Jo Ann LeQuang reports:
"Being a writer is a form of gainful employment. Would-be writers generally ask me questions about writing. I am almost never asked questions about the business of writing. The business of writing separates the sheep from the goats. A writer who sees her writing as a business can actually make money in the field, even pretty decent money. A writer who sees her work as her passion, her creative outlet, or her hobby generally does not make money. Writers who want to support themselves writing need to stop thinking and talking about writing and focus on the business...If you want to earn a living as a writer, you have to sell what you’ve written. One way to do this is to get a job at a corporation as a writer. You may not realize it, but most large corporations (and many smaller businesses) have full-time writers on staff. You may wind up writing manuals or reports or brochures or web content, but you can write for a living. Just about any organization that puts words on paper, whether in shareholder newsletters, annual reports, product manuals, ads, strategic plans, and so on has a need for writers. Freelance writers can also write for businesses but instead of being on staff, they work from their own office. Some companies contract writers to do writing work on-site for specific durations or projects. Landing freelance assignments from businesses can be pretty lucrative work but you have to know what you’re doing. Businesses tend to be sort of humorless about deadlines and quality of work. A freelancer working for businesses needs to maintain regular office hours, answer the phone professionally...and have all of the equipment businesses expect. This means you need e-mail, business phone, and fax line. It doesn’t hurt to have a website, even if it’s just basically a business card online. To start looking for work at businesses you should first try to network. Referrals are a great way to get jobs, but you need to start telling people about your services. It’s easy to start with folks you know. From there, expand into people whose contact information you can get. You can prepare a simple mailing with a letter introducing yourself and your services and contact information. Send it out to businesses in the fields you’d like to work for. Mention any special expertise, training, or background you have...What if you’re just starting out and don’t have a specialty? It’s easy to get one. Just start writing. Contribute material to local newsletters, the local paper, and websites in your field. Notice I said 'contribute.' You increase your odds of getting published if you give this stuff away. That’s good business sense because you need published clips. Want to write about financial services? Start by writing anything and everything you can on the subject for free, save up the clips, and then prepare a letter and mailing with your best work to attract business clients. Writing for business can be done for a flat rate or by the hour. A flat rate works well if you know the exact scope of what you’re doing. Since many businesses can make changes on the fly, even changing the direction or scope of the project, an hourly rate is often used instead. Where else can you sell your writing? Magazines, newspapers, and websites are all hungry for content. But don’t just throw something at a magazine and wonder why they don’t publish it. Always analyze the publication before you submit or suggest anything...The better you can fit your offering to the publication, the more likely you are to make a sale...You’ll notice I have not mentioned writing fiction, poetry, or plays. J. K. Rowling notwithstanding, you can’t make money writing those things...[The artistic] forms of writing, including fiction, are highly competitive fields that have very high barriers to entry for unknown writers. There aren’t many publishers actively seeking new and unpublished writers. Your odds are better playing the lottery. If your dream is to write a novel, that’s great. But don’t call it a business, at least not until you’ve sold your novel. I don’t discourage such activities, but it is not the same thing as having a real business. You can make a living as a writer. Actually, the Internet has opened up so many new business opportunities for all kinds of entrepreneurs, but no one is better poised to take advantage of some of these opportunities than a savvy and adventurous business-minded writer. This means that a writer today can write something and sell it directly to his or he[r] reader and not bother with the whole traditional publication ordeal...[T]he real business of writing belongs to those who translate the existing opportunity into action." Tanya Hall reports:
"The downside to keeping your ideas and writing private lies in losing out on valuable feedback if you don't share early and with the right people. Without early feedback, you might find that entire chapters of your book need to be reworked because you hadn't thought through a concept completely. Now you'll need to spend as much time correcting your mistake as you did writing the initial draft. Once you've started opening up, beware the temptation to listen to everyone's feedback equally. Recognize that feedback can come in many forms, and if you take all suggestions to heart, your own voice and message may get lost. When you're ready to dive into your next writing project, keep the following ideas in mind to ensure that you're getting the right kind of feedback before it's too late...It's a common inclination to want to share any new project with the people who[m] we're closest to in life...They're also the most likely to shower us with praise, whether or not it's warranted. As often as people advise avoiding this route at all costs, it can have its benefits in certain situations...Just remember that if you're sharing your writing with someone because you're looking for support, it's okay to tune out their ancillary feedback...When you start a writing project, develop a list of people whose opinions you trust and who know your content well. This could include colleagues, peers, mentors, or experienced editors. Unlike going to Dad for support, you need some people who will tell it to you straight. Those who understand your goals and topic are better equipped to evaluate your ideas, challenge them, ask thought-provoking questions, and ultimately save you time and effort during the revision process. Authors who work with an editor who is familiar with their field throughout the outlining and brainstorming process have a clearer understanding of their path forward and can finish writing more quickly. They are also less likely to be derailed later when they start promoting the book and inevitably receive critical feedback...When you get early feedback, be grateful and take the time to listen to it, no matter where it comes from. Someone who shares their ideas with you is engaged, and often it also means that they're invested in your success. That said, remember the kinds of feedback you're seeking. Does the feedback help propel you forward? Did it unlock a different angle you hadn't considered yet? Mentally classify that feedback to help avoid spending too much time on unnecessary overthinking and self-criticism. Work through any feedback that challenged you. If possible, schedule time with the person who brought that to you to turn their ideas over at a deeper level and weigh the possibility of integrating their points into your work. Consider feedback as an ongoing, natural part of being a creator. Once your ideas go public, you'll receive it whether or not you ask for it. With these tips you'll learn to embrace early feedback in all its forms and, more importantly, to manage it in a way that is beneficial to you." Melissa G. Wilson reports:
"There are many writers who earn a nice living every year publishing works they’ve created anonymously. Authors especially may wish to publish a book anonymously if they have already established an industry identity, but have created a book that doesn’t fit with that persona. Controversial works are also considered for anonymous publication, even from first-time authors. Then there are the writers who ghostwrite, publishing their work under the name of another...Create a manuscript of high quality. Seems like common sense, right? Many authors actually look to publish a book anonymously because they don’t think that book will succeed. They don’t want to take a risk with their real name or their established identity. Here’s a simple fact to consider: [I]f you don’t think a book is good, then most readers will hold the same opinion. Focus on creating a high quality manuscript to get published first...Choose your pen name. The goal of creating a pen name is to create something that is believable. If the name you choose sounds simple and unique, then you’ve got the chance to publish under your nom de plume on a regular basis so you can maintain your personal privacy. Any pen name will technically work, especially if you’re just trying to publish anonymously once, but ones that are easier to say or understand will typically see a better level of success...Make sure your contracts are in order. Most publishers will issue royalty checks to an author’s real name, but not always. You’ll need to make sure that all payments are sent to your real name so you can get paid without legally changing your name. You’ll also need to make sure that any personal appearances, book signings, and other marketing efforts occur under your pen name instead of your real name – if you do any marketing at all...There’s the issue of recognition. Writing without recognition can be more stressful than many might imagine. Although there are some famous folks who publish anonymously and revel in it, if your pen name is generating a ton of sales as a writer and no one knows or understands that it is you, it can be difficult. This is true even if your true identity is eventually reveal[ed]...If you have any suspicions that you might long for some recognition from your work, then consider it before publishing anonymously so you don’t get yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place...Then you must deal with the issue of credibility. The first question most people ask when they realize that an author is publishing anonymously is this: [W]hy? If an author has the chops to write something good, wouldn’t they publish it under their own name? Although this scrutiny seems normal, it’s dangerous to the author because it makes every aspect of their manuscript become suspicious. Every detail will be question[ed]. Every description will be analyzed multiple times to see if it contains an error. Even if it is a perfect manuscript, a perceived error will be enough to drive some readers away from your work...It’s difficult to remain anonymous in today’s world. Publishing a book anonymously might work for a short-term arrangement, but eventually something is going to come out. A friend might say something to another friend, who then publishes your identity on the [I]nternet on Facebook. Suddenly your anonymous book isn’t so anonymous. This process can distract your targeted audience from the work that you’ve created, which ultimately hurts your chances at getting a sale. Knowing how to publish a book anonymously has changed a lot over the past couple of decades thanks to the influence of the [I]nternet. It can still be done, but it takes a lot of work and even some writer isolation to make it happen. Still[,] if you don’t want people to know who you are and still earn some money from your work, it is a publishing option that is available to you today." |
Writing and editing can be pretty rigorous processes if you want to do them well, but that's what this page is here for. Check out the latest tips here. Archives
May 2024
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