Some writers increase their readership; others only increase the number of books.
Jacinto Benavente
“Many books are bought from you because sex sells”; “You invented warm water”; “If you weren’t pretty, no one would be interested in what you write”; “You’ve gotten to where you are because you have leverage,” etc. That’s how prejudices sound about the current state of my work. As if selling books were as easy as announcing on your social networks that you have a new creation and people will rush to buy it.
As if I had spent the last 23 years, the years I’ve been publishing my own books, growing money from the tree in my backyard instead of traveling the country from fair to fair.
Or as another unfortunate comment: “How cool that your partner helps you write your books.” As if for the last 23 years I had spent every day watching the tele Instead of researching, reading, living, traveling, learning; writing endless notes, making progress, rewriting, correcting, editing, making mistakes, moving forward.
Maybe I make it seem easier than it is. Maybe those prejudices lead me to nullify my effort, what I have achieved, because it has surely been given to me because of my pretty face or because I open my legs to whomever suits me.
That’s why I’m going to share some ideas for those who think that writing and selling books is easy, and also so that those who want to dedicate themselves to this noble and misunderstood profession know what they’re getting into.
Miraculous act
A A book is not a basic necessity: if you never read a book, you will not die (perhaps you will die of boredom because books are oases when the world seems too big for you).
Of the According to Caniem, 104.1 million copies of books were produced in Mexico in 2022. For a population that reads 3.2 books on average per year, if someone buys even one of mine, that seems like a huge triumph to me.
Three If you leave a cell phone, headphones, a speaker, a computer, expensive glasses, a well-known brand jacket, a luxury watch, a gold jewelry, a wallet, a briefcase or an elegant leather bag on the seat of the car, it will most likely be smashed through the window to get it out; you will probably get really angry because of the amount of money you invested in it and then buy a new one. That doesn’t happen with books. No one is going to try to steal them, the car windows can be safe; and if you’ve already read it, you won’t be interested in replacing it, but rather you’ll go for a new title (unless it’s a book that has obsessed you, that’s the exception that confirms the rule). And that’s even though the value of books is much greater than their cost in pesos and cents.
Four Books have a very short shelf life. They last between one and three months on the new arrivals table in bookstores. If they have sold well, they go to the booksellers where they will be found by those who specifically want them and not by those who are looking for a surprise. If they have not sold well, they go to the warehouse and the distribution center to be returned to the publisher. And that’s the end of the story.
So now you know, the next time you threaten to belittle a writer’s work, think about the miraculous act that a book without stratospheric investments in advertising or without being written by a world-famous author reaches the hands of readers among that sea of publications that is born every year to offer you unforgettable moments.
Books travel to the eyes of those who will enjoy them copy by copy.