Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar's Blog
February 12, 2016
Why I Like Writing Children’s Stories
I have often been referred to as a ‘prolific� writer of children’s stories. Actually, there are many people who only know me as a writer of children’s stories: people who have no idea that I also dabble in other writing genres. But this is understandable, given the fact that my best works have been in the children’s stories genre. And if I am to be honest, I will have to admit that I like writing children stories.
Having admitted that I indeed like writing children stories, the question that naturally comes up is as to why I like this particular genre: that is, why I like writing children’s stories. Upon introspecting deeply, I came to the conclusion that there are three key reasons as to why I like writing children’s stories, which I will be sharing in today’s blog post.
Firstly, I have to admit that I like writing children’s stories because I know that I stand to have a major (and enduring) impact that way. You see, one of the things that pushed me to be a writer is the desire to have influence on people’s minds. And I know this: that to the extent that I can write children’s stories, and actually get the children to read the stories, then those stories would remain with them for the rest of their lives. The things we read as kids tend to stick and remain with us for life: unlike the things we read as adults, which tend to evaporate and be forgotten within an hour.
Secondly, I like writing children’s stories because I find the task easier than that of producing works for the adult audience. This is baffling to some people, who argue that the task of writing (authentic) children’s stories is harder than that of producing works for adults. But for me, I find it easier to come up with the simple characters, themes and plot-lines for children’s stories: which is why, in the final analysis, I find the entire task easy.
Thirdly, I like writing children’s stories because I find it to be financially rewarding. I see that although many people stopped buying novels and other works of literature meant for adult readers long ago, they do still feel obliged to buy story books for their kids. Thus, the production of children’s stories is still lucrative, and I have to be honest enough and admit that I still do care about the money. I care about the money, because I don’t like the indignity of having to fill in the forms for food stamps and welfare money on sites such as the website. I find it demeaning, and prefer to earn my own money. Thus, as long as writing stories for children remains lucrative, I will always try to be a ‘prolific� writer of children’s stories.
The Pitfalls of Attempting to Publish Your Own Work
In my last blog post, I explored some of the ways in which publishers tend to be unfair to writers. After publishing that article, I started seeing comments from people posing the question as to why the writers can’t publish themselves then, if the publishers are so bad. To paraphrase that question, if the publishers are so unfair, why then (given the fact that one always has the option of publishing himself or herself)? So in today’s blog post, I will attempt to answer that question. And I will mainly answer that question by pointing out that publishing your own work has its own pitfalls. This is to say that when writers opt to stick with the publishers, in spite of the publishers being exploitative, it is because self-publication has its own pitfalls. Let’s look at some of the said pitfalls.
Firstly, it is worth noting that when one opts for , they miss out on the quality-control mechanisms that are available through the established publishing houses. This is a key pitfall, because on of it, one easily ends up with substandard works that then fail to gain traction in the literary market, leading to huge losses.
Secondly, we have to appreciate that when opts for self-publication, they miss out on the opportunity to use the marketing networks that the publishers possess. This is a huge pitfall, because the way the industry works (just as most other industries) is such that it is essentially controlled by cartels. These cartels determine which works gain which portions of the market. A publisher helps you get your foot into these waters, and further helps you navigate these murky waters. When you see works of certain writers being well distributed in all bookshops you visit, it is thanks to these networks. When you see certain writers being interviewed on all TV stations about their latest works, it is on account of these networks. When you see certain writers having their works (positively) critiqued on all major newspapers, it is on account of these networks. By opting for self-publication, you miss out on the power of the networks in question.
On account of those facts, writers opt to stick with publishers, notwithstanding the exploitative nature of the publishers.
Why I Think Publishers are Unfair to Writers
I am one of those writers who subscribe to the view that publishers are rather unfair to writers. When I make this assertion, I am referring to publishers as a class. I am not referring to certain individual publishers whom I have dealt with (and maybe had negative experiences with). On the contrary, I am making reference to the entire publisher class. In today’s blog post, I will provide some insights, on the specific ways in which I think .
Firstly, I think publishers are unfair to writers to the extent that they tend to exploit the writers financially. So you have a scheme where a writer often earns only 10 percent of the revenues made from the sale of his or her work. This money comes in the form of royalties. And therefore you have the publishers remaining with 90% of the revenues. Granted, you may say that there are other costs to be catered for: including the actual printing costs, the costs associated with distribution, the costs associated with get publicity for a book� and so on. But even after those costs are catered for, I still think that the 10% that is given to the writer is often too little.
Secondly, I think publishers are unfair to writers to the extent that they tend to expect writers to be perfectionists. So this is where they usually reject manuscripts from the writers on the most frivolous of excuses. And this is how you actually end up with lots of frustrated writers, who simply give up when their works keep on being rejected.
Thirdly, I think publishers are unfair to writers to the extent that they often don’t care about the writers� long term well-being. And it is due to this fact that you end up with so many writers who become destitute in their old age. This is especially true for those who are not lucky enough to get other jobs through which they can earn pensions.
