Is “Writing Just For Fun” Loser Talk?

 

 

“Let’s just play and not worry about keeping score,” one older pickler said to a group of women hitting the pickleball on the court next to me.

Another congratulated the other for getting to a ball that she ended up hitting out. They applauded effort over results. “Nice try,” I heard.

That was loser talk and you, as an author, should never subscribe to such thinking.

These women were playing out a serve-and-volley but not adding up points or declaring a game winner. The minute you do something without the intent, or an attempt, to win is the moment you have lost and given up.

Sure, I am a competitor at heart, but so should you be. Sports may be a form of exercise but first and foremost it is a forum to showcase skill, strength, and strategy. To win.

Writing a book, similarly, can be therapeutic, fun, and a way to live life. But you also need to compete to succeed — you compete with your marketing, to get book reviews, awards, speaking opportunities, media attention, social media love, and to win over the hearts and souls of readers.

Don’t tell me you wrote a book for yourself, or friends and family, because that is exactly who will read it and no one else unless you invest your money, time, and effort into promoting it.

And if you are to go beyond reveling in receiving a participation trophy, you will have to work hard and smart. You won’t be able to just whine and do little to help your cause. You won’t succeed by making excuses. You won’t break through by trying something once and not twice or three times.

You will suffer many defeats and spend thousands of dollars and feel like you got nowhere. But you will try again. And again. You will do different things and each one you will approach in multiple ways. Something needs to work for you, and when it does, keep doing your best to do what you do best.

Many books will see little readership. That should only be the case if they are bad books. But many good books have few readers because the author lacked a good marketing plan, failed to execute such a plan, and stopped just before the point of breakthrough.

So, if you believe in your book, and have a good reason to believe in it, then get out there and market your book without complaint, excuse, or defeat.

Writing is fun — but if you write to succeed, start keeping score and never express loser talk

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum