Hi,
Writers, especially ones at the beginning of their career, obsess over the perceived threat of "cheapening" their work. They stress out about pricing too low, giving away books for free, or making their work too accessible. They fear that if they don’t maintain a certain level of exclusivity, they’ll erode the value of their art.
But the real danger to them isn’t devaluation—it’s obscurity.
If nobody knows who you are, it doesn’t matter how much you charge. If no one is reading your books, pricing them at $20 or $10 or even $1 won’t make a difference. Visibility is the game, and the biggest threat to your success isn’t undervaluing your work.
It’s being invisible.
You can’t sell a $10 book if nobody cares enough to read a free one.
You can’t build a thriving career if your name never crosses readers’ minds.
You can’t make a living if you’re hoarding your words in the dark, hoping someone stumbles upon them.
Your work isn’t competing against other books at a similar price. It’s competing against being ignored. Against the endless stream of distractions, social media, streaming platforms, and the thousands of books being released every single day.
The most successful authors aren’t necessarily the best writers. They’re the ones who get in front of the right audience. They understand that the key to long-term success is exposure, engagement, and connection.
So, how do you escape obscurity? By reducing friction between you and the reader, and do you know what the main source of friction is? Money.
I'm not saying that money isn't important. After all, we live in capitalism, where money is energy. However, we're always on a spectrum between growth and monetization. When we want to grow, we move away from monetization. When we want to monetize, we halt growth. Most writers struggle because they are trying to do both at once, when I've always found it best to work in seasons of growth and seasons of monetization.
When I'm in a season of growth, I reduce as much friction as possible. Once I've done a lot of growing, I pull back and focus on monetizing my audience.
How do we escape the hideousness of obscurity?
Give Away Value Freely
The fear that giving away your work will devalue it is misguided. Readers need a reason to invest their time in you. If they’ve never heard of you, they need a low-risk entry point that is easily accessible and engaging. Whether it’s a free novella, a sample of your book, or a short story on your website, offering value upfront is a proven way to build an audience.Get Loud and Be Everywhere
You can’t afford to wait for readers to find you. You must be proactive. Get on social media, start a newsletter, engage in online communities, collaborate with other authors, and leverage every platform that can give you visibility.Stop Waiting for Permission
Traditional publishing is slow, gatekept, and favors established names. The days of waiting to be “discovered” are over. Successful authors today take their careers into their own hands by building direct relationships with their readers, through using platforms like Kickstarter, Patreon, and Substack to create sustainable careers.Understand the Power of Free
Many authors worry that if they give their books away for free, readers won’t buy them later. But think about it: Would you rather have zero readers at $10 or 100 readers at $0? Those 100 readers will talk about your work, leave reviews, and be far more likely to buy future books. Free isn't the enemy—being ignored is.Play the Long Game
Building a successful writing career isn’t about one book or one launch. It’s about consistent, strategic growth. Instead of fixating on how much each book is worth today, think about how much your brand will be worth five years from now if you prioritize visibility over scarcity.
Your work doesn’t become valuable because you demand a higher price. It becomes valuable because people know it exists and care about it. Your favorite authors aren’t your favorite because they priced their books correctly. They’re your favorite because you’ve read their work, connected with it, and built a relationship with their stories.
The best way to increase the value of your books? Get them into as many hands as possible. Build an audience that cares. Create demand through connection, not artificial scarcity.
Would you rather be an unknown author clinging to high prices or a widely read author whose books people eagerly anticipate? The answer should be clear.
Obscurity kills careers. Attention builds them.
Get loud. Give value. Make sure your work is seen.
Everything else will follow.
What do you think?
Are you in a season of growth or monetization?
What ways are you holding back your growth?
Let us know in the comments.
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Thank you for this, Russell! This is a very helpful way of looking at growth vis-a-vis monetization.
Thanks to your writings, I've recently been realizing that in following a lot of advice that a lot of established writers dole out, I was completely missing the point that what works for someone with a larger audience wouldn't necessarily work for someone like me who's just starting out. I really appreciate the caveats you offer along with all your marketing advice, like noting a particular strategy would work if one generally has an inventory of 20 books or so, for e.g. Much appreciated!