The Writer's Career Path

THE WRITER'S CAREER PATH

(With thanks to Kirsty Brooks and Tim Powers.)

There are lots of different possible career paths for writers. None of them are 100% right or 100% wrong; there is no CORRECT way to be successful. And what is success, anyway? Is it having a short story published, or a novel? Is it getting a grant or appearing on a bestseller list? Is it being able to support yourself by writing alone or seeing someone read one of your books on a plane?

The first thing you have to do is decide what sort of writer you want to be. Maybe you already know; maybe you're still working it out. It may take a while for you to hit on the thing that particularly appeals to you, or matches your skills. There's no shame in not knowing yet.

People who write books don't only write novels. They also write short story collections, anthologies of poems, biographies, autobiographies (although this assumes you're famous already), textbooks, literary non-fiction, and so on.

Writers also write government reports, advertising/copywriting, newsletters, journalism (TV, radio, internet/reporting news, articles, etc), reviewing, board games, computer game manuals, scripts for TV and movies.

Writers work in such fields as manuscript assessment, CV writing, grant application services, editing, publishing, teaching, tutoring, mentoring, and so on.

There are many opportunities to earn money from writing, or at least to see your words in print. You can be all of these things, or just one of them. You're most likely to be many of them in the course of your career, but you might have just one you particularly aspire to.

Me, it's writing novels. That's what I want to do, so everything I do is geared towards that end. If I can't make a living from writing novels, or if I stop enjoying writing them, then I have failed. Those are the terms on which I measure my personal success--not anyone else's. My talk today will be biased towards that kind of thinking, but the principles can be extended across all areas of writing.

I divide the process of getting published into three phases. The first addresses issues someone at the beginning of their career should consider. The second is aimed at the author of one or more unsold mss. The third focuses on what happens after a book is published. There are, most likely, many other things an author should consider at these and other stages of their career. Knowledge in all these areas does not necessarily guarantee success.

I'm not going to lie to you. There are no secret handshakes or rules that will get you on your particular dream-path. If there was, we'd all be on ours. If you want to be a successful writer, be prepared to have to make up most of it as you go along.

You also have to be prepared to work as hard, and as long, as if you wanted to be a violinist in an orchestra, a professional cricketer or a doctor. Occasionally, someone will write a book and get it published straight away, but that's pretty unusual.

I believe that there's always hope, but that there are no guarantees. Don't EXPECT success or you're bound to be disappointed.

This doesn't have to be depressing. It can be empowering too--I certainly found it so. If hard work is all that separates the wannabes from the pros, then that's cool. I can work hard! I love writing, after all; and if I don't give this, my dream, everything I've got, then I'll feel like I'm letting myself down.

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Okay. Here goes. It may seem that I've gone right back to basics, and in a way I have. But remember that there is no well-defined path for each novel, or even for each writer. Phases One to Three overlap constantly. At any given time, I'm doing all three, so I need to keep the basic principles in mind, and so do you.

PHASE ONE: Producing something that has a hope of selling.

To have a successful career as a writer, you have to write the best story you possibly can, for the genre you're writing in.

Does this sound mercenary? I don't think so. If you want to be a PROFESSIONAL writer, you have to sell your work. There's simply no way around it, and that means you have to take into account the needs of the people who are buying (editors and, ultimately, the readers).

That doesn't mean that you can't write what you love--far from it. That's the MOST important thing! But there might be many different things you might love to write, or at least several. If you are determined only to write ghost stories set on the South Australian coast during the years 1800-1810, be aware that you are making it harder for yourself. Not impossible. Just harder.

Here are some things you can do to help you along the way. Some of them should be self-explanatory; I mention them now just to highlight how important they are. If you're not doing them already, you should be.

· Read - A writer reads; the more the better. If you're not interested in story-telling, what makes you think you can tell a story? Read widely, and learn the craft as you go (like one of those subliminal tapes!)

· Write - A writer writes. Most of the writers I know were writing as children, teenager, adults. They would do it even if they had another job (and many of them DO have other jobs). If you want to be a writer, just do it. No excuses. You don't find time to write: you MAKE it.

· Research - Just about anything counts as research. Flicking through magazines at your doctor's surgery; talking to people on the street; keeping your eyes open as you walk around. Take a notebook with you everywhere and write everything down, no matter how mundane it might seem.

· Efficiency - Ideas come at weird times (hence the importance of the notebook). Research maximizes your chances of having ideas; reading will show you how other writers have dealt with their ideas; writing--and lots of it--will help you work out, slowly but surely, what ideas are or aren't ready to go into a story. You can't use everything. You're better off sticking to something that will get somewhere than doodling around the edges of your career.

· Revise - don't just send out your first draft. Get perspective on it any way you can--put it in a drawer for a month; read it aloud; change the fonts and lay-out; send it out to readers--then do everything you need to to make it the best piece of prose you've ever produced. Because that's what you want to end up on your future editor's desk, not something you knocked off at the bus stop while waiting to go to uni. (Remember: "Good is bad.")

These are the first steps on your career path--and you will keep taking them, over and over again, as you progress. Like a child learning to walk, practice makes perfect. Skipping one of these steps is risking disaster, or at least wasting your time.

Now, I'm also going to give you some other, specific exercises you can set yourself. It's not necessary to do all of these things, but they will help you step out of your "writer-as-writer" shoes and address the business side of your potential career.

· Name your genre or target audience. (Don't be afraid of terms like "sci-fi" or "romance." If the cap fits, wear it with pride.)

· If you imagine your work published, how does it look in your mind? Where does it sit on the shelves? What sort of covers do they have?

· Name three authors who publish in your genre. (You should know. You should be reading widely in the field.)

· Has anyone else attempted to cover this field before? Are you sufficiently aware of their work to explain why yours is different?

· Name two outstanding examples of work in your field, and explain what makes them good.

· Name two poor examples of work in your field, and explain what makes them bad.

· Name three organisations that offer writing-related courses that might improve your skills (and look good on your CV).

· Describe in one interesting sentence what your work is about. (This will come in handy at parties or family gatherings, if nowhere else.)

· How many projects do you have in the pipeline, and what are they?

The next two points require absolute honesty:

· Can you describe, briefly, why you want to write, and what you feel you have to offer?

· Where do you see yourself in ten years?

The answers to any of these questions will shape the path before you, and the ways you go about finding it through all the undergrowth.

PHASE TWO: Positioning your work so it increases its chances of selling.

Here I have to reiterate that there are no right answers, just lots of opinions.

Some specific exercises, to start with.

· Earlier, you named your genre. Now name three publishing houses/imprints/magazines that publish in your genre.

· Name three agents who represent authors in your field. What are their reputations like? (There are agents who genuinely want to help writers, and then there are sharks circling, homing in on the slightest scent of neediness. You know who you want to be with.)

· What are the submission guidelines for the above places? Do you know how they prefer to see the ms on the page? Do you know what information they like to see accompanying an ms?

· Name the person to whom you will address your submission in order that it will be read promptly (ie. commissioning editor, reader, etc). If you don't know their name, find out. (Cold-calling is fine. Just keep it businesslike.)

· Write a BRIEF covering letter to accompany your submission.

· Write a one-page synopsis of your novel. Include the end.

· Write a 100-word bio.

· Write a short (writing-related) CV. (Only give the people you're submitting to what they ask for. Don't burden them with stuff they don't want.)

· Write an application to your local funding body for assistance your next project.

· Where is your nearest Writers' Centre? Can they help you with any of the above?

· Have you considered ms assessment? If so, name two reputable ones.

· Join the ASA, QWC, whatever organisation is relevant. Don't be afraid to ask for advice.

Some of the answers to these questions can be found in the phone book or on the web. Some of them can't. The ones that can't depend on your integration within the industry. Remember: you don't have to have a book published to talk to people. You can go to workshops, to events like this one, to signings. You can buy books on writing. You can join writers' groups. The important thing is that you're TALKING to the people who are, or might one day, be your peers, and LISTENING to what they say.

At least half of everything I know about writing--which isn't even close to being exhaustive--came from listening to writers, editors, publishers, agents, sales reps, and so on. (The rest, as an aside, I learned by making mistakes.)

For example: agents. Kim Stanley Robinson in Hobart: "ask five writers their opinion on agents and you'll get five different answers." It's true. My opinion, for the record, is that you don't necessarily need one here in Oz, but you definitely need one for the US and the rest of the world. You need one in New York, and you need one who won't charge you to read your ms. (This is important: money should always flow to the author, not the other way around.)

But if you ask other authors, they might tell you different things. It's up to you to sort through the information you receive and come up with an answer that makes sense to you. Coming to an informed decision--which is what you want, not one plucked out of the ether or at random--requires getting that information. The best way to get it--on agents, publishers, and others of that ilk--is where it's not in print and possibly libellous.

Regarding agents, the only thing I can say with any degree of certainty is that if you offer an agent money, you stand a good chance of becoming a client. (Powers) "Picking an agent is like picking a spouse--better to have none than to have one that's not perfect."

As soon as you send your work out in the mail, you're becoming a career writer. You're on the path. If you never send it out, imho, you are not a professional. You're just filling empty time.

Even if you don't feel like you're a professional writer, you have to act like one, and here are some things you can do to make it easier. They're like the kit you'll carry on your path, if you like--although that might be stretching the metaphor too far.

· Format your ms correctly. Counter-intuitively, it's not supposed to look like it would in print. It's supposed to look like it was typed on a 1950s manual typewriter. I know it doesn't make any sense; do it anyway. (Once you have a relationship with an editor, maybe then you can send in your mss printed on both sides of pink paper in single font 8-point Matisse.)[.1]

· Most publishers and agents prefer sample chapters and outline. They won't buy from an unknown on that basis--they'll ask for the full ms first--but they are more likely to take several manila envelopes home than one giant box.

· The outline you send with your ms isn't the outline you work from. This one reads like jacket copy, is all in present tense, has no "style," and shouldn't be more than five pages--ten at the most.

· Always spell-and grammar-check before it goes in the mail. ALWAYS.

· Be prepared to wait six months or more for a reply. Unsolicited mss may languish even longer. Delays are industry standard; get used to them if you can (I'm still trying). Don't nag.

· Attend conventions if you can afford them and enjoy meeting people; don't EXPECT that they will help your career, and don't act too needy. Don't stand copies of your book in front of you in panels. Don't force yourself onto editors. Don't start up or prolong a conversation about your own work. Don't laugh too loudly at an editor's jokes. Whatever you do, don't' tell an editor that you think you can be a writer because of all the trash that gets published. (They may be responsible for some of the trash.)

· Become part of the community. And there IS a community. Everybody knows and talks to everybody; that's how we survive, through a constant recycling of support and advice. From the outside in, it might look like it's an elite club or a conspiracy. The truth is, there's no "out" or "in" at all. There's just people who have similar interests and want similar things--and who know that there's room for all of us.

· Lastly, invest in an office--desk, good comfortable chair, photocopier, fax machine, laptop etc. Don't worry about feeling like a fake; you've got to do it at some point; like a lot of this stuff, best to pick up the skills early.

PHASE THREE: Positioning YOU so you have a chance of selling.

Before you're published, getting published is the big hurdle. Then suddenly you're over that hurdle and tripping over ones you didn't even suspect were there.

We are in even more nebulous territory here. You can get advice on deals and contracts from your agent or from the ASA or the QWC (but never a lawyer), so I won't dwell too much on them. You should be aware of the rights you're selling, and you shouldn't be too pushy about money. We're usually not talking squillions for a first--or sometimes tenth--novel. Be realistic. Your talks with other writers should fill you in on this.

As soon as your book is sold, there are a series of things you have to consider. You should, in fact, have been thinking about them long before now. They won't necessarily make your writing any better, but they will make you a better WRITER. Because that's what you are, once you've made a sale. You can legitimately say that you are A WRITER, not writing.

Exercises:

· Write a 100-word cover copy for your novel.

· Name three bookshops in your area that carry books in your genre, and name the managers or buyers of those stores. (The chances are, if you're a good reader, you'll know them already.)

· Are you aware of any professional organisations related to or representing your field? What benefits do they offer you? (SFWA.)

· Name three radio programs that might be interested in your work, for review or promotion. What about television, magazines, newspapers, the Internet?

· Name two journalists who review your genre.

· Name three venues or organisations that conduct or promote public readings.

· Investigate other authors' websites. What features do they possess that appeal to you?

· Design your own website, or pay someone to do it for you.

· Name three organisations that regularly require writers of any kind--ie. advertisers, web-site designers, magazine publishers, etc. (I put this in as a kind of token to those sensible people who are prepared to do more than just write novels for a living.)

There are certain things that writers are expected to do. They are expected to help the publisher promote their book. They are expected to work productively and politely with an editor. They are expected to deliver on time. They are expected to write more than one book, in a timely fashion. (Publishers buy writers, not books.) They are expected to keep their audience satisfied. They are expected to, well, write.

A publisher, in turn, will do its best to make your book look suitable for the market, promote your book, deliver your advances and royalties in a timely fashion. They will also try, within the limited scope of their powers, to nurture you as a writer. That really isn't their job, though. It's yours.

(While on the subject of editors, remember that they are uniformly overworked and underpaid. They also know a lot more about writing and the marketplace than you do, and they're usually right. Consider carefully every point your editor makes. Where you reject an editorial suggestion, make sure there's a good reason for it.)

In the perfect world, your book is published, its sales are good, and you sell your publishers another one just like it. And another one. And so on, into the sunset. Phases One to Three keep on cycling around and overlapping, and everyone's happy.

It rarely works out that way. When things go wrong, the Writer's Career Path can take on some decidedly convoluted shapes. Like any well-oiled machines, things only get more interesting--and irritating--when they break down.

DAMAGE CONTROL

Things always go wrong. Expect it, and try to get used to it. Some disasters will be completely outside your control; some will happen because you were IN control (either you made a mistake or you were just plain ornery).

For starters, you are going to get bad reviews and rejections. Assume it; everyone does. Never respond; even when reviewers get basic details wrong, or correct you on points where you were accurate, or editors seem to be talking about a whole different book, or insulting your boyfriend. Don't take them to heart.

(Gaiman) "The best reaction to a rejection slip is a sort of wild-eyed madness, an evil grin, and sitting yourself in front of the keyboard muttering "Okay, you bastards. Try rejecting this!" and then writing something so unbelievably brilliant that all other writers will disembowel themselves with their pens upon reading it, because there's nothing left to write."

Here are some things you might have to deal with, and some ways to deal with them. Don't assume that I have all the answers. Every situation should be decided on its merit, after consultation with your agent, your peers, your loved-ones, your lawyer. If you've considered the very basic issues of what sort of writer you want to be and how you intend to go about it, you should be able to adapt to all sorts of situations. (You are, of course, entitled to change your mind at any time.)

· Changing genres--Well, as someone who likes jumping around, I say go for it. PROVIDED you keep your original audience satisfied, you can do what you want. Look at Iain Banks: he does both, but only because he's not skimping in either genre. I have to write twice as much because I want to write F as well as SF. Quality or quantity, if you've got either you might be able to get away with it.

· Applying for grants--Someone asked me recently if a science fiction application stood less of a chance with the Literature Board of the Australia Council *just because* it's science fiction. ...

The answer is "no" (and I speak from an informed position, having been a peer assessor for the Board *and* received a major grant from them). All you have to do is meet their guidelines and be ahead of the rest of the pack, which is as hard for SF as it is for any other genre. Apply every year, no matter how many times they knock you back, because just one successful application can make a big difference to your career.

· Writing YA and adult fiction at the same time--The same with writing for other genres. Follow your heart--and your head. Be aware that there's a certain risk in bouncing between adult and YA but there are ways to minimise that risk.

· Creating pseudonyms--If your career goes down the toilet, or just stalls, or if you want to write splatterpunk novels as well as Victorian romances, then using a pseudonym is an option. It's not necessarily a bad thing. Some writers believe that using a pseudonym frees them up, psychologically, to do things they wouldn't normally do under their own name.

· Being orphaned--When your editor leaves your publisher and you're left with someone who doesn't like your work--or, perhaps worse, is completely indifferent to it and your fate--then you have been orphaned. This can be problematic and must be handled delicately. There are ways of doing it without getting everyone offside, and your agent can help you with that.

· Writing for more than one publisher--Can be a conflict of interest, but isn't always. I've had four publishers here in Australia and as many in the States, and it's never caused a problem. Not one that couldn't be sorted out, anyway, by keeping everyone informed at all times. As long as you deliver what you've said you will, no one has any right to be offended.

· Public appearances--Are a good idea, but how much of them you do, and of what type, that's up to you. Self-promotion takes time; if you'd rather be writing than caravanning around country Australia, speaking at every public library and every school, then I don't blame you--but I know a number of authors whose careers have been helped by such activities. I feel guilty, sometimes, for not doing more of it. Find your own balance.

· Saying "no"--The hardest lesson I've had to learn is to say "no" to stuff. Obviously there are things you just HAVE to say "yes" to--like Star Wars deals and fun trips to Queensland--but there are times when you really shouldn't let yourself be distracted from what you signed on for.

For every possible situation, there are a number of possible responses. A writer's career will necessarily have some ups and down, even if we might hate it to be so. I dream sometimes of a smooth ride to fame and riches, but I know that's unrealistic. I expect it to go awry every now and again, so I'm not going to get disappointed. At the very least, I'll be emotionally ready for whatever comes, and at best I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Make your own path (which is a very Zen thing to say) and don't forget to report in every now and again, so we know where it's taking you.

Lastly, don't be afraid to dream big. Dream small and you probably won't succeed. You might succeed by accident, but you won't be prepared for success. Dreams (and imagination) are the primate's way of preparing for things that haven’t happened yet. Be prepared. Be bold.