As I write this, there are only 39 days until Christmas, something which my son has told me daily for the last few weeks, counting off the days with excitement.
Me, on the other hand, well, I’m wondering how it’s already mid-November.
But it’s true, the festive season is in sight and with it, comes another year. My hope for 2022 is a sense of normalcy because I’ve learnt over the last couple of years that uncertainty is terrible for my creativity levels!
So with January just around the corner bringing with it fresh optimism, it’s a great time to start writing. But that's not the only benefit to writing a book in 2022 - here are 5 more.
1. People are reading more
Despite the closure of many bookshops due to Covid, sales of fiction books grew in the UK in 2020 by 16%. We also see a similar rising trend across other genres including audio books (37%), children’s books (2%) and non-fiction (4%). Digital books also saw sales rising by a whopping 24%. As someone who often worries that the art of reading is dying, I think it’s safe to say that there’s still a strong appetite for books despite the likes of Netflix and social media competing for our attention.
2. It’s easier than ever before to become a published author
It wasn’t that long ago that the only route to market was traditional publishing which involved a highly competitive arena and hoping your manuscript got chosen from thousands by an incredibly swamped agent. Today, there are more options, which are much quicker and easier so you can decide which is right for you. The rise in self-publishing is a testament to this and with the help of professional designers and editors, you can use Amazon - the world’s largest retailer - to do the heavy lifting. As of 2019, there were 103 million Amazon Prime users in the United States alone. And while self-publishing still battles a perception of low quality, keep in mind that on Kindle, 17 of the 100 top-selling books are self-published.
3. You’ll understand yourself better
‘If you want to know yourself, write a book,’ said Shereen El Feki and after writing three novels, I can tell you El Feki was spot on. Writing is a self-reflective act and the nature of the job forces you to turn inward. If you have strong emotions around a particular experience (and let's be honest, it’s been a challenging couple of years for everyone), you may find yourself compelled to explore it. The process can be cathartic and it’s certainly cheaper than therapy.
4. Elevate your career
If you feel that 2022 is the time you want to take the next step in your career, becoming a published author is one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd. Less than 1% of the population will go on to finish and publish a book and having your name in print will also give you credibility and open up new opportunities.
5. Our time is limited
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that life is unpredictable. We have no idea what’s coming next so if writing a book is important to you (and I’m guessing it is otherwise why would you be reading this post?), then it’s probably better to do it sooner rather than later. I talk about this a lot in my post 3 Reasons To Write A Book Now And Not When You Retire and I truly believe that prioritising our deepest desires leads to more contentment in life. Ultimately though, you have the chance to share your work with the world and leave a written legacy and who wouldn't want that for 2022?
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