So suppose you sell a novel, and it's published, and you're all excited. People of every sort who say, ''Gee, I always wanted to be a writer, but I never had the time,'' as if all it takes is a few weeks of free time. Plumbers, for example. People won't believe you when you tell them how little money writers actually make. The fact that there are more than eight thousand books published every year in the U.S., of which at least seven thousand remain obscure, isn't well known, to put it mildly.
Fans are often the worst.
One novel isn't a writing career, it's only the first step. There are plenty of one-book wonders out there, people who wrote a novel and then couldn't sell another. If, after this little discussion, you find yourself wondering the same thing, don't be surprised. In knowing that you've entertained a few thousand people. All contents and referenced pages are copyright by Lawrence Watt Evans except as noted.