For the countless aspiring writers in South Korea who dream of achieving literary success like Nobel Prize winner Han Kang, bestselling author Kim Ho-yeon delivered a frank reality check during a recent public event. The author of the international hit "The Second Chance Convenience Store" emphasized that financial discipline is crucial for writers starting their careers, as income remains unpredictable until establishing a solid readership.
"You need to learn how to live a frugal life," Kim told attendees at a book talk held at Mapo Central Library in Seoul on Friday. "Until you become well-known, you generally don't earn much, so you have to learn to spend less." His advice stems from personal experience navigating the challenging path to literary success over more than a decade.
Kim's novel "The Second Chance Convenience Store" has become a remarkable success story since its publication in 2021. The book has sold over 2 million copies in Korea alone and has been translated into multiple languages, including English, Japanese, Chinese, and Polish. The heartwarming story combines humor and drama to tell the tale of Dokgo, a homeless man struggling with alcoholic dementia, and Yeom Young-sook, a convenience store owner who decides to hire him as a part-time worker. Against all expectations, Dokgo proves to be an exceptional employee who significantly improves both the store's operations and sales.
The author's emphasis on financial prudence comes from his own lengthy journey to success. Kim didn't truly begin his career as a novelist until 2013, when he was already in his late thirties. Before finding his calling in literature, he worked various jobs, including screenwriting and positions at publishing companies, constantly searching for his true passion.
Although Kim's novel "Mangwon-dong Brothers" won a prestigious literary award and enabled him to pursue writing full-time, he describes the following seven years as feeling like "a wilderness." During this challenging period, he published several books before "The Second Chance Convenience Store," but none achieved commercial success. This experience taught him valuable lessons about persistence and the true nature of a writing career.
"When things are bleak, that's when writers figure out whether writing is really their passion," Kim explained to the audience. "You might not get any results for a while. Writers write anyway. Do we become writers to win awards? To crank out bestsellers? No. Once I stopped worrying about that stuff and just kept writing, the good things eventually followed."
For aspiring writers in the audience, Kim stressed the fundamental importance of genuine passion for the craft itself. "The real question is whether you actually like writing," he said. "And the only way to know is to write a lot. If you really love writing — if you get hooked on it — that's what makes someone a real writer." His message emphasized that external validation and commercial success should not be the primary motivations for pursuing a writing career.
The international success of "The Second Chance Convenience Store" has taken Kim on a global journey to meet readers from diverse backgrounds. One particularly memorable experience occurred during a recent trip to Poland, where he participated in a book fair. "Polish readers like my book, and I went to Poland earlier this year for a book fair," Kim recalled. "There, I met many readers, and one stood out to me. She told me she was a refugee from Ukraine. I didn't know what to say."
The encounter with the Ukrainian refugee deeply moved Kim and highlighted the universal appeal of his storytelling. He revealed that he has sold the copyright to a Ukrainian publisher, indicating that the book may be published in Ukraine in the future, potentially reaching even more readers affected by current global conflicts.
The event at Mapo Central Library was organized as part of a broader campaign to encourage reading among the local community. Singer Zitten also participated in the discussion, and both artists shared personal stories about their creative processes and the struggles they faced while developing their respective crafts. The collaboration between literature and music provided attendees with diverse perspectives on artistic expression and perseverance.
