Published Writers Are Rich and Famous...Right?

There’s a wonderful line in The Muppet Movie. The Muppets have come to the big city looking for fame and fortune, and they encounter Orson Wells, playing a big-time producer. At the end of the scene, he tells his secretary to prepare the “standard rich and famous contract.” I guess that’s the kind of contract an author dreams about, but so far as I can tell, it only exists in the movies.

From the outside, being a writer seems exciting. At my first writer’s conference, I was awestruck by the published writers there. These were people whose names were household words—well, not in my household, but I was just getting started, so I could be excused for not knowing all of them. But surely they were celebrities in their hometowns. Most certainly they had to stop and give autographs in the grocery store or dry cleaners. And undoubtedly they lived in the lap of luxury. After all, they were published authors!

My first novel was published several years later. I’ll never forget the thrill of opening that box and seeing the cover with “Richard L. Mabry, MD” printed at the top. I listened carefully, but so far as I could tell, there were no cheering crowds outside my window, no marching bands in the street. I opened my Internet browser, but there was no headline about the book. What I did find, however were a bunch of emails about interviews and guest blog posts that I’d lined up to get the word out. No matter that there were no cheering crowds yet. Surely these would do the trick.

Now, fast-forward to the present. Recently I received the print copies of my self-published novella, Doctor’s Dilemma. That made three novellas and ten novels I have had published, but by this time reality had set in. I took a minute to thank God for having brought me this far in a second profession I never dreamed about. I showed the book to my wife, Kay, and gave her a personalized copy. I reviewed the blog interviews and guest posts I’d set up. And then I went about my business. I didn’t take the time to listen for cheering crowds and marching bands. I knew better than to expect any.

At church, a few people know I’m an author, and we talk a bit about it. I’m sometimes asked to sign a book. I’ve been asked to share a little about the publishing industry with various groups. But that’s about it for the famous part. And as for rich, well that’s not going to happen, either.

Do I mind that I never got that “standard rich and famous contract?” Not really. My words have been read by many more people than the population of the town where I grew up. If I’ve succeeded in my mission, when those readers turn the last page of my novel they find they’ve been left with a message—not a hard-sell of Christianity, because that’s just not my style, but rather a message that no matter how far we drift from God, we can always turn back to Him. I’ve been allowed to use the printed page as my pulpit. And that’s rich and famous enough for me.

Leave a comment, including your email address, for a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card. Winner will be chosen and announced in the Comments section the evening of March 26.

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Carrying On A Tradition

I enjoy some novels so much that I can read them again...often several times. I have a couple of bookcases in my home filled with books that I'll go back to from time to time, even though I know how they end. Why? Because the authors know how to string the words together to make me enjoy reading their work.

I read through the works of the late Robert B. Parker while my first wife, Cynthia, was in the intensive care unit for two weeks before finally succumbing to her stroke. It didn't matter that I was familiar with the story line of every novel. I simply wanted to lose myself in that world for a while.

After Parker's death, his widow and long-time editor decided to continue a line of novels featuring the characters he'd established: Spenser, the hard-boiled but oh-so-gentle private detective; Jesse Stone, the recovering (most of the time) alcoholic police chief; Everett Hitch, the companion of western gunman/lawman Virgil Cole. I understand the economics behind such a decision. Unfortunately, with only a few exceptions (such as Lullaby, the Spenser story written by Ace Collins which I'm now re-reading), I don't look favorably on the result.

Other authors more or less license their name, "co-writing" novels that are primarily crafted by others from concepts the well-known author provides. Again, I haven't been particularly impressed with the results. Why? Because of that elusive quality all writers have to find: their "voice." The others may use the same characters, the same general story arc, but the discriminating reader can tell the difference. What defines voice? If I knew, I'd be teaching other writers how to find theirs. But I don't, so I'll leave it to you to help answer this question.

Do you like the novels written by others who carry on the tradition of well-known authors? Can you tell the difference? What is your opinion about this practice.

I'll choose one comment at random (providing you include your email address, so I can notify the winner) to receive a signed copy of my novella, Silent Night, Deadly Night.

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