It's where I am, too. It's all the "you" as brand stuff that kicks me. I don't always want to share deep personal parts of myself. Actors bear their souls onstage through a fictional medium without giving away all the personal details of where they mined the nuances of their performance. As soon as they try a new medium, tomatoes fly. Be spry enough to dodge them.
I think you can do the important parts of this without opening yourself all the way. I also value my privacy, and I don't like oversharing. That's one reason I'm not on social media. There's a way of sharing personal vulnerabilities that doesn't require the usual things we think of: You don't need to share pictures, talk about your kids (or if you do, you can not share who they specifically are), or show up anywhere in person. It's sort of like you're playing a character when you're in author mode, without it being disingenuous. That probably doesn't make sense, but I do think there's a balance.
a perfect companion piece to the last post. at the end of the day, we gotta be true to ourselves, and people are going to pick up on that, and the right ones will stay. thanks for this, johnny. <3 it leaves me working on my serial novel, filled with renewed hope and vigor.
I'd argue it's both. Yep, I absolutely want my books to sell, and I work pretty hard at it -- making commercially-minded decisions and conducting lots of market research when I'm out selling in person. (i.e., why do certain books -- some of them surprising -- out-sell the ones I figured were my best hits?) But at the same time, I've always only been able to write books that I'm truly proud of. No joke, I've tried to "sell out" a time or two but just ended up making complex books after all. I just can't write cardboard.
But at the same time, the bigger issue is that I think that considering books to be "product only" is a downward spiral, especially in 2025. The folks who went at it like mercenaries are really struggling, as are most of the people who are totally hands-off with their selling. This is pretty much the only tolerable way forward for me ... and for what it's worth, I like it a lot.
I kept thinking I heard about Stephen King being in a band, so I did a search and there it was: the Rock Bottom Remainders, which also featured Amy Tan and Dave Barry, among many others. Maybe it's not too late for me to be an author/actor. The only thing that's stopped me so far was my crippling stage fright.
Ha - I could have nailed that band name without a hint. King is actually a case where I don't particularly care about his extracurriculars, but that might be because I'm more bonded with the King that shows up in the books themselves. His writing, by itself, has so much distinct personality.
That's true. Honestly, before social media I paid no attention to authors whatsoever, so what I knew of them was always from the writing itself. I guess there's an advantage to that, but it was also a lonely life for a writer in the middle of nowhere.
"The path of the iconoclast writer is a long and slow one. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. To be honest, it’s usually get-rich-never. If you’re lucky, you’ll scrape by … but it’s entirely possible you’ll open up and not find any True Fans. It’s entirely possible you’ll fail, and feel like a fool."
Yeah. I am here.
But in the end, I don't want money to tell other people's stories or to cater to capitalism. I'm here to tell the truth, to stick up for the underdogs, and to have a truckload of fun.
I'm blessed with a sort of "sugar daddy" husband who earns more than enough for us to live comfortably, so we don't need my freelance income to pay the bills. It gives me the freedom to take the honest steps to find True Fans. I already have a few, and they're not all just my parents or my kids. So I'll take my time and continue writing what I enjoy writing (and reading).
You know, when I'm not doing the laundry or mopping the floors. :)
This is a great piece! I really resonated with it. I've always pictured my ideal reader as my twin sister (real twin, I'm not making up an alter ego or anything). We're identical and I've always felt a little bit like I'm cheating having my ideal reader be someone so close to me haha. But that's what's felt true and help me through my work. At least I'll always have one true fan right? Oh and my mom lol
It's where I am, too. It's all the "you" as brand stuff that kicks me. I don't always want to share deep personal parts of myself. Actors bear their souls onstage through a fictional medium without giving away all the personal details of where they mined the nuances of their performance. As soon as they try a new medium, tomatoes fly. Be spry enough to dodge them.
I think you can do the important parts of this without opening yourself all the way. I also value my privacy, and I don't like oversharing. That's one reason I'm not on social media. There's a way of sharing personal vulnerabilities that doesn't require the usual things we think of: You don't need to share pictures, talk about your kids (or if you do, you can not share who they specifically are), or show up anywhere in person. It's sort of like you're playing a character when you're in author mode, without it being disingenuous. That probably doesn't make sense, but I do think there's a balance.
You are what they want.
This is very freeing.
And actually the authentic you is utterly unique, constantly changing, a true gem.
Love this dude! We need to have another online chat about all this in front of a couple cameras.
Any time, Troy ... any time.
a perfect companion piece to the last post. at the end of the day, we gotta be true to ourselves, and people are going to pick up on that, and the right ones will stay. thanks for this, johnny. <3 it leaves me working on my serial novel, filled with renewed hope and vigor.
C'mon, Truant. What's all this idealism about? Art is product. You know Super Pretzel soft pretzel sticks? That's art.
I'd argue it's both. Yep, I absolutely want my books to sell, and I work pretty hard at it -- making commercially-minded decisions and conducting lots of market research when I'm out selling in person. (i.e., why do certain books -- some of them surprising -- out-sell the ones I figured were my best hits?) But at the same time, I've always only been able to write books that I'm truly proud of. No joke, I've tried to "sell out" a time or two but just ended up making complex books after all. I just can't write cardboard.
But at the same time, the bigger issue is that I think that considering books to be "product only" is a downward spiral, especially in 2025. The folks who went at it like mercenaries are really struggling, as are most of the people who are totally hands-off with their selling. This is pretty much the only tolerable way forward for me ... and for what it's worth, I like it a lot.
I kept thinking I heard about Stephen King being in a band, so I did a search and there it was: the Rock Bottom Remainders, which also featured Amy Tan and Dave Barry, among many others. Maybe it's not too late for me to be an author/actor. The only thing that's stopped me so far was my crippling stage fright.
Ha - I could have nailed that band name without a hint. King is actually a case where I don't particularly care about his extracurriculars, but that might be because I'm more bonded with the King that shows up in the books themselves. His writing, by itself, has so much distinct personality.
That's true. Honestly, before social media I paid no attention to authors whatsoever, so what I knew of them was always from the writing itself. I guess there's an advantage to that, but it was also a lonely life for a writer in the middle of nowhere.
"The path of the iconoclast writer is a long and slow one. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. To be honest, it’s usually get-rich-never. If you’re lucky, you’ll scrape by … but it’s entirely possible you’ll open up and not find any True Fans. It’s entirely possible you’ll fail, and feel like a fool."
Yeah. I am here.
But in the end, I don't want money to tell other people's stories or to cater to capitalism. I'm here to tell the truth, to stick up for the underdogs, and to have a truckload of fun.
I think that's the only way to sanely think about it. I can't be sure that this works, but I know I can't do the alternative.
(sigh) Thank you.
I'm blessed with a sort of "sugar daddy" husband who earns more than enough for us to live comfortably, so we don't need my freelance income to pay the bills. It gives me the freedom to take the honest steps to find True Fans. I already have a few, and they're not all just my parents or my kids. So I'll take my time and continue writing what I enjoy writing (and reading).
You know, when I'm not doing the laundry or mopping the floors. :)
This is a great piece! I really resonated with it. I've always pictured my ideal reader as my twin sister (real twin, I'm not making up an alter ego or anything). We're identical and I've always felt a little bit like I'm cheating having my ideal reader be someone so close to me haha. But that's what's felt true and help me through my work. At least I'll always have one true fan right? Oh and my mom lol
Hey, mine's my wife. :)
That's reassuring!
Resonates. I think you're right, and it's definitely my path. Here's hoping for a true fan or two!