Monday, March 18, 2013

Writers are rich, right?

I read this article (http://www.salon.com/2013/03/15/hey_amazon_wheres_my_money/) and thought that it was candid and often true. Many who haven't taken a publishing journey probably don't understand that writers are often paid less than initially believed. Even full-time writing jobs are hard to come by, highly competitive, and some employers in corporate America devalue the tasks at hand. I recently read an employment advertisement that warned applicants not to email the potential employer about grammatical errors that he or she may have made. Additionally, the individual openly stated that many writers believe that they can write but really can't. More was said, but the biggest point of frustration is feeling under appreciated in the work force. Communication is essential to every work task. Thus, why is writing so, well, unimportant as a core skill? Why are English and Journalism majors often just deemed to be "those Liberal Arts folks?" It is true that everyone cannot write well in business. On the entertainment side of this post, let us also consider how important reading should be in society. Some individuals are trainable. Others will never be great writers, just as a plethora or people don't have medical, engineering or medical skills.

If authors didn't pen new books, how would the world be? I'm not talking about reality stars who are supported by ghost writers, or celebrities who don't pen their own masterpieces. I'm talking about those who started from scratch to hatch an idea.

Perhaps writing is a dying "craft." Those who love it don't just do it for a quick buck. It's not a branding ploy, or a cash cow moniker, but rather a chance to utilize a life-long passion. Becoming a wealthy writer is rare, but the joy of seeing words in print can be worth the difficult journey.

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