From Edie: Is pursuing a writing career still worth it in 2026? A thoughtful, hope-filled reflection for authors navigating industry change, setbacks, and the choice to keep moving forward.
Is Being an Author Still Worth It in 2026? A Hopeful Perspective for Writers
by A.C. Williams @ACW_Author
What are you looking forward to in 2026?
It’s no secret that the whole world has been in a state of chaos for a long time. It was rough before 2020, but nobody was prepared for how chaotic and long-lasting the upheaval would be after the lockdowns ended.
The whole world and market and industry has turned on its head. Nothing in the world of books is the same today as it was six years ago. Frankly, today it’s even more of a challenge to make it as a career author, and more obstacles keep presenting themselves. Visibility is more and more difficult. Prices keep going up. And audiences seem to care more about videos on their phones than books in their hands.
Is it still worth it? Wouldn’t it be better to just throw in the towel and let artificial intelligence write for us? Is pursuing a career as a professional storyteller still viable in 2026?
Let’s be clear about something: If you have reached the place in your journey as an author where you hate writing and you hate selling and you hate reading and you hate everything about it, you need to take a step back. If you’re that burned out, pushing harder is only going to make it worse.
But if you’re able to look at the road you’ve already traveled and the road that lies before you with some objectivity, there is a question you need to ask yourself.
Do you truly believe you have wasted your time and resources?
This may be the most important question you can ask yourself as an author as you decide whether or not to continue pursuing a career in storytelling. If you self published a book, and it didn’t do well, do you consider it a failure? Or did you learn something from it? If you signed a contract with a press, and it didn’t go well either, does that mean you were unsuccessful? Or did you still gain something from the process?
I’m an eternal optimist. I know that about myself, but I don’t lean into positivity through ignoring real-life circumstances. I just know from my own personal experience that nothing is ever wasted. Even if a pursuit or a venture doesn’t turn out the way I expect, that doesn’t negate what I learn along the way. I am a firm believer that my time and resources are only ever wasted when I don’t learn from the results, so I made up my mind years ago to always learn something.
Have the books I’ve published sold as much as I wanted? No. Does that mean I failed? Of course not. It just means I learn better ways to position myself in the industry. It means I learn more efficient methods to get a manuscript to publication. It means the next book I publish will do better because I can implement what I learned from the others.
While the state of the industry plays a role in how successful an author can be, it’s not the only measure. The true measurement for an author’s success is the attitude he or she takes into the process.
Can you learn from things that don’t go according to plan? Can you pivot if your current strategy isn’t working? Can you keep moving forward even when you feel like giving up? Can you publish another book even if your first one isn’t successful financially?
Can you consider yourself successful if all you accomplish in 2026 is to get a book published? Can you call yourself a winner if all you accomplish is to finish a manuscript? Either of those are incredible achievements, but if you don’t make up your mind to see them that way, no one can convince you of it.
For me, I believe 2026 is going to be a year of wins. I don’t know what kind of wins they will be, but I know I’m trying some new things. I’m venturing out past my comfort zone in a few areas, and I anticipate learning things that will help me increase my reach, grow my word count, and bless my readers. No matter how you look at it, all of those things are wins.
Aren’t you tired of planning for the worst? I am. So what would happen if we planned for the best? That doesn’t mean we don’t prepare for negative outcomes, but I think too often we expect failure when success is possible. The solution may be as simple as adjusting how we look at the results of our actions and choices.
Our situation may not change, and our circumstances may not either. But if our perspective can shift, if our attitudes can change, I suspect many other parts of our lives would change too. For the better.
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