Perhaps because my latest book, Not Quite Dark: A Post-Apocalyptic Adoption Story is doing well in terms of sales, I had a strange dream about being a popular writer the
other night. I dreamed that Obama had unwittingly endorsed my book because he’d recommended it to a friend. The resulting media firestorm soon had my book flying off the virtual shelves. Soon that was followed by the sales of my other books, and suddenly I was hugely popular and had to worry about keeping my fans happy, deflecting the haters, and dealing with media reactions and demands as well as keeping the writing machine going.
When I woke up, I paused, in that glorious moment when you wake early but don’t have to get out of bed immediately, and thought about what that success would look like. I thought about the five or so books I am currently working on and how I would have to step up production to keep the shark tank fed. I also contemplated what my working life would look like. Instead of fitting my writing in when I have time, I would be able to devote some hours of my day to finishing old projects and starting new ones. I would teach next term, even if I were quite wealthy, largely because I have signed the contracts and because I have students who are depending on me to be there. Also, I would need a while to get ready for the idea of being an author only instead of the jack of all trades I have been most of my life.
The most profound change that would happen to my life would be where I would live and how large my place would be. I have discussed with my friends the reason that I might soon have a two bedroom apartment, but if I were suddenly wealthy, I might splurge and live in a nicer area, although the two bedroom quality would likely stay the same. I wonder if my sudden success would speed parts of my new plan, or slow them.
I rose that morning, anticipating that my book sales were likely stable and modest, and I wasn’t disappointed. The new novel is doing well, but in some ways it is a relief to work on the books I want to write instead of worrying about a huge audience. I only have to keep myself happy and not millions of fans. Thus I can write stories set during various apocalypses, write a journal about visiting Thailand, a road novel about a man searching for meaning after his mother dies, and a novel about fifteen colonists on Mars. I can do this and not have to worry about either public approbation or attack.
