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Category : Questions from Beginners
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Continue Reading "How can I make money with my writing?"How can I make money with my writing?
Pam wrote to ask, “Can you say more about the whole freelance writing concept? I’m looking for practical ideas to help me make a living.”
A couple thoughts from a guy who would basically write for anybody, so long as they paid me…
1. If you live near a major city, check and see what organizations are located near you. Most nonprofit organizations have a magazine, newsletter, or web site, and they all need content. Check them out, find out what sort of articles, interviews, and sidebars they use, then offer them some material. I sold hundreds of things to companies and nonprofit organizations when I was free-lancing. Nonprofits have to stay in touch with donors, and that means somebody has to write their copy for them. (They also need report writers, researchers, and grant writers, if you want to check into those opportunities.)
2. Drive down any of your streets, and you'll see businesses on both sides. Nearly every one of those businesses have a website, and they all need content. That's how the internet has changed business — every mom-and-pop shop now has the opportunity to hawk its wares worldwide via the web. And think about the changes in websites over the past few years. You used to see something that resembled a highway billboard — a business name, phone, address, and slogan ["Don's Plumbing of Portland — Great Service, Low Rates. Call Today — 555-1234"].
Now if you go to that site, you'll find an introduction to the business, a history of the company, a bio of each employee (complete with photos), a self-help section to fix your own plumbing problems, a link to order specialized plumbing parts, a section on the history of indoor plumbing, and an ask-the-expert compendium. And, of course, somebody has to write all that stuff. Most businesses do it themselves (until they figure out what's they've written is awful, since they are plumbers
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Continue Reading "When is a writer ready to go full time?"
When is a writer ready to go full time?
Emily wants to know, “As a writer, when are you ready to go full time?"
This is a favorite question of mine, since I routinely see wannabe authors get a book contract, quit their jobs, then wonder why that lousy agent of theirs can't help them survive financially.
I have three rules of thumb for authors who want to go full time:
1. You need to have four-to-six books earning you a royalty;
2. You need to have 18 months to 2 years of book contracts;
3. You need to have a plan in place. (That plan will include a budget, a writing calendar, an accountability partner or writing support group, a writing space, adequate equipment, and most likely a therapist, since you're probably delusional to consider the idea anyway.)
Let's look at reality for a minute — let's say you just got a decent two-book deal. The publisher is paying you, say, $10,000 per book on an advance, so the total deal is for $20,000. You get a third of that on signing ($6666 — but if you're an evangelical, don't take that as a sign of the apocalypse, okay?). You need to be able to live on that for the next few months while you write your book. If you can write it in three months (relatively fast for most novelists), you've had to live on $2200 per month. Pretty thin stuff. If it takes you six months to do a novel, you're having to make do on a thousand bucks a month. You see where I'm going with this?
Once the publisher approves your manuscript (which can sometimes take a few months), they'll send you your completion check for that book — another $6666, payable thirty days after they request the check. You've now made a whopping $13k, you're months into the process, and you just used up all your good ideas on your first book. So
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Continue Reading "When is a writer ready to go full time?"
When is a writer ready to go full time?
Emily wants to know, “As a writer, when are you ready to go full time?"
This is a favorite question of mine, since I routinely see wannabe authors get a book contract, quit their jobs, then wonder why that lousy agent of theirs can't help them survive financially.
I have three rules of thumb for authors who want to go full time:
1. You need to have four-to-six books earning you a royalty;
2. You need to have 18 months to 2 years of book contracts;
3. You need to have a plan in place. (That plan will include a budget, a writing calendar, an accountability partner or writing support group, a writing space, adequate equipment, and most likely a therapist, since you're probably delusional to consider the idea anyway.)
Let's look at reality for a minute — let's say you just got a decent two-book deal. The publisher is paying you, say, $10,000 per book on an advance, so the total deal is for $20,000. You get a third of that on signing ($6666 — but if you're an evangelical, don't take that as a sign of the apocalypse, okay?). You need to be able to live on that for the next few months while you write your book. If you can write it in three months (relatively fast for most novelists), you've had to live on $2200 per month. Pretty thin stuff. If it takes you six months to do a novel, you're having to make do on a thousand bucks a month. You see where I'm going with this?
Once the publisher approves your manuscript (which can sometimes take a few months), they'll send you your completion check for that book — another $6666, payable thirty days after they request the check. You've now made a whopping $13k, you're months into the process, and you just used up all your good ideas on your first book. So
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Continue Reading "What if I hate talking money?"
What if I hate talking money?
A writer who wishes to remain nameless sent this: “I hate talking money when it comes to my writing. I wanted to do this for the art, not the paycheck! How can I get over my reluctance to talk dollars?”
I realize some authors are reluctant to talk about money issues, but it’s necessary if you’re going to get to know the business. When I was a free-lance writer, I noticed that publishers (both magazine and book publishers) tended to put me on the bottom of the pay ladder because I was a small free-lancer. I once called a publisher to complain that I hadn't been paid, and the response was, "Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Guess we'll get you next quarter." To them, it was a measley $1500 they owed me. But to me, it was MY HOUSE PAYMENT that month. So, yeah, I eventually got over my reluctance to talk money with publishers.
That means you have to know what you're worth (in terms of money-per-page or money-per-hour), and you have to be able to share that with others. The good news is that it gets easier to talk about when you have a pretty good feeling of your value. I mean, if you know you should be making $3000 per month, and the publisher asks you to work on a freelance project that will take two months, it's much easier to say, "I'll need to make about $6000 for that project" than to take a wild stab at a number.
So let me suggest something… Figure out what you'd like to make from your writing in a year. (You need to be reasonable. Don't say, "A million dollars" unless your name is James Patterson, Suzanne Collins, or George R.R. Martin.) Let's say you think it's reasonable for you to make $18,000 this year from writing. That means you need to make, on average, $1500 per month, or about $375
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Continue Reading "What if I hate talking money?"
What if I hate talking money?
A writer who wishes to remain nameless sent this: “I hate talking money when it comes to my writing. I wanted to do this for the art, not the paycheck! How can I get over my reluctance to talk dollars?”
I realize some authors are reluctant to talk about money issues, but it’s necessary if you’re going to get to know the business. When I was a free-lance writer, I noticed that publishers (both magazine and book publishers) tended to put me on the bottom of the pay ladder because I was a small free-lancer. I once called a publisher to complain that I hadn't been paid, and the response was, "Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Guess we'll get you next quarter." To them, it was a measley $1500 they owed me. But to me, it was MY HOUSE PAYMENT that month. So, yeah, I eventually got over my reluctance to talk money with publishers.
That means you have to know what you're worth (in terms of money-per-page or money-per-hour), and you have to be able to share that with others. The good news is that it gets easier to talk about when you have a pretty good feeling of your value. I mean, if you know you should be making $3000 per month, and the publisher asks you to work on a freelance project that will take two months, it's much easier to say, "I'll need to make about $6000 for that project" than to take a wild stab at a number.
So let me suggest something… Figure out what you'd like to make from your writing in a year. (You need to be reasonable. Don't say, "A million dollars" unless your name is James Patterson, Suzanne Collins, or George R.R. Martin.) Let's say you think it's reasonable for you to make $18,000 this year from writing. That means you need to make, on average, $1500 per month, or about $375
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Continue Reading "How does my book get selected by a publisher?"
How does my book get selected by a publisher?
Cheryl wrote to ask, "What is the process of getting your proposal selected by a publishing house?"
Think of a publishing house as being an actual building. Your proposal probably isn't walking in the front door. More than likely it's sliding into the building by way of a window known as an acquisitions editor (often an acquaintance of your agent, sometimes a person you met at a conference, or maybe a guy who lost a bet). He or she will read through it, make some suggestions, talk it over with your agent, and eventually make a decision on whether or not they think it's worth pursuing.
Most publishers are relying on agents to do the initial filtering of junk, so the slush pile has sort of moved from the publishing house to the agent's office…which means you're going to have to sell it to an agent first, therefore adding one more step to this process.
Once it's in the building, if the acquisitions editor likes it he or she will take it to some sort of editorial committee, where they sit around grousing about their pay and making editorial jokes. ("I'm having a DICKENS of a time with this one!" "Yeah, let's catch a TWAIN out of town!" Editorial types love this sort of humor. That's why they're editors and not writers.) Eventually they'll run out of bad puns and be forced to discuss the merits of your proposal. If it's a non-fiction book, is it unique? Does it answer a question people are asking? Is there a perceived market for it? Does the writing feel fresh and offer genuine solutions to the question that's posed? If it's a novel, does the story have a clear hook? Is there a well-defined audience for it? Does it feel new, or as though it's a story that's been told a million times? (The fact is, it probably HAS been told a million
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Continue Reading "How does my book get selected by a publisher?"
How does my book get selected by a publisher?
Cheryl wrote to ask, "What is the process of getting your proposal selected by a publishing house?"
Think of a publishing house as being an actual building. Your proposal probably isn't walking in the front door. More than likely it's sliding into the building by way of a window known as an acquisitions editor (often an acquaintance of your agent, sometimes a person you met at a conference, or maybe a guy who lost a bet). He or she will read through it, make some suggestions, talk it over with your agent, and eventually make a decision on whether or not they think it's worth pursuing.
Most publishers are relying on agents to do the initial filtering of junk, so the slush pile has sort of moved from the publishing house to the agent's office…which means you're going to have to sell it to an agent first, therefore adding one more step to this process.
Once it's in the building, if the acquisitions editor likes it he or she will take it to some sort of editorial committee, where they sit around grousing about their pay and making editorial jokes. ("I'm having a DICKENS of a time with this one!" "Yeah, let's catch a TWAIN out of town!" Editorial types love this sort of humor. That's why they're editors and not writers.) Eventually they'll run out of bad puns and be forced to discuss the merits of your proposal. If it's a non-fiction book, is it unique? Does it answer a question people are asking? Is there a perceived market for it? Does the writing feel fresh and offer genuine solutions to the question that's posed? If it's a novel, does the story have a clear hook? Is there a well-defined audience for it? Does it feel new, or as though it's a story that's been told a million times? (The fact is, it probably HAS been told a million
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Continue Reading "What are some good resources for writers?"
What are some good resources for writers?
Dan wrote and said, "I hear you've taught a couple classes for colleges, and I know you do the occasional conference. For those of us who can't get to another state to hear you, what would be some resources you'd recommend for writers?"
One of the best things you can do for yourself as a writer is to attend a good writing conference. They have conferences all over the country, usually featuring experienced writers and publishing professionals. It's a great way to meet people, ask questions, and connect with others who are also trying to make it as writers. There's undoubtedly a GREAT conference happening somewhere close to you in the month, as the conference season kicks off (for example, I'm attending the Left Coast Crime conference in Sacramento in two weeks). You'll rarely regret investing in a good conference.
Another thing to consider is a critique group — a chance to sit down with a small group of fellow writers and compare notes, critique each others' work, and talk books. It offers you perspective from others, and it gets you talking writing with people — something many writers have discovered is hard to find. You can often connect to them online, and many local bookstores will help authors in the area come together in order to network and critique one another. A third resource is one of the online writing groups — one helpful such gatherings is the Yahoo group "The Writers View," but there are numerous others. Most of these groups discuss writing and publishing, and many have a panel of experts to bring some wisdom to the discussion.
If you're already involved in some of those things, let me suggest a writing course at your local college. It can be a lot of fun to take a literature course or participate in a creative writing class, and the instructors can often give new insight into your
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Continue Reading "What are some good resources for writers?"
What are some good resources for writers?
Dan wrote and said, "I hear you've taught a couple classes for colleges, and I know you do the occasional conference. For those of us who can't get to another state to hear you, what would be some resources you'd recommend for writers?"
One of the best things you can do for yourself as a writer is to attend a good writing conference. They have conferences all over the country, usually featuring experienced writers and publishing professionals. It's a great way to meet people, ask questions, and connect with others who are also trying to make it as writers. There's undoubtedly a GREAT conference happening somewhere close to you in the month, as the conference season kicks off (for example, I'm attending the Left Coast Crime conference in Sacramento in two weeks). You'll rarely regret investing in a good conference.
Another thing to consider is a critique group — a chance to sit down with a small group of fellow writers and compare notes, critique each others' work, and talk books. It offers you perspective from others, and it gets you talking writing with people — something many writers have discovered is hard to find. You can often connect to them online, and many local bookstores will help authors in the area come together in order to network and critique one another. A third resource is one of the online writing groups — one helpful such gatherings is the Yahoo group "The Writers View," but there are numerous others. Most of these groups discuss writing and publishing, and many have a panel of experts to bring some wisdom to the discussion.
If you're already involved in some of those things, let me suggest a writing course at your local college. It can be a lot of fun to take a literature course or participate in a creative writing class, and the instructors can often give new insight into your
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Continue Reading "More on how an author negotiates a book contract…"
More on how an author negotiates a book contract…
We're continuing our thoughts on what to have in mind when facing a book contract negotiation.
4. Be Clear when Talking. One thing that will hurt you in a negotiation is to wander around your point. For example, if you know you don't want to grant dramatic rights to your novel, be clear about it. Problems often arise in a negotiation because of the things that aren't said — an author wants a certain advance but won't admit it, or the writer wants to retain foreign rights and doesn't say so clearly. If you know what you want, be ready to say so clearly in a polite, organized, and clear manner. This is why it's important for you to have a plan and write it down before you begin talking, so when faced with a question, you can refer to your notes and remind yourself of what is important.
5. Learn to Listen. Kenneth Tynan once referred to the activities at the United Nations as "a dialogue for the deaf." One speaker gets up and harangues people with some information, then the next guy gets up, starts talking, and acts as though he heard nothing that was just said. You'll be amazed at how much better negotiations will go when you learn to be quiet and hear the other side occasionally. You'll discover you learn things about the publishing house when you listen. It will make you a better negotiator. And a bit of silence can help you focus in the midst of a discussion.
6. You Have Options. Keep in mind that you don't have to agree to a bad deal. You always have options — even if the only option is to say no thanks, get up, and walk away (whether permanently or temporarily). This is a basic truth that people in negotiations sometimes forget. The fact is, you may not be able to come to an agreement,