Writing for the Time Impoverished: How to Structure Your Writing to Make Sure You Finish Your Novel What separates professional writers from amateurs? Author Matthew Harffy has the answer, and tips for ensuring that you make your publication dreams a reality. Author: Joseph Epstein wrote in The New York Times in 2002 that “81 percent of Americans feel they have a book in them—and that they should write it.” He then urged people not “to write that book ... Keep it inside you, where it belongs.” Setting aside Epstein’s advice, it is obvious that far fewer than 81 percent of the population actually become published.