The struggles of juggling a day time job plus an author business

If you are an author with a full-time job and a family, I don't have to tell you how tough this is.

Being an author is a job on it's own. It means having to (not in any particular order);

Write

Edit/Format/Publish

Post on social media consistently

Update websites

Blog

Attend book signs, book cons

Keep organized and on top of your social calendar so you can attend book signings, cons, etc

Conduct presentations, workshops, be on panels, etc.

Interact with readers and answer questions

Create or buy swag for events

Book flights to get to events (if you fly) and pack, accordingly

And this is just part of the mess that is being an author, today.

It is a consistent, almost manic juggle of writing, events, and publishing.

That's not even including participating in writing contests, podcasts or author interviews.

And....if your day time job sucks. Even worse.

I know some authors that stay at their day job to pay for their author job. I get it. Authors don't make a lot of money. They are always constantly struggling to get to the Next thing. And then after that, the Next thing afterward. It seems like a constant cycle of struggle sometimes.

And why do we do it?

That's a good question.

I have done this for so long, I don't know who I would be without it.

I think I might feel lost not being on social media all the time and that is kind of crazy if you think about it.

But unlike most authors that are trying to be a Full-time author, I am probably one of the very few that will say this. I don't want to be a Full-time author. I am not striving for that goal nor do I want it. I can't imagine the pressure of constantly producing work/manuscripts and turning them out, non-stop.

I just want to be happy in life and happy with what I am doing. And I think all authors can agree to that.