Are you still unpublished? Or are you only getting a piece published here and there, now and then, without any sense of regularity? Maybe this is the year that you will finally publish that book, create a presence in the world of article-writing or establish yourself with a variety of clients who will pay for your writing experience and expertise.
If I’ve touched a nerve with my comments—if you feel a bit giddy at the thought of writing for a living—read on. At last count by the IRS, over 180,000 Americans claim writing as their primary source of income. Over 180,000 men and women currently write articles for publication, ghostwrite books for others, contract as a writer for corporations, collect royalties and/or profits from book sales or earn a living by providing editorial services for authors. Perhaps you can, too. But I would advise that you are well-prepared before you go launching into any aspect of this profession.
I’ve seen the results and have heard the sob stories told by authors who hired unskilled book editors. Do NOT add to the confusion and the heartbreak by attempting to enter into this field without the appropriate education, experience and skills. You’ll only hurt your fellow authors if you do. If editing is your dream, spend several years writing in earnest, studying, practicing, learning and absorbing the knowledge and senses you need in order to successfully turn an awful or even mediocre manuscript into a wonderful manuscript and a good one into an even better, more publishable one. While you’re at it, be sure to study the publishing industry. An editor with knowledge of the publishing industry—who can counsel clients on many levels related to publishing—is a much more valued and valuable team member on a publishing project.
If you want to become a published author, there are many ways to accomplish this dream in 2009. But the key is education. You’ve heard me say it before and I’ll probably harp on it throughout 2009, you must understand something about the publishing industry, your options, the possible consequences of your choices and your responsibility as a published author. I recommend that you read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book by Patricia Fry. (Yup, that’s me.) http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
If you are contemplating signing with a fee-based POD “self-publishing” company of any kind, be sure to read Mark Levine’s book, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing. He rates and ranks 48 of these companies for you—so you know exactly what you need to know before signing on the dotted line. Get this book FREE when you join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). http://www.spawn.org
If you want to self-publish your book—you establish your own publishing company—sign up for my on-demand, online self-publishing course. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_selfpub.html
Who am I? I established my publishing company, Matilija Press, in 1983 and I’ve self-published several of my 28 published books over the last 25 years.
If you want to get a start as a freelance article writer, order my book, A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles at http://www.matilijapress.com/writingpage.html
And sign up for my on-demand online course in writing magazine articles. Learn more about this course at: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm
For questions or concerns about any aspect of publishing, contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.
FREE things you can do TODAY to begin educating yourself:
• Read former posts from this blog.
• Sign up for SPAWN’s FREE enewsletter. http://www.spawn.org
• Visit my website and peruse the books, courses, articles and other resources: http://www.matilijapress.com
• Email me with your questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com.
• If you own one of more of my useful books, spend time reading them this week.
• My books are in the library system. If you can’t afford to purchase the one you want, ask at your local library for books by Patricia Fry.
• Write, write, write.
• Study, study, study.