Yes, Writing is a Real Job

"You're a writer? When are you going to get a real job?" 

Far too many writers have heard these scathing questions. Sometimes you can laugh it off and go back to working on your novel or script. Sometimes it comes during a moment of hardship when debt is surmounting, and you're wondering to yourself if you can actually pull off publishing another book. And while, yes, for some folks writing is a hobby that they do in their free time for fun, it's also a job for all those other people trying to get paid for their craft. 

I don't think most people understand the amount of work that goes into creating a book and marketing it to the public, but we'll talk about that in a little bit. First, I'd like to bring up an article on Writer's Digest called Is It a Hobby or a Job? by author Brian Klems. In it he discusses how writing is definitely work, but it's not classified as a job until you make money off of it. He also goes on to say that the amount of work that goes into it writing can't just be classified as a hobby either. I'm sure a lot of you are nodding about the latter point. 

In this day and age, it's hard to make a living as a writer because of the low pay, but that doesn't make it any less of a job. It just means I have to work that much harder to keep my literary career alive, oh, and also work the other 40-hour job I do during the week at the same time to cover the rest of the cost. Most writers have to still work a 40-hour job, or part time, to make ends meet. Some take the plunge and quit their daytime work to write full time, and I applaud them for taking the initiative.

Unfortunately, that usually elicits the image of someone writing for a couple hours, binge watching Netflix the rest of the day, then complaining they have no money. 

Let me kind of give you a view of what it's like to live as a published indie author, and then tell me if you think that writing is still just a hobby. Keep in mind, I've only been doing this for a year, so imagine what an author juggling several books goes through everyday. 

• I work from 8:30-5pm Monday-Friday (and some weekends for overtime).

• I volunteer in the evening for literary organizations.

• Starting around 8 or 9 pm until I go to bed, on weekends, or on my "day off," I do at least one of these things:

  • Research information for my book.

  • World build or develop elements for my book

  • Write or edit my novel.

  • Discuss with my editors and proofreaders what needs to be changed and apply those edits.

  • Talk with my sensitivity readers about changes that need to be made.

  • Keep a presence on Amazon , Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Wordpress, Wattpad, Goodreads, Bookbub, Allauthor for marketing reasons.

  • Design banners, contests, graphics to post in all these locations about my book.

  • Reach out to bloggers to review my book or do a blog train.

  • Update my website with new author information and author interviews.

  • Build connections with fellow writers, editors, marketers, etc.

  • Set up signing events.

  • Attend signing events in different cities and states.

  • Post chapters on Patreon to help pay for my website.

  • Commission art of characters for stickers/swag.

  • Commission cover art.

  • Create other swag (bookmarks, necklaces, etc)

  • Run an Indiegogo campaign to help cover costs.

  • Participate in online "takeover" events.

  • Query my books.

  • Participate in online book contests to either 1. get an award for my book. 2. find an agent/publisher for my other books.

  • Format my book through Scrivener and Adobe Acrobat.

  • Set up and publish my book through Ingramspark then order copies.

  • Contact libraries and bookstores to carry my book.

  • Set up ISBNs, sales tax permit, BIN.

  • Check inventory and order more supplies on books and all marketing materials.

  • Review finances.

  • Prepare a book launch with local venues.

  • Attend writing conventions to make connections and learn the latest marketing techniques.

  • Participate in author summits both as a listener as an author.

...and the list goes on. 

Being an author is a multi-faceted job, and most of the time you have to do everything yourself. Even if you're a traditionally published author, publishing houses are doing less to market the book and encouraging authors to do more of the work. Many of my author friends spend days at conventions and marketing to sell their books and pay for the table, gas, hotel, meals, and other bills. 

But you may ask, "Erin, you charge $15 for your paper book. How do you not make money off of it?" 

Because by the time you factor in the editing, proofreading, printing, marketing, and sales tax permit, I don't see much profit. Every dollar helps and puts me closer to making a better income off of writing. But I have to market to make that happen. I've heard it takes until book 2 or 3 to actually see a return in money, which is why initially it may look like authors are so broke, even if they receive advances from publishing companies. 

That doesn't mean writing isn't a job. 

Honestly, for me, it would be my dream job to write full time and survive off of my books. While that might be a long time in coming, I'll do what I can to keep working towards it. In the meantime, I hope this gives people a better understanding of how much work goes into being an author and that it's more of a job than most realize. 

Finding Writing Contests

Whether you're a poet, short story writer, a novelist, etc, I'm sure most of you have submitted your work to a writing contest at some point in your life. Contests can come in many shapes and forms. They might be for large anthologies to help you get your name out there. Some may pay royalties to their authors. Others have big cash prizes. And some pay nothing, but at least you get the bragging rights. The things I hear most writers say is that they don't know where to submit their work or where to start looking, or how to prepare their piece. 

First off, here are few of the common places I visit to find writing contests/opportunities: 

• Submittable: This is a submission engine as well as a place where sites compile contests that are available. More and more sites are using submittable as a way for authors to send in their work. Once you enter your information once, it's usually there for you to use again. What's great is you can track what pieces you've sent in, where they are in the process, and which pieces have been accepted or rejected. There's a messaging system too so you can contact the contest site if you have questions. Once you sign up and indicate your genre interests, it you can also look up available contests through the system.

• Poets & Writers: This site is great because not only does it provide helpful writing tips, it also frequently updates contests or submission opportunities. You can filter it depending on entry fee, genre, deadline, etc. So if you're only interested in poetry, you can just select the poetry category. Or if you don't want to pay for an entry, you can filter out all of the contests that cost money.

• Writer's Digest: Writer's Digest hosts a lot of writing contests each year. They also list other contests/events that are going around, so keep checking in for the newest and greatest stuff. Like Poets & Writers, Writer's Digest provides helpful literary tips as you're prepping to submit your material.

• Jerry Jenkins: Jerry Jenkins lists contests that are going on throughout the year and it gets updated every year. What I like the most about it is that it'll provide a link directly to the contest so you don't have to go looking for it.

• The Write Life: I like this website a lot. They provide 31 free writing contests that have cash prizes. So if you're looking to make some money for your writing, this may be the route to go.

These are just a few sites to get you started. If you're looking for a particular genre, you might have to dig a little deeper into the internet to find the right contest for you. 

As you prep your piece for submission, there are a few things to keep in mind. 

• Read the Guidelines: Whatever contest you enter, it is vital you read their guidelines. They might have very particular ways that they want you to submit your piece (font, size, single vs double-spaced, etc). If you don't do as they request, they may disqualify you without even reading your piece. Get it in on time, and if any of the directions are confusing, be sure to e-mail them and ask for clarification.

• Stay on Topic: If you enter a contest that has a particular theme, make sure you're submitting a piece that works. If the theme is "Aliens in Space," don't give them a contemporary romance or paranormal entry. Stay as close to the topic as possible.

• Word Count: When contests give max and min word counts, you need to stick to them. Even if your entry is 5001 words and the max is 5000, that one word can still get you disqualified. Again, stick to the guidelines.

• Review Other Published Pieces: Some sites will have previous anthologies available for your to peruse. If you have the opportunity, read through some of their pieces to see if your work seems to fit in. If the magazine/anthology is completely different from your realm of work, you might consider submitting somewhere else.

• Make Sure the Contest is Legitimate: There are many contests out there that will gladly take an author's money and not do anything with the contest or will scam the writer. Make sure they've published other pieces before, they have a history, and the information on their site is spelled correctly. I know that last one might sound odd, but a lot of scam sites will have misspellings, which would seem odd if they're running a writing contest.

• Don't Harass the Judges: When you submit a piece, don't e-mail the judges or the site owners repeatedly to find out the status of your piece (unless it's to notify them that your work was published somewhere else). The more you pester, the more likely it is your piece will be dropped. It takes time to review the work, choose the right pieces, and prep them for publication on paper or on site. Be patient. Generally "no news" is good news because it means you haven't been rejected yet.

I hope this helps you as you look for places to submit your work. If you have other tips or sites people should check out, feel free to post them below! 

Happy Writing! 

Publishing 101: Who Should Read Your Book Before Publishing?

When writers finish their book, a common question I see is, "What's next? Who should review it before it gets published?" It's a great thing to consider. Some writers edit their book a few times then publish it on amazon. If you're a trained editor, that should be fine, but it's always a good idea to bring in fresh eyes to review your work. When you've read and edited your book so many times, it's easy to miss small things because you're too familiar with it. For example, no matter how many times I read The Purple Door District, I still missed the fact that one of my character's names was spelled incorrectly.

Actually, five of us missed it, ha!

Now, I want to make this very clear from the beginning. These readers are using their personal time to help you. It's important for the author to show them respect (and for the readers to also show respect to the author). As an author, don't pressure readers to get the work done. As a reader, understand that the author has put their heart onto paper, so when you provide critique, make sure it's constructive.

So who should you talk to?

Beta Readers: Beta readers read your book through the earlier stages. They give their initial impressions of the book, point out plot holes, inconsistencies, or anything major that they feel needs to be changed. This is a great opportunity to make a list of things for the beta readers to look for if you're concerned about particular scenes, characters, or plot points. This feedback can help you turn your writing into a much stronger book and fix things that might otherwise seem broken. Take what they say into consideration, and perhaps ask if they would be willing to read a second draft.

Also keep in mind that you, as the author, don't have to make all of the edits. These are opinions, after all, and you ultimately have control over your book. This applies to all the feedback you're given.

Sensitivity Readers: Sensitivity readers are a subset of beta readers who review works to check for cultural inaccuracies, bias, representation issues, stereotypes, problematic language, etc. I personally use sensitivity readers because I write about characters outside of my scope. Example, I'm a white bi-sexual woman, but I also write about black heterosexual men, as well as Native American, Hispanic, Latino/a, and Indian characters. I want to make sure I'm representing everyone correctly without showing any bias or including accidental racist undertones. Now, there's an argument going around that books shouldn't need sensitivity readers, and if it's fiction, why should it matter? In my opinion, correctly portraying people and cultures is very important, and I want to make sure my readers can see themselves in the characters and aren't offended by my work. We already have enough racism going on in our country today, our books don't need to add to it. I know I can't please everyone, but I can at least make an attempt to appeal to the masses and not be ignorant to the needs of those outside of my scope. For more information about sensitivity readers, check out the link above.

Editors: This goes without saying, but you should have an editor look over your book. Again, no matter how many times we read our work (even if we're editors ourselves), we're going to miss things. We've built the entire world in our head. We might know what we mean in a sentence or paragraph, but an editor can clean it up to make it clearer for readers to understand. You can hire different types of editors too, whether they're copy editors, line editors, or they kind of do it all. Expect to pay for an editor. They put a lot of work into their craft and should be compensated for it.

Proofreaders: A proofreader is one of the last people to look at the book and will skim it for any final spelling or grammatical errors. While editors can do this as well, it helps to have another pair of fresh eyes on your book even after the editing stage. I had two proofreaders who caught things my editor and I missed. And the proofreaders even found errors that one of the other proofreaders missed. My proofreaders review my book just before I click print, that way any egregious errors should be caught.

Except Carlos...your misspelled name will live on in infamy.

ARC Readers: Arc, or advanced reader copy, readers are the ones who first get your printed book in their hands. They may be tasked with leaving reviews on Amazon or providing quotes you can use when marketing your book. They may also catch any final errors that you missed, or problematic plot devices. At this point, everything should be pretty clean, but it does sometimes happen that an arc reader will point out a name the author forgot to remove, or perhaps a red herring that shouldn't be in the book at all.

In extreme cases, ARC readers, or early critics, might point out a major objection to a book like what happened in Amelie Wen Zhao's Blood Heir. The author pulled her novel from printing because of objections readers made about the depiction of slavery. Some critics denounced the novel, calling it "blatantly racist." It's possible having a sensitivity reader on the manuscript may have helped with this issue. In response, she said she intended to write the novel from her "immediate cultural perspective" and address indentured and human trafficking in industries across Asia instead. This situation started a twitter explosion on whether sensitivity readers are needed or not, and it still continues today. Be that as it may, it was the ARC readers who made the objections and caused Zhao to halt her book, which may have helped her save face in the end.

As a note, I think Zhao reacted with professional grace and respect. She took her reader's objections in stride and sought to fix the issue rather than condemn the readers for their critiques.

These are just a few people who can review your book before it's ready for publication. Make sure, too, that you're giving your book to people who will provide honest feedback and won't just say, "Omg, I love this. It's amazing!" or "This is garbage. Throw it out." Neither of these is helpful (though it is nice to receive the praise). And when you receive feedback, be gracious and understand that these people are just trying to help you. They aren't your enemy. They aren't trying to make you fail. They truly, and honestly, want to make your book the best it can possibly be. If you're not able to handle critique, you may want to reconsider publishing so soon because, believe me, this world is filled with critics (both good and bad). 

Another thing to keep in mind is hiring editors, sensitivity readers, etc., does not come cheap. Make sure you budget for it, or find other arrangements with the readers. Whether it's swapping book edits for book edits, or giving free copies of your book to readers, make their time worth it. If you respect and appreciate them, they'll respect and appreciate you.

What about you? Do you have particular readers you go to when you finish a book? What's helped you the most? Let us know! Also, if you're an editor, sensitivity reader, proofreader, beta reader, or ARC reader, feel free to post your services below!

My Mission as a Writer

As I was trying to think of a topic to write for this blog post, I came across an interesting list of questions on 40 Blog Post Ideas for Novelists, Poets, And Creative Writers. "What is your mission as a writer? What do you hope readers will take away from your work when they read it?" 

We all have different reasons for writing, but our mission? Now that really makes you think. So, in no particular order, here are the reasons I write. 

Mission 1: To Entertain/Escape

I love books. They make me laugh, cry, stay up way too late at night to find out what happens in the next chapter, and rage. They let me escape from life and get lost into another world where bills, mortgage, work, and adult responsibilities don't plague me. I want to create a world where people can immerse themselves and feel that same sort of escapism, especially if it's from trauma. 

I grew up feeling pretty lonely. I had parents who worked, and I wasn't the most social kid, so I had a lot of time to be alone and think. Books became my way to deal with the loneliness. I could always rely on a new Jedi Apprentice to appear at Borders (when that was still in existence) each month. The characters in my fantasy and sci-fi worlds started to become my friends. And when something happened that made me upset or hurt me, I could dry my tears with the pages. I want my books to be that for other people so they have something that can comfort them, or entertain them, whatever they need. 

Mission 2: To Inspire

I have a dream that one day a reader will come up to me and say, "You inspired me to write my own story." I'm not trying to be egotistical. I want readers to feel like they, too, can put their stories down on paper. I firmly believe that anyone can be a writer. Whether you roleplay, write fanfiction, poetry, short stories, novellas, novels, scripts, journals, blogs, random musings, etc...you're a writer. And if you have a story to tell, you should do that. I want readers to feel like they can come up to me to ask for advice and encouragement. I have plenty to give, because I want others to succeed as well. And I know that if one of my favorite authors told me, "I believe in you," it would have spurred me on to write even more. So, I want to be that for someone else. 

Mission 3: To Be Inclusive 

Whether it's The Purple Door District, or one of my other novels, I want my writing to be inclusive. I acknowledge the privilege that comes with being white. But I also know the struggles that come with being bisexual, morbidly obese, and a woman. I definitely do not know everyone's struggles, and I can't be the voice for other people who are discriminated or suppressed, but I can at least provide a space where many can feel included. I work with sensitivity readers so that when I write about folks outside of my scope, I don't come off as a racist jerk due to pure ignorance. I know I may not always get it right, but I do try to do my research, and I do my best to improve when I receive critique. 

If I'd read more books with bisexual characters, I might have recognized my sexual identity sooner. If I'd had books with strong females instead of the damsels in distress, I might have realized earlier I can be the hero of my own story. So many books focus on white cis characters (generally male heroes), so how can people feel like they're included? I can't touch on everyone, but my mission is to include as many people as possible because that's our world! We're not just one gender or color. We're a plethora of incredible cultures, colors, and abilities. Everyone should be celebrated, not treated like they're "the other." So if you feel like you're missing from my book, tell me. I'll see what I can do. 

Mission 4: To Write For Me 

Just like other writers, I have my own stories I want to create. I see worlds and characters, and hear music in my head. I have far too many plot lines to work with, and I want to put them all down on paper...someday. Maybe when I become a full-time author I'll be able to indulge my muses. 

Writing has been a part of my life since I was a little kid. One of my fondest memories is scribbling down a dragon story on notebook paper and watching my world, and characters come to life. I roleplayed on websites, and learned to develop my characters. I created fanfiction to show my love for Redwall, Harry Potter, and, yes, even My Little Pony, because it made me happy. When I hit a writer's block, I tend to crumble because I feel like I lose a part of myself. I can't do the thing I absolutely love because I'm stuck. Some people don't get it, and that's fine. My writing doesn't define me, but it does make me really happy. It's what I want to do, and I hope that one day it can become a full-time job. 

Heh, I think all writers have that dream.

I guess, in a nutshell, my mission is to write for myself, inspire others, provide an escape, and be inclusive. Who knows, maybe as I become a more experienced writer, I'll realize I have even more missions.

What about you? What's your mission as a writer? Feel free to share below!