Do You Want to Write? Do You Want to Make Money? Why not, both?

When Fifty Shades of Grey came out, it made some people really take notice, especially Traditional Publishers. The book, and the author, received a lot of criticism from the literary world, but the most important thing about the book, the main thing that everyone should have paid attention to: The READERS. The popularity of the book spoke louder in volume than any of the critics. And, quite frankly, it should. 

The article, Fifty Shades of Grey: the series that tied publishing up in knots, touches on how Fifty Shades of Grey not only turned things around for self-publishing and caused quite a stir with Traditional Publishing, the article also addressed the most important factor in selling books - The Reader.

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“The Fifty Shades phenomenon has shown the entire industry that huge amounts of readers just want a really good story and they are not that fussed about how it is presented to them,” said Scott Pack, a former head buyer for Waterstones and publisher for Harper Collins, who now runs the Aardvark Bureau imprint. 

The runaway success of Fifty Shades had forced the entire publishing industry to re-evaluate assumptions of what makes books sell.“For years, centuries even, the publishing industry and literary world’s definition of good was the only one that mattered. If we didn’t think something was good, it didn’t get agented, it didn’t get published, bookshops didn’t stock it and it didn’t sell,” he said.

I see this question in writing forums and writing groups all the time, "Would you rather be a so-so writer, like, E.L. James of Fifty Shades of Grey and make money, or be a literary genius and only make a few cents?" Why do we have to choose? Not al of us are going to be E.L. James or Stephen King. Not all of us are going to Hemingway. But we can be ourselves and write, follow our passion, and if others take pleasure in reading what we wrote and we make a few bucks along the way–That is Fantastic.

Self-publishing has opened doors to all kinds of writers and would-be writers. Some do it just for the pleasure of writing, some attempt (and some succeed) to make money at it. What is important to you? Do you just want to write and share it with some friends and family? Or, do you hope to make a few bucks, even become the next big sensation? Either way, just write. The Self-publishing world is open for both.