Thread by @drvolts

Here's a "persuade me I'm wrong" thread on ... writing books.

I periodically get offers from publishing houses or editors saying, "hey, we like your writing, you should write a book for us." And every time I go through the same basic chain of reasoning, which I shall now share.

First: I suuuuuck at multitasking. My brain can think about one thing at a time. I can't even work on two stories at once -- never have. It takes me time to get into a thing but once I'm in the thing I'm WAY in the thing & have no spare attention for other things. Some people ...

... are able to write books while they also maintain a full-time job writing. Indeed, people seem to do it all the time! But it looks like dark magic to me. There's no WAY I could maintain any kind of regular writing schedule while also writing a book. Zero chance.

Second: I'm neurotic AF. By the time I finish a long post, I've put myself through a hell of anxiety & self-loathing & doubt, leaving me utterly wrung out. Only the speed of it, the regularity of the deadlines, prevents me from descending into endless madness. A whole book?

A whole year or two to marinate in my own sour juices? I literally cannot imagine the hell I would create for myself -- and my family. I honestly fear for my mental health. And my marriage.

Third: the key thing w/ freelancing & writing books, a freelancer who writes books once told me, is that "good enough is good enough." You work on it until it's good enough & then let it go. It's called "satisficing." I am utterly abysmal at it.

I would always be thinking I need more research, another argument, more evidence, more editing -- I would see my book as a kaleidoscope of errors, none of which I could ignore or let go. Only the regularity of weekly deadlines keeps me from working on any given post indefinitely.

Fourth: if I put myself through that hell & likely nervous breakdown & divorce & actually produced a finished book ... no one buys books! Almost everyone I know who has written a book says that very few people bought it. (Maybe Ezra excepted?) A given viral blog post ...

... reaches more people than the average book. The point of writing a book seems to be to make oneself into A Person Who Has Written a Book, i.e., a certified "expert." That can get you onto the (lucrative) speaking circuit or into a bunch of TV bookings.

But I have no particular desire to go out onto the speaking circuit, appear on TV a bunch, or be a certified expert. I'm pretty happy as a peripheral, obscure figure writing mostly for people in my niche. Like the musician other musicians like, y'know? That's plenty.

Anyway, any time the subject of a book comes up, I run through that same chain of reasoning & end up in the same place: not worth it.

Am I wrong? Am I missing something? I'd love to hear from book authors or book readers about this. </fin>