The Struggles of Being a Full-Time Author

I’ve only had two formal jobs where I wasn’t my own boss: Airborne Ranger in the US Army and a scientist at various universities.

Otherwise, I’ve been an entrepreneur in several different fields, including writing and editing books.

There was a time when I wrote and edited the work of other people whose books were published by Simon and Schuster, Random House, Harper Collins, etc. And some of them ended up on the New York Times bestseller list. And the “authors” of my work got all the credit and royalties. That’s fine with me, ’cos I prefer to be behind the scenes.

Nowadays, I am published by a small indie publishing firm. The money is less sometimes . . . the liberty to do what I want is off-the-charts more . . . and my life is sooo much more productive and fulfilling.

To say I am struggling is relative: my Dad still thinks I’m broke as hell (he’s a multi-millionaire. My friends envy me because I make all the rules, set my own schedule, take long vacations to places like Africa and Afghanistan . . . and usually I make good money, certainly enough to live on and play with.

And, no, Dad does not support me financially. I take care of myself quite well.

Most people do one thing for many years, get good at it, then retire. Afterward, they may write about it, or try to write about something they love but don’t know much about.

That, to me, is the greatest struggle: trying to write without having had the experience behind it.

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Look for the full article by prolific Prose Partner, author, and poet Rio Ramirez (@rioramireznovel) later today on The Official Prose. Blog at: blog.theprose.com/blog.