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duskpeterson"So, to summarize [Kristine Kathryn Rusch's] post . . . an author should focus on two things to be successful:
"1) Write the best book/short story/essay/whatever she/he can; &
"2) Make it as easy as possible for readers to find it.
"All the gimmicks & tactics thrown out in blogs, printed books, etc. to get published simply are a means to accomplish #2. If they don't accomplish that, they aren't helping either the writer or the reader."
--Geoff Burling.
I've been quiet for a few days because matters have been moving fast in my life, and it hasn't been clear how things would end up. (Short version of the story: At one point, my counsellor was advising me on the location of the local food pantries. December hasn't been a good month.) However, I think I may have pulled myself back from my own personal fiscal cliff momentarily, though with no help from my e-books.
My December 2011 Amazon U.S. profits, when I had eight books for sale: $30.
My December 2012 Amazon U.S. profits, after publishing an additional twenty-three e-books: $40.
Okay, I think we're going to have to classify this year as a Fail, at least as far as e-book sales and income are concerned. There are various possible reasons for that, including the fact that I spent little time on marketing. I'll try to correct those problems next year.
But the important point is that this was the last year that I was going to allow myself the privilege of being a full-time writer before I either (1) started making a living at it or (2) sought a full-time job in another field.
The reason I haven't gone job-hunting before? Well, before 2010, my reading eyes wouldn't let me. They would go out on me every winter, like clockwork, because of my dry eyes. I'm not saying it's impossible to work without reading eyes - obviously, plenty of blind people do it all the time, with help from accessibility devices. I'm just saying that working as a writer was the easiest choice for me, since I can easily write fiction without having to read back what I'm writing.
But in 2010, I went on Restasis, the only medicine that relieves dry eye. And the following winter, glory be, my reading eyes didn't go out on me (or at least, not for more than a day or two). I was a bit too busy fighting for my life at that time to take much notice, but when my reading eyes didn't go out on me last winter either, I knew that this year was likely to be my last-ditch attempt to make at least the start of a living as a full-time writer.
If my sales had gone up even slightly - say, from $1000 a year to $5000 a year - I would have stuck with this path another year. But they didn't. My Amazon U.S. sales hit a high of $150 in August and then slid down. Not good enough.
(At this point, I know that all of you writers with day jobs are snorting in your coffees at the idea of one of your colleagues complaining about only getting to be a full-time writer for twenty years. So I'll cut the whining short.)
I'm going to be a freelance copy editor! Well, okay, I've been editing for the past thirty-four years (*points to resume*), but I'm going to earn money for it again!
I hope. If I can find jobs.
So while I'm brushing up on my copyediting training (*assiduously rereads The Chicago Manual of Style*), does anyone here have any experience with professional freelance editing, either in terms of doing it themselves or in terms of hiring editors? My father clued me in to the fact that one of my aunts has done freelance editing - and she was conveniently at the Christmas family gathering, so I quizzed her - but I could sure use some more career advice, because the last time I copyedited for pay was back in 1989. It's been a while.
I might do some historical research for writers too - it's something I have a lot of experience in, including professional experience - so I'd love to hear from anyone who has worked in this field.
What does this mean for my writing? I've no idea. Obviously I'm going to keep writing stories and sending my stories out to readers. I've picked a day job that I'm hoping will work well alongside fiction-writing, particularly if I'm able to edit fiction. (My Muse loves it when I read fiction. It encourages him.) But just as obviously, I'm going to have less time to write and publish. And I'm rather worried that my Muse will get all snooty about being ordered to write in odd free moments. I can do that easily with editing and publishing, but my Muse is like a cat: he demands my full attention.
Well, that's what he gets for taking all those vacations to Palm Beach.
At any rate, I'm going to finish editing as many stories as possible during the next few weeks, while I'm retraining myself as a copy editor. The ever-approaching day job should nip at my heels and hopefully make me get stories ready faster.
"1) Write the best book/short story/essay/whatever she/he can; &
"2) Make it as easy as possible for readers to find it.
"All the gimmicks & tactics thrown out in blogs, printed books, etc. to get published simply are a means to accomplish #2. If they don't accomplish that, they aren't helping either the writer or the reader."
--Geoff Burling.
I've been quiet for a few days because matters have been moving fast in my life, and it hasn't been clear how things would end up. (Short version of the story: At one point, my counsellor was advising me on the location of the local food pantries. December hasn't been a good month.) However, I think I may have pulled myself back from my own personal fiscal cliff momentarily, though with no help from my e-books.
My December 2011 Amazon U.S. profits, when I had eight books for sale: $30.
My December 2012 Amazon U.S. profits, after publishing an additional twenty-three e-books: $40.
Okay, I think we're going to have to classify this year as a Fail, at least as far as e-book sales and income are concerned. There are various possible reasons for that, including the fact that I spent little time on marketing. I'll try to correct those problems next year.
But the important point is that this was the last year that I was going to allow myself the privilege of being a full-time writer before I either (1) started making a living at it or (2) sought a full-time job in another field.
The reason I haven't gone job-hunting before? Well, before 2010, my reading eyes wouldn't let me. They would go out on me every winter, like clockwork, because of my dry eyes. I'm not saying it's impossible to work without reading eyes - obviously, plenty of blind people do it all the time, with help from accessibility devices. I'm just saying that working as a writer was the easiest choice for me, since I can easily write fiction without having to read back what I'm writing.
But in 2010, I went on Restasis, the only medicine that relieves dry eye. And the following winter, glory be, my reading eyes didn't go out on me (or at least, not for more than a day or two). I was a bit too busy fighting for my life at that time to take much notice, but when my reading eyes didn't go out on me last winter either, I knew that this year was likely to be my last-ditch attempt to make at least the start of a living as a full-time writer.
If my sales had gone up even slightly - say, from $1000 a year to $5000 a year - I would have stuck with this path another year. But they didn't. My Amazon U.S. sales hit a high of $150 in August and then slid down. Not good enough.
(At this point, I know that all of you writers with day jobs are snorting in your coffees at the idea of one of your colleagues complaining about only getting to be a full-time writer for twenty years. So I'll cut the whining short.)
I'm going to be a freelance copy editor! Well, okay, I've been editing for the past thirty-four years (*points to resume*), but I'm going to earn money for it again!
I hope. If I can find jobs.
So while I'm brushing up on my copyediting training (*assiduously rereads The Chicago Manual of Style*), does anyone here have any experience with professional freelance editing, either in terms of doing it themselves or in terms of hiring editors? My father clued me in to the fact that one of my aunts has done freelance editing - and she was conveniently at the Christmas family gathering, so I quizzed her - but I could sure use some more career advice, because the last time I copyedited for pay was back in 1989. It's been a while.
I might do some historical research for writers too - it's something I have a lot of experience in, including professional experience - so I'd love to hear from anyone who has worked in this field.
What does this mean for my writing? I've no idea. Obviously I'm going to keep writing stories and sending my stories out to readers. I've picked a day job that I'm hoping will work well alongside fiction-writing, particularly if I'm able to edit fiction. (My Muse loves it when I read fiction. It encourages him.) But just as obviously, I'm going to have less time to write and publish. And I'm rather worried that my Muse will get all snooty about being ordered to write in odd free moments. I can do that easily with editing and publishing, but my Muse is like a cat: he demands my full attention.
Well, that's what he gets for taking all those vacations to Palm Beach.
At any rate, I'm going to finish editing as many stories as possible during the next few weeks, while I'm retraining myself as a copy editor. The ever-approaching day job should nip at my heels and hopefully make me get stories ready faster.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-28 06:04 am (UTC)