Obscurity is a bigger threat than devaluing your work

Writers fear the wrong enemy.

Hi,

Writers, especially ones at the beginning of their career, obsess over the perceived threat of "cheapening" their work. They stress out about pricing too low, giving away books for free, or making their work too accessible. They fear that if they don’t maintain a certain level of exclusivity, they’ll erode the value of their art.

But the real danger to them isn’t devaluation—it’s obscurity.

If nobody knows who you are, it doesn’t matter how much you charge. If no one is reading your books, pricing them at $20 or $10 or even $1 won’t make a difference. Visibility is the game, and the biggest threat to your success isn’t undervaluing your work.

It’s being invisible.

• You can’t sell a $10 book if nobody cares enough to read a free one.

• You can’t build a thriving career if your name never crosses readers’ minds.

• You can’t make a living if you’re hoarding your words in the dark, hoping someone stumbles upon them.

Your work isn’t competing against other books at a similar price. It’s competi…