I’m a writer / illustrator. These days I’m mostly an illustrator. But a couple of decades back, I was mostly an author, and at one point had the happy experience of putting 13 novels into print with HarperCollins and Avon Press, along with a host of non-fiction books with smaller presses.

During my time as a mostly writer, I discovered there are many people that are simply jealous of authors — and often will do their best to put wordsmiths down (if not outright belittle them).

Such people will often dismiss a writer as doing something anyone can do. Phrases like, “Everyone has a good book or two in them” or “When I get the time, I’m going to write the Great American Novel” may not be conscious putdowns, but nevertheless most authors will recognize them as such.

And most who have worked honing words and polishing manuscripts know that not most people don’t have what it takes to become a successful writer (any more than most people have what it takes to become a successful brain surgeon, sculptor, or other work that requires a lot of learning, creativity, and craftsmanship).

Another sort of putdown can occur during the “what do you do” exchange that often occurs in social interaction. Sadly some will use this social interplay as a way to belittle an author. Years ago when I worked mostly as an author, an occasional exchange would often go something like this after I revealed I was a writer:

Their first attempted putdown was to ask, “Have you published with any press I’ve ever heard of?” The hope here is that you’re with some small press, in which case the question suggested if you weren’t with a big press, your work was less than noteworthy (which anyone who knows anything about the business of writing is not the case).

Fortunately, I could counter with, “Have you ever heard of HarperCollins?” This was a sort of subtle counter putdown since it suggested they might be very unfamiliar with publishers and writing.

Often the conversation went from there with no more attempted putdowns.

But sometimes they’d persist: “What sort of books do you write?”

“Action-adventure and science fiction.”

“Oh,” they’d say with the hint of a smile, as if I’d just admitted to writing Nazi propaganda. “But when are you going to do some serious writing?”

Of course there are all sorts of comebacks to that question. But suffice to say, if you’re a writer, all you need to know is that some folks will never admit you’re a success. They will be jealous of the fact that you’re living your dream and doing what you enjoy. Because of that, they will try to puncture your balloon, to bring you down in order to make themselves feel more important, or simply to spread their misery. Unless you’ve just won the Pulitzer Prize, these folks will find a way to look down their noses at any achievement. And even if you just did win that prestigious prize, they’d likely still manage a putdown of some sort by speculating as to why you hadn’t won it earlier, or whether you’d ever win again.

Today many authors take the self-publishing route, and these folks can really get hammered with hurtful words like “vanity press” or “so you couldn’t find anyone to publish you?” Even as more and more writers are becoming successful in realizing their dreams, there seem to be more and more people who have become jealous of such success.

As a writer, never allow these folks to discourage you. Learn to ignore their verbal barbs. Ideally you’ll even come to understand that these folks should be pitied since they are, after all, very likely dissatisfied with their own lives.

Remember that you’re lucky to be doing the thing you love while many others cannot. You’ve worked hard to get where you are. Don’t let anyone rob you of your joy or sense of achievement.