A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Am I Too Old to Publish a Book?

 

It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. 

Today's post addresses the question that often holds potential authors back from telling their stories, either their personal memoirs or the sharing of a lifetime of work knowledge, "Am I too old to publish a book?" 

The quick answer is, of course, not. But there are realities behind publishing as an older individual that differ from publishing in the middle of one's career. Here, in this column, I am using "older" to mean individuals who have retired, typically mid-60s and later. There are, equally important, questions that underlie that age question. Let's take those underlying questions one at a time, which will bring out those realities.

Will I have time for the book to realize any results from writing the book?

• If by realizing results, you mean you want to see some changes made in the world, or your world, based on your book, before you die, maybe but often not. Change is slow, but your book can start that process. Dr. Ekaterina Filatova, deceased author of Understanding the People around You, wanted to have the first book on socionics published in English in the West (she was the guru who introduced socionics to Russia). She lived to see that happen. She did not live to see the growing movement in socionics in the West. However, she imagined it, and she did her best to help fuel it by donating all her royalties before and after death to additional promotion of the book.
• If by realizing results, you mean sufficient royalties to pay you back for your efforts in writing the book, i.e. a healthy return on investments, then, unless you are someone who has a household name or writing on a topic of the moment that everyone is eager to read about, no, you probably will not see a good ROI immediately or perhaps even while you are still alive unless you live a long time. One of our better-selling books, How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately, struggled along with the author's struggles with terminal cancer. He never knew that it took off shortly after he died and has brought in thousands of dollars of royalties for his widow.
• If by realizing results, you mean you have a book in hand with good lessons learned from your life that you can personally share with those who need to know the content (whether that is legacy information for your children or some good insights for people in your profession), then, yes, you might have that. We have had a few examples of that. Of course, no publisher will take a book knowing that you have no intention of assisting with promotion because it is a losing proposition for authors. To be fair, if that is your intent and goal, then you should seriously consider self-publication.

Will I have time and energy to write the book?

• Time waits for no man (woman), as they say, so if you are thinking about it during your retirement years, it is probably best to stop thinking and start writing. None of us knows how long we have, but we do know that the years past 60 are more limited than those past 20.
• Energy, too, can be fleeting. None of us knows how our health will hold up in later years. If you have the interest/desire now, the time, and the energy, then just do it! 

Will anyone publish my book?

• That is a good question. Perhaps. Most publishers will look at the traditional criteria: are you a credible purveyor of the book content, have you invested (at least, energy and motivation) in the book, are you likely to be able to assist in some way with promoting the book/ensuring sales and decent ROI (i.e. do you have a name, a platform, or a reasonable plan)?
• If your answers to those traditional publisher questions (regardless of age), then, no, you are not likely to be offered traditional publication, but that does not mean you cannot publish your book. By all means, look for a traditional publisher, but if you are not having any luck finding one, don't delay. Self-publish. It is no longer a negative mark on your book, and many opportunities open to authors who have been traditionally published will also be open to you.

Will anyone read my book? 

• That will depend upon the content. Is this a book you want to write about your life for your kids? Then, probably, your audience will not expand much beyond that. It is difficult to market a family book, or diary, of a non-famous person,
• That will not depend upon your age. I don't know any reader who decides not to read a book because of the age of the author. In fact, if the content comes from years of experience, like our multiple-award-winning book, Women, We're Only Old Once, readers find great value in the content because of all the experiences and knowledge acquired by the author over decades and now shared with readers.

How do I get people to know about my book at my age?

• Your age is not really important in this case, except that you probably have many more contacts than you did 40 years ago. Use those contacts to spread the word.
• If you are traditionally published or hybrid published, your publisher will be responsible for a lot of the promotion but will expect you to pull your own weight, too, and will likely guide you in how to do that.
• If you are self-published, well, this will be a challenge, but no different at any age. Check out our blog posts on promotion and book marketing; also google, google, google, and find out what others are doing that is effective.

Bottom line: You are never too old to write a book. Think about your goal and the realities you live in first -- then go about it in the most beneficial and realistic way for yourself.

See more Publisher Conversations with Authors HERE.

 Learn more about publishing from an acquisitions editor -- how to get your book proposal accepted, why proposals are turned down/accepted, and how to find the right publisher for your book. On special sale for $5 while inventory lasts at MSI Press webstore. Also available as an e-book and an audiobook.

The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic that you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 18 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.

                             

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