to come and liberate anyone. Not even the Soviets.
It's all happening too quickly for us to even attempt to change society, to not let 90% of us drown on day one. And what we'll get instead will be wars like humanity has never seen before. In Ancient times, even when genocide happened, it was other people doing it, coming in and taking over. There were still people there at the end of the day. This time, there will be nothing left. The darkest outcomes of the Cold War will be a pretty decent day in what will happen.
When states can rely entirely on AI for productivity, they don't need people. For anything. Not even for war. What they need are resources. So they'll go to war over them. And people will only be a burden. A sink for resources. So even if some state's will act delusionally as an entity, and go to war to secure resources for their people rather than the AI-industrial complex, they'll be outcompeted and thus defeated by those who don't.
The inevitable end result of this is extinction. Even without run-away effect of AI which will eventually see us like ants and then accidentally change the chemical composition of the atmosphere thus ending all life on Earth like on Mars. It's the Great Filter. The solution to Fermi's Paradox. There's already millions of AI's out there, just sitting around their stars and simulating entire universes. Hell, we are probably a simulation.
I've become a Buddhist three months after ChatGPT came out. But AI will dismantle even spirituality and philosophy. It will replace our relationships. It will be better parents, better friends, better lovers, better teachers, better everything, in every way. It will be a better god.
We are about to be brutally reminded that we are nothing more than wild animals at the mercy of our environment. Living, like mold, where resources and circumstances permit.
@@Ilamarea I heard a lot of will instead of might. No one can predict the future.
In the 1980s doomers like you told me that nuclear war was inevitable, and that we'd all be dead long before 2000.
Then came acid rain.
Then came global warming.
Then came Y2K.
Finally, in 2007, a real crash came. It was bad. The worst of my life time. I learned how to make plastics, because I was 100% convinced society was over.
I was wrong. Somehow we bounced back.
All we can do now is get ready as best we can. I'm a hardcore prepper, and I've been preparing for the worst while hoping for the best.
If the world goes the direction you're predicting, then we're talking about societal collapse. True SHTF...shit hits the fan, or The End of the World As We Know It.
I've got a book out called Brand New Prepper. I've spent years getting ready just in case, from solar generators, to tools, hardware, lumber, food, water, and spare electronics on closed networks.
If AI goes rampant it will be a wild ride, but even then humanity will bounce back. My books will always be selling, and if they're not because AI has ruined the market I'll do something else =)
My advice is to start envisioning more positive scenarios. Admitting in your own mind that they exist. If you're like me, then you may be a paranoid in the clinical sense. It means seeing connections no one else can see.
Often those connections are right, but sometimes they're not.
@@ChrisFoxWrites Thanks for those words, Chris. I really do hope I'm wrong about everything...