The Heatwave
For those of you who haven't noticed, we've had a heatwave in the UK.
Some people have been out enjoying the sunshine and the heat, some have wished it could be hotter (yes those people do exist), while others, like me, have been melting.
Really warped people have used it to get a tan and spend time outdoors in what they laughingly call 'fresh air'. [spine shivers]
People are different.
Comedian Paul Merton wrote a small piece giving advice to those who want to be comedians. Amongst his advice is a statistic that made me think. As a panelist on Have I Got News For You, he reaches about 5 million people weekly with his humour. In Paul's words that means that 60 million people in the UK have no idea who he is.
Then there are the comedians that Radio 4 listeners will know, such as Milton Jones, John Finnemore and Lucy Montgomery who have even less exposure, but are still known by tens of thousands and unknown by the vast bulk of the population.
It's the same with authors.
A few will be known by millions, some by hundreds of thousands, quite a few by tens of thousands and a significant number by a few thousand.
All of it can change in a matter of months.
A TV show (Miranda), a best selling book (JK Rowling), a film of your book (Life of Pi) or a TV show (Me? I can dream)
Don't worry about how many or few people know who you are. Write good books, grow your audience and take a chance when it's offered.
You could end being known by millions or just by a few thousand.
Whichever happens, you're still doing well.
Some people have been out enjoying the sunshine and the heat, some have wished it could be hotter (yes those people do exist), while others, like me, have been melting.
Really warped people have used it to get a tan and spend time outdoors in what they laughingly call 'fresh air'. [spine shivers]
People are different.
Comedian Paul Merton wrote a small piece giving advice to those who want to be comedians. Amongst his advice is a statistic that made me think. As a panelist on Have I Got News For You, he reaches about 5 million people weekly with his humour. In Paul's words that means that 60 million people in the UK have no idea who he is.
Then there are the comedians that Radio 4 listeners will know, such as Milton Jones, John Finnemore and Lucy Montgomery who have even less exposure, but are still known by tens of thousands and unknown by the vast bulk of the population.
It's the same with authors.
A few will be known by millions, some by hundreds of thousands, quite a few by tens of thousands and a significant number by a few thousand.
All of it can change in a matter of months.
A TV show (Miranda), a best selling book (JK Rowling), a film of your book (Life of Pi) or a TV show (Me? I can dream)
Don't worry about how many or few people know who you are. Write good books, grow your audience and take a chance when it's offered.
You could end being known by millions or just by a few thousand.
Whichever happens, you're still doing well.
I think we can safely say that Paul Merton's take on his popularity is definitely a glass-half-empty approach! I'd be happy with the five million ...
ReplyDeleteI love this quote! I shall make it my aim to be wonderful and see where it leads!
ReplyDelete