Anyone Can Write A Book
If I Can, Anyone Can
Introduction
The title is an untruth. It's like anyone can win a marathon, anyone can swim the channel, anyone can climb a mountain, and anyone can play piano.
The digital age has made it much easier to share your work with the world. When I first started thinking of making a record or writing a book, you had to get a record label or publisher or fork out for a run of whatever your art was. Then find somewhere to sell it and hope that people buy it, and you don't end up swelling out bargain bins.
The music is "Mr Writer" by The Stereophonics
So, Can You Publish A Book?
In 1971, Project Gutenberg started, transposing out-of-copyright books to digital storage. This is their current mission statement:
"You will find the world's great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired. Thousands of volunteers digitized and diligently proofread the eBooks, for you to enjoy."
This was really where the ebook started, long, long before Amazon.
For music, we now have Soundcloud, Bandcamp, where you can directly upload and price your Music:
This is about publishing a book, which, in theory, anyone can do, but first of all, you need to write it.
I see ads for "AI" products that will write your book and make you a fortune, but as someone said, "Why would I read something you couldn't be bothered to write?".
I do use AI to generate images for my Vocal stories, but that is just because I cannot afford to pay an artist what they deserve.
This record cover was one of mine; the band did the writing. They asked me how much I wanted. I told them I gave my work away, but $20 would be fine. They said that was not enough, and then forgot about me, but I am fine with that, and I really like the record, so they got more money out of me than I did out of them.
This is about a book, though.
Vocal allows us to produce stories, and when we get enough of a related type, we can gather them together and actually publish a real book.
I produced a guide on how to do it via Amazon here:
This was a follow-up to me accidentally publishing a book based on Vocal stories that I had published here. So if you publish on Vocal, you can publish a book.
I suffer, like many of us, from imposter syndrome, but thanks to the support of my friends and audience, I have the confidence to actually gather together some of my Vocal work and publish.
I recently collaborated with Angie Livingstone (The Glittering Fox) , and together we produced the most expensive book I have been involved in publishing, and it has become my best seller. I was a bit worried that might put people off, but it seems to have attracted people, although the main selling point is Angie's artwork:
I learned a lot publishing this resulting in me publishing two more books soon after.
Conclusion
So, effectively, anyone CAN publish a book, but you need to put the work and the effort in, and it is achievable as long as you keep on the road to get the book out.
If you are uncertain, ask others. Also, try things that may seem mad, as often some things unexpectedly work. I actually find that at work in my job as a finance system administrator, never be afraid to try something that you haven't done before.
Thank you so much for giving me your time to read this, and I hope at least one of you will take the plunge and make a start on your book.
About the Creator
Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred
A Weaver of Tales and Poetry
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My Thoughts On Writing In 2012
Introduction Since I was at school, I have wanted to write a book and this Seven Days In post from October 2012 shows that I still had not done it then, but recently I published this one in collaboration with Angie Livingstone, The Glittering Fox, which has been my most successful publishing venture so far.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 5 months ago in Motivation
How I earn $100 in a day
There was a time when earning $100 in a single day felt like a fantasy to me. Not a goal — a fantasy. I remember staring at my phone late at night, doing small mental calculations: If I earn $5 today and $10 tomorrow, maybe by the end of the month… Even those numbers weren’t guaranteed. Some days, nothing came in at all. And that silence — the absence of notifications, emails, or messages — was louder than failure. People online love to talk about success like it’s loud and shiny. For me, it was quiet. Heavy. Full of doubt. The day I earned $100 didn’t begin with excitement. It began like every other day: tired eyes, a slow morning, and a question I kept asking myself — Is this even worth it? What kept me going wasn’t motivation. It was necessity. I didn’t suddenly become smarter or more talented. I didn’t discover a secret website or a hidden trick. I simply stopped waiting for the “perfect” moment and started using what I already had. I offered small digital work. Simple things. Work that wouldn’t impress anyone on social media — but work that people genuinely needed. And I did it sincerely. That day, the first payment came in early. It wasn’t big. Just enough to remind me that someone trusted me with their money. That feeling mattered more than the amount. Later, while I was offline, something unexpected happened. A digital product I had created earlier — something I almost didn’t upload because I thought it wasn’t good enough — sold. Then it sold again. I stared at the screen for a few seconds, unsure whether to smile or stay calm. By evening, another small task came my way. Then one more. None of these moments felt dramatic. No fireworks. No victory music. Just quiet confirmations that effort, even imperfect effort, still counts. When I finally added everything together late at night, my heart paused. It crossed $100. I didn’t jump. I didn’t celebrate. I just sat there — still — because for the first time, the number felt real. What hit me hardest wasn’t the money. It was the realization that I had been underestimating myself for a long time. I believed earning like this was reserved for “others” — more confident people, more skilled people, luckier people. That belief was wrong. Earning $100 in a day didn’t change my life instantly. But it changed something inside me. It replaced doubt with proof. And proof is powerful. Now I understand something important: money doesn’t always come from doing big things. Sometimes it comes from doing small things consistently and with sincerity. Some days I still don’t reach $100. Some days are quiet again. But the fear is gone. Because once you know something is possible, it stops being a dream and starts being a process. I no longer wait for motivation. I work, even when I feel unsure. I trust that effort never disappears — it just takes time to show itself. If you’re reading this while feeling stuck, tired, or invisible, I want you to know something honestly: You’re not behind. You’re just early in your story. And one ordinary day — without warning — things can start to add up.
By Shah Fayaz 4 days ago in Motivation
Comments (8)
This reminds me of how they handled the quote "Anyone can cook" in the movie Ratatouille. They don't mean that anyone SHOULD do it, but that you shouldn't just assume that because someone is from a certain background that they automatically cannot do it. But I digress. Thank you for this little history on the eBook, as well as the bit of encouragement for those of us who might want to publish their own book but don't know how to go about it. I might do that someday, especially with all my poetry trending towards the same theme(s) lately, but for now, I'm content to watch other people's successes in those areas.
Sure, anyone CAN, doesn't mean they should or will. That AI crap pisses me.off, as I wrote about. Those ads are pure garbage and I don't care how many times they claim they can make writing sound "human like," they can't. AI writing is lazy and it's freaking obvious. I get the using AI for art, it's tough to escape, there's even AI built into so-called DIY tools like Canva and Adobe. Thankfully I'm married to an artist and don't have to pay for art (or if I do, it's in kind as opposed to cash, you'd be surprised how far a freshly baked cake will.go 🤣). Anyway, congrats on the book. I have published 2 thus far, as you may or may not know and am working on my 3rd and most ambitious project to date. I will check out your new offering.
I'm so happy that your Glittering Fox collection is your bestseller. Here's to you publishing more books!
It is on my list to start this month, actually, and I assure you I will find your suggestion about how to do it really helpful. I have enough related matters to put together now, so that is my mission. I have always had a saying that sounds really good, but for someone like me, who is OCD, it's hard to implement. It is "If you always do what you've always done, then you will always get what you've always got.
Great and so informative I loved Project Gutenberg so much :)
You are an inspiration, I think formatting is most what people fear to do in publishing a book and marketing their book to get more buyers across the globe.
A bit of history on how the publishing stuff works. Nice to know where the ebook started and everything before Amazon. Helpful to also know where to go to publish music and get them sold. No one should read anything the person couldn't be bothered to write. I love effort. I am sorry to hear about what happened with the record cover. But at least you tried, that was much more than others have done🤗 I am glad that you used Angie Livingstones art work and together produced the most expensive book, that has become your best seller. Congratulations to you on that 👏🏾🎉 I am not yet ready to make the plunge yet. But like you said if uncertain, ask others. That's definitely something I will keep in mind. Afterall, we are all here to help each other out. Thank you for publishing this Mike, it helps a lot with doubt and that terrible imposter syndrome. Thank you and fantastic work on this one ❤️🤗
Way to go, Mike. You are right anyone can write a book. I have in the past at Amazon, but no buyers but me. I do have some at BN.com (Barnes and Nobels.com/book nook. I am thinking of trying my series 'The Mission' as a book what do you think?