Fun vs. Finances: Mutually exclusive?by Cathy Goodwin This article first apeared in SAGE, monthly newsletter of South West Writers. It sounds like a Cinderella story. Start writing for fun, driven by a passion to put words on paper. A fairy godmother sees your work, helps you find a publisher, and now you're a paid professional. Cinderella stories rarely come true, but many writers make the journey from fun to finances without a fairy godmother. They succeed by following their passionate desire to write, remaining flexible, accepting the realities of business and keeping the fun in their work long after they became successful professionals. 1. Start with a passionate desire to write. "I had no idea that book authors got paid," says Ed Teja, "when I began writing back in high school." Since this discovery, Teja has edited magazines and written short stories, articles and books. Last year Novelbooks, Inc., published his latest novel, The Legend of Ron Añejo. Leye J. Chrzanowski wanted to help people, not make money, when she wrote investigative pieces for a disability newsletter. "I became angry when I noticed non-profits as well as federal agencies were not held accountable for their actions," she explains. Impressed by Chrzanowski's articles, a communications company CEO offered her a paid position as senior newsletter editor and, six months later, promoted her to editor-in-chief. Four years and several promotions later, she left the company to start her own news service. Twenty-three-year-old Zachary Weiner wrote his first novel, City at Night, on a whim. "I stayed up late one night after an incredibly stressful day," he says, "and just decided to record my thoughts on paper." Subsequently, Weiner reports, he contracted for two suspense novels with Ballentine Books (a division of Random House) and a nonfiction anthology with HarperCollins. Christine Hohlbaum never intended to publish a book when she
wrote long emails to friends and family, sharing her adventures as a
new mom. Encouraged by a friend, she published Diary of a Mother:
Parenting Stories and Other Stuff with iUniverse. Several
publishers are evaluating her second book about being a stay-at-home
mom. Judith Stock wrote poetry and short fiction in college, then began creating children's picture books just for fun. "Nothing took off," she says. "Writing fiction just remained an outlet for my creativity." When Stock switched to writing non-fiction, however, "everything changed. Today I'm a professional freelancer, writing for publications like the Chicago Tribune on careers, Smart Homeowner Magazine about home technology, and Catnip and Dog Watch on animal health and behavior." Kelly James-Enger (author of Ready, Aim, Specialize! Create Your Own Writing Specialty) tells a similar story. A fiction writing major in college, she became a lawyer because, "I knew I couldn't support myself writing fiction full-time." When James-Enger was ready to "escape from the law," she turned her energies to the nonfiction market. "After selling two articles to national magazines -- Cosmopolitan and Bride's -- I quit my job as a lawyer to write full-time," James-Enger says. After seven years as professional nonfiction writer, James-Enger saw her first novel, Did You Get the Vibe? published by Kensington just last month. Like her nonfiction articles, Vibe targets women in the "chick lit" market. Mary Tyler leap-frogged from a self-published novel to a career as a freelance technical writer. "I love it all," she says. "Fiction, tech, copywriting. I love changing my approach, voice and style for the genre. That was my biggest challenge when moving from fun to finances." In contrast, Mary Alice Murphy crossed nonfiction genres to gain paid professional status. Writing personal experience columns for a local newspaper helped her land a job as a reporter. Last October saw publication of Murphy's Return to Baghdad, a memoir based on co-author Cosette Marie Laperruque's life experience. With each opportunity, Murphy tailored her writing for a new genre and a new market. 3. Recognize that you're now running a business. "I didn't change my style of writing," says Ed Teja, "but when I began writing for money, I started reading Writer's Digest and other magazines and learning about formats and marketing." "You have to realize that publishing is a business," warns Kelly James-Enger. You deliver articles and other pieces that are geared to what your client or editor wants -- not what you feel like writing. You may not even be interested in the topic you're assigned. You have to pay attention to the bottom line -- earnings and expenses -- and never, ever miss a deadline." Marketing becomes the major focus of the new professional. As soon as her first book was published, Christine Hohlbaum became a one-woman publicity powerhouse. Her site features dozens of rave reviews and transcripts of radio interviews from all over the world. 4. Don't forget why you started to write, even when you've moved to the profit column. Unfortunately, the need to "think like a business" can make writers forget why they chose this career. Jane Lindskold, author of eighteen novels and over fifty short stories, has seen many writers lose their sense of fun as they get deeper into the business. When planning a career, she warns, writers need to build fun into the process. For instance, many writers, responding to reader demand, force themselves to continue a series character long after they're ready for someone new. Lindskold avoids this trap by designing characters who can evolve in many different directions. And she alternates books featuring the series character with others that allow her to experiment with new ideas. The Dragon of Despair, a fantasy novel, was published by Tor Books last August.. "I still write as much for the pleasure of constructing a good book as anything else," says Ed Teja. "Whatever happens once the book is written is separate, emotionally, from the motivation to write." Teja's next novel, Under Low Skies, is due from Novelbooks, Inc., in March. At the same time, writers like money! Few writers feel nostalgic for the days of writing-for-free. "Once you realize you can make money from something you love to do," says Zachary Weiner, "why not strive for more?" Click here for a
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