The 9 Biggest Myths About Nonfiction Trade Publishing, Debunked

It makes sense, in a way. Why should your average non-author know what an author actually does in the process of writing, publishing, and promoting a book? Most representations of authors and the publishing industry in popular culture, from television and film to characters in books themselves, do not reflect reality. It's a fantasy, and people project onto that fantasy. They see Carrie Bradshaw enjoying a book party that costs more than most people's weddings, and assume that a toned-down version of this must await most authors at the end of the publishing rainbow.

Yes, every now and then a first-time author who is not already famous will get a big seven-figure advance. But these are usually hot young novelists, and are quite literally one in a million. They were the exact right person in the exact right place at the exact right time. For the rest of us - the remaining nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-nine - the reality is very different.