Being an author can make for a lonely life. Sometimes it’s nice to hear a song that captures the epitome or irony of being a writer. Sometimes it’s just nice to hear words and know for a fact that you and the lyricist “get” – and non-writers probably don’t. It’s kind of like an inside joke or being in a club with someone awesome, like the Fab Four. Yes, I’m talking about Paperback Writer by The Beatles.
This song is full of sarcasm. It makes me smile. How does it make you feel?
K.S. Brooks is an award-winning novelist, photographer, and photo-journalist, author of over 30 titles, and executive director and administrator of Indies Unlimited. Brooks is currently a photo-journalist and chief copy editor for two NE Washington newspapers. She teaches self-publishing and writing topics for the Community Colleges of Spokane, and served on the Indie Author Day advisory board. For more about K.S. Brooks, visit her website and her Amazon author page.
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15 thoughts on “Anthems for Authors – Paperback Writer”
I have never really listened to the words before now. Interesting, its almost like this song is a premonition to the business of writing books today–lets write a book and we’ll make millions. Lol.
You are so right! I don’t know who was the inspiration for the song, but one of their friends had to have been an author in the bad-old-days of publisher / agent restriction. Not that it is perfect now with the Indy revolution, but your point of the trials of being a “Paperback Writer” is taken to my heart!
Thanks for that, Kat, it brought back memories to make me smile, and you’re right about the way writers and non writers listen to that. I haven’t listened to The Beatles for ages, ‘inspirational!’ I’m going to play my Beatles collection as I write today.
In the past I interpreted this song as a about a deluded wanna-be. It has a different impact now, from the other side if the fence.
Yes, I did too, a decade or 3 ago. Now when I hear it I punch the air and go ‘yeah, that’s ME!’
I’m glad Anthems for Authors is back!
What a great song! Don’t you just love the snark? I bet those guys Lennon and McCartney would have fit right in here at IU, if the music gig hadn’t worked out for them… 😉
I got back into the Beatles around the time I started writing to publish. I think I’ve listened to that song a billion times since then. It cracks me up. 🙂
I love this song. I know I have it in my LP collection. Time to dust off the record player and get those speakers crackling…
I’ve always liked that song, but my favorite now has to be ‘Rewrite’ by Paul Simon on ‘So Beautiful or So What’:
‘I’ve been working on my rewrite,
that’s right
I’m gonna change the ending
Gonna throw away my title
And toss it in the trash
Every minute after midnight
All the time I’m spending
It’s just for working on my rewrite
Gonna turn it into cash’
If you haven’t heard this before, I highly recommend it!
Great. Are there any more anthems? If so which label are they under?
I think there are 4 others – if you search “Anthems for Authors” in the search window at the upper right, it should bring them all up. 🙂
Thanks!
Dear sir or madam would read my ebook… 😀 As a query letter, seems legit. Especially with the closing line I need a job and I wanna be a ebook writer.
I have never really listened to the words before now. Interesting, its almost like this song is a premonition to the business of writing books today–lets write a book and we’ll make millions. Lol.
You are so right! I don’t know who was the inspiration for the song, but one of their friends had to have been an author in the bad-old-days of publisher / agent restriction. Not that it is perfect now with the Indy revolution, but your point of the trials of being a “Paperback Writer” is taken to my heart!
Thanks for that, Kat, it brought back memories to make me smile, and you’re right about the way writers and non writers listen to that. I haven’t listened to The Beatles for ages, ‘inspirational!’ I’m going to play my Beatles collection as I write today.
In the past I interpreted this song as a about a deluded wanna-be. It has a different impact now, from the other side if the fence.
Yes, I did too, a decade or 3 ago. Now when I hear it I punch the air and go ‘yeah, that’s ME!’
I’m glad Anthems for Authors is back!
What a great song! Don’t you just love the snark? I bet those guys Lennon and McCartney would have fit right in here at IU, if the music gig hadn’t worked out for them… 😉
I got back into the Beatles around the time I started writing to publish. I think I’ve listened to that song a billion times since then. It cracks me up. 🙂
I love this song. I know I have it in my LP collection. Time to dust off the record player and get those speakers crackling…
I’ve always liked that song, but my favorite now has to be ‘Rewrite’ by Paul Simon on ‘So Beautiful or So What’:
‘I’ve been working on my rewrite,
that’s right
I’m gonna change the ending
Gonna throw away my title
And toss it in the trash
Every minute after midnight
All the time I’m spending
It’s just for working on my rewrite
Gonna turn it into cash’
If you haven’t heard this before, I highly recommend it!
Hi Mel – We actually ran this one, too! https://indiesunlimited.com/2012/03/24/anthems-for-authors-rewrite/
Great. Are there any more anthems? If so which label are they under?
I think there are 4 others – if you search “Anthems for Authors” in the search window at the upper right, it should bring them all up. 🙂
Thanks!
Dear sir or madam would read my ebook… 😀 As a query letter, seems legit. Especially with the closing line I need a job and I wanna be a ebook writer.