“…It’s repetitive like she’s just filling pages to spit out another book. So disappointing.”

This snippet of a review is the reason why I do not force myself to churn out a new book every month or two. Contrary to what authors want to tell themselves, readers do notice when your writing is forced and you are just out there “filling pages to spit out another book.” Yet, this review was taken off of a very popular indie vampire series. Every one of these books is dominating the amazon charts, most likely making some serious bank, and are filled with 2-3x more reviews than even Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles.

Do you write for love or money?

Everyone is quick to denounce 50 Shades as one of the worst series which should never have been published, yet the ‘zon is crammed full of independently published books even worse than 50 Shades. Is that a bad thing? Is it a good thing? Readers are still weighing in on whether or not they are happy to wade through the muck in search of the gem in the slush pile. Others have vehemently opposed the influx of indie authors, swearing they will only continue to read trade published books because they are supposedly “held to a higher standard.” Umm … let’s not say something crazy, shall we?

It would seem the days of being able to write a really great book and seeing it become successful have long since disappeared thanks to the easy access of self-publishing. Is that a good thing? Is it a bad thing? It honestly depends on who you ask. For those who are making bank without much effort, they are absolutely in love with the self-publishing process and see Amazon as an untapped, limitless goldmine. For those “bleeding heart” artists who are “suffering” for their art and can’t seem to catch a decent break aren’t so sure they don’t want the gatekeepers back in place. Of course, not even the gatekeepers make all the right choices. Aforementioned book being a prime example.

So do I write for love or money? I’ve always written for the love of the story, the characters, and the driving force of an intriguing plot line. I agonize over every word put to the page, even when I’m just writing another useless blog article like this one. I’m not sure I would ever be able to sacrifice the quality of writing I’ve managed to accomplish over the years for the sake of my bank account. Am I a good writer? While I may not be the best writer who has ever put pen to paper, if my work falls flat it’s not because I didn’t put forth my absolute best efforts. Plainly put, I don’t want anything I’ve produced to seem like I was “just filling pages to spit out another book.”

I guess I’m always going to write for the love of the story. If this means I never top the charts, then I suppose I’ll have to wait it out until the pendulum swings back and the appreciation of a really great book is once again in vogue.