Authors should worry more about obscurity than theft. Since people generally steal popular content, an untested author's work is unlikely to be stolen. Instead, authors often struggle to get anyone to read their work for free.
Russel Nohelty advises new authors to embrace the freedom of obscurity to experiment and discover their niche. He shares his own journey of writing in various genres before achieving success, emphasizing the importance of the "mess around" stage. This experimentation allowed him to refine his craft and find what works best for him.
Despite his success, Nohelty continues to focus more on attracting readers than on the threat of plagiarism, suggesting that this mindset is more beneficial for authors at any stage of their career.
Discussion (2)
I get the paranoia about having your work stolen, but honestly, worrying about it too early is counterproductive. Playing "defense" before you even have an audience is like building a moat around an empty castle.
If someone else snags your concept and runs with it before you have a chance to make a name for yourself, you could lose out on the opportunity to be recognized for your originality, but that is incredibly rare.