How to publish your book: practical tips from Olga Gromyko and Sasha Rudoi

The writer is a really complicated profession and it is not given to everyone. However, there are people who spend a lot of money to attend courses and workshops that promise them unprecedented circulation and crowds of fans. Any writers, who are more experienced will tell you that writing a book is a big job. Read about that in our interview with writers of science fiction Olga Gromyko and Sasha Ryd.

About writing and family

Sasha: I wrote the first book instead of a dissertation. In such moments arrives muse or if you have a session and you need to continue studying, then there may come procrastination. In such way, books appear.

Olga: When I sit down at the computer, all houses immediately start whining, they want to eat, cat, of course, has a bad feeling. All ask the eternal question: “Are you managing to publish anything?” I write for thirteen years and if I did not manage to publish something, I would have so much, probably did not write. The profession of science fiction writer people perceives as a funny incident. While at home have soup, everything seems normal, but as soon as they are deprived of it, it appears that soup is more important.

Sasha: Somebody says it that would be better to go to the office. Even the janitor is a more respected profession, because he is engaged in something and writers do not do anything all day.

Geniuses and fee

Olga: Unfortunately, the brilliant writing books does not guarantee anything at all. Most likely it is even worse if the book is brilliant and it is distracting from the other books. We either write a brilliant book and write it for a long time or become an ordinary author, who write books without any desire.

The writer should not just sit. He should actively promote his book. If he believes that he has written a brilliant book and it is really desired for publishers, he will get nothing. There are many writers now. What is the difference between all of them? Practically nothing, that is why, if you still want to publish your book, you need to promote it. You must actively work with readers. You have to attract them. The writer is not well suited, because basically, it is a vicious man, who hopes he is somewhere in the corner he write his novel and it will gain success. However, unfortunately, those days are long gone.

The writer must work a lot. The book, which is unfinished, does not exist. Any history of any book should be completely unfinished until the end. In addition, if the writer wants to become famous, he should write many books. That is why he must almost ceaselessly work on the result. Talented people cannot stand it.

Sasha: But what about the sponsors?

Olga: I do not know how in the Ukraine, but in Russia fee for the book is extremely low. This is where something less than 300 dollars for a manuscript. While you are writing a brilliant book, you have someone to feed. If your book is popular enough, your income can go up.

Fans and Popularity

Sasha: Everyone who starts to write, want to be famous. All dream of the fans, which will come and sign a series of books.

Olga: Previously, readers wrote letters like “I read your book, thank you very much.” Now more people go to the presentation. They are positive-minded and friendly. Nevertheless, the writer communicates with readers more into the Internet today. Therefore, those who is outraged write reviews. That is why you do not see a hundred readers who read and say thank you for the book. You see only one person, who came and wrote: “The book is shit, the author is a fool.”

When the author publishes a new book, fandom expectations are very high. It is Iike “there is a new author, he gives a big hope”. He has the potential; the author continues to write. Therefore, expectations are beginning to fall. This is a paradox. The circulation increases and the negative reviews are more and more. After this period, people are starting to buy the book to say finally: “Yes, I’ve read this writer complete shit.” Writer initially very vulnerable person, even if he can joke and swear.  Also, the views of the writer of the book are always lower than the views of fandom. He published the first book, he praised, he feels that all great, but still he doubts. The opinion of the author of the book is falling much faster than that opinion of his readers. After two or three books, a man gives up. Some authors hold the medium level, but their readers will begin to recognize them as the background for real writers. There is another popular opinion. Writers are waiting for the people, which will stop writing, give up and will give free space for new talents. However, can it take place at all? Nevertheless, this trend can be seen.

Lectures and workshops are meaningless?

Olga: I have never attended a literary studio, never read a book about how to write. When I offered to see some lecture, I remember the immortal phrase of Sobkovskyi: “If you ask me for advice, you are not a writer.”

Sasha: Now all release books about how to write a novel. Moreover, I want to write it too, it crushes me, choking.

Olga: I do not believe that it is possible to write and publish a bestseller on which you will earn a million dollars.

Sasha: I would like to learn how to write. There are many different courses. There is on the Internet, one of the most expensive courses, where an author teaches others how to write science fiction, while she published only the book “Diet 2.0” (laughs). Nevertheless, in fact, these courses are very expensive. I found a writing course with the discount of 81%. You see, how it is to be a writer now!  The 81 % discount and you are a writer.

Olga: But why do people go to the courses? There are several reasons. People who cannot write, but hope that they will learn to go there. There are people who have already written something. They go to the mentor, which will look at this and said: “wow, how cool.” If the mentor says the opposite one, then these people are offended. There is a third category of people who come to see the first two, and in fact on the writers.

Why these lectures are meaningless? Because they tell well known for everybody facts. I came to the sad conclusion that, if a person has a talent and brains, he or she will be successful without these lectures. In addition, if a person has not both talent and brains, then no matter how much he did go to the workshops, he will be a man who just attends the lectures and pay money for it.