Screaming into the Digital Abyss: The Brutal Truth About Writing in the Age of AI and Apathy
Here I am, writing on a blog that no one reads, shouting into the void. I have done everything that I have been told to do in order to find success, and let me tell you, it's all a bunch of crap. Let's go over the "checklist," shall we?
Networking:
I've tried this for so many years. I'm not exactly sure how many at this point, but at least ten, maybe even fifteen. Though I have had some mild successes, none of them led to anywhere but failure. I managed to get into a pitch meeting with a celebrity and a producer for my screenplay, but ultimately, that did not pan out. Most people don't even get that far without an agent or representation, so I guess I can call that an accomplishment, but at the end of the day, if my movie isn't in production, it means nothing. Don't get me started on publishing deals, either. The truth they won't tell you about being a writer is that if you don't know the right people, fuck the right people, or have the right family name, you're probably never going to find commercial success in anything.
Blogging:
That's what I'm doing right now. There's a good chance you aren't reading it, but I've been doing it for years on many different subjects, a lot of which you'll find on this very website. I've done it consistently for decades, and that hasn't helped me gain a following or get noticed. I have tried my best to follow the trends. I have done my SEO homework. I have promoted my blogs and engaged with my followers. No matter what I do, it doesn't work. I don't know what else to do anymore.
Social Media:
They will tell you that you need to build a social media following if you want to be successful as a writer. Well, I went and did that. I spent years building up a decent following for my work on Twitter. Then guess what happened? It became X because Elon Musk bought it. Then the algorithm changed, and despite having over eight thousand followers, I get no engagement. I haven't sold a book in a year and a half when before I was selling at least a few a month. On top of that, other platforms like Instagram have become yet another TikTok clone. They don't index hashtags anymore and only rely on reels. Not exactly a place for short-form content, and if there's no algorithm on there to use, then how am I supposed to find a following? Sure, I have an Instagram account, but it doesn't matter because there's no way to find traction there. On Facebook either. Thanks to the fact that I don't write Young Adult content and my work is very niche, it's almost impossible for me to find an audience on social media in the first place.
Marketing:
I have paid for marketing my books, but I have found that the money that I've put into it doesn't equate to the money that I have gotten in return. Still, I would give away my books for free if it meant people would actually read them and leave a nice review. I can't get a good word of mouth going, and I can't generate any attention to anything I do or say on Twitter because I have to be politically neutral so as not to piss off any potential followers. If I could afford thousands of dollars on someone to create a brilliant and original marketing campaign for me, then I may see results. As it is now? Nothing. Nada. Not been worth it.
Consistency:
They will tell you, as an author, keep writing and putting out work. The first book may not hit, but the tenth one might. Well, as of now, I have published about nine books. Though some have since been removed from the market because they don't sell, and there's no point in keeping them up anymore if they are going to sit there with zero sales and zero reviews. Though I am working on another novel that I hope I can get out later this year, my motivation to keep trying is about the lowest level it can possibly get.
The Truth:
If you weren't born into the right family at the right time, know the right people, or fuck the right people, you will not find success in this. Not only do people not want to read anymore because they have the attention spans of goldfish, but AI is now taking over. People think they can write because they put a prompt into AI, and it spits back out a horrible story. Book farms are now using AI to pump out crappy novels faster than any writer can write them. Young adult authors still rely on fan fiction turned into "original content" and shitty cliché garbage to become millionaires. Adults don't want to read adult books. I can write consistently and as much as I want, but the chances of it ever happening for me are zero. I'd have more chance of winning the lottery than going viral for something I wrote. Screenplays are a dime a dozen, and though I have good, original ideas, no one wants that anymore either. They want the same crap spoon-fed back to them over and over again. I'm not pretty enough to market myself on sex, but even if I were, that's not how I'd want to become famous in the first place. If there were such a thing as selling your soul, I'd have probably done that long ago. The painful truth about being an author in this day and age is you can't. Not unless you have some gimmick or sex appeal first; no one cares what you have to say.
