My thanks to Kris Rusch for this very informative blog article.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Another Must-Read From Kris Rusch
I just finished the latest edition of the Business Rusch, the weekly business blog of bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch. The new article, titled Watching The Numbers, is an awesome exposition of the size of the publishing industry and how much potential there is for serious grown among indie writers and those who've decided to start their own publishing empires through Amazon and other ebook distribution points. The global English book market is mind-boggling in its size. The potential to make serious money over the long-term is very good--provided you are patient.
My thanks to Kris Rusch for this very informative blog article.
My thanks to Kris Rusch for this very informative blog article.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
The Working Writer: Where I've Been And Where I'm Going
I've been straggling the line between being a part-time and full-time freelance writer for over six years now. I wrote a lot of articles and other web content as as ghostwriter. The pay was terrible for the most part but it meant that my writing was bringing in money. My life circumstances as a stay-at-home dad made writing a great opportunity to contribute to my household finances while my wife worked outside the home. That has been the way of things during this whole long period of time.
While it may be staying the same in some respects, the fact that my children are older now and going to school is making me reassess my situation. I've had triumphs and setbacks in the last three years. I've published books through a small publisher I helped to start. I had hoped to transition to strictly writing books, but I haven't made enough revenue to justify the switch. I did, however, step away from writing web contents and articles for a long time.
Rebooting Freelance
Coming back was hard, yet I had to do something. The lack of income has taken it's toll on my household's finances. My wife is still working, still doing her part. I have to do mine. At this crossroads, I seriously considered finding some other job to make ends meet. The idea filled me with a peculiar dread. I had been writing for so long and fully intended to keep writing for a living. The trick was that I wasn't making a living as a writer. I was barely doing anything to bring in guaranteed income. Everything lately has been written on spec.
After the last payment on a client collaborative book was received, I thought I was going to find more books. I haven't. I continued to write short stories and I published some long fiction too, but still not enough income from sales to justify further focus. I've come to the point where I either have to fight hard to stay a freelance writer. I need to remember that this is a business--one that I need to restart from the ground up.
Steps To Take
I know that I need to find multiple income streams. That means finding more than one client. That means finding certain topics to specialize in on the one hand and also trying different areas of interest. I need to keep writing books when I can. Why? Because I want to write books. I want to tell stories. But I also want to be paid writer so I need to find opportunities to make good money at this. It can be a precarious thing to balance the creative and the practical sides of this business.
This is a business where you must be ever mindful of the next gig. You can't afford to sit back. I've made that mistake. I've fallen to a false sense of security. The book projects did that. The trick now is not repeating the mistakes and finding a way to thrive as a working writer.
While it may be staying the same in some respects, the fact that my children are older now and going to school is making me reassess my situation. I've had triumphs and setbacks in the last three years. I've published books through a small publisher I helped to start. I had hoped to transition to strictly writing books, but I haven't made enough revenue to justify the switch. I did, however, step away from writing web contents and articles for a long time.
Rebooting Freelance
Coming back was hard, yet I had to do something. The lack of income has taken it's toll on my household's finances. My wife is still working, still doing her part. I have to do mine. At this crossroads, I seriously considered finding some other job to make ends meet. The idea filled me with a peculiar dread. I had been writing for so long and fully intended to keep writing for a living. The trick was that I wasn't making a living as a writer. I was barely doing anything to bring in guaranteed income. Everything lately has been written on spec.
After the last payment on a client collaborative book was received, I thought I was going to find more books. I haven't. I continued to write short stories and I published some long fiction too, but still not enough income from sales to justify further focus. I've come to the point where I either have to fight hard to stay a freelance writer. I need to remember that this is a business--one that I need to restart from the ground up.
Steps To Take
I know that I need to find multiple income streams. That means finding more than one client. That means finding certain topics to specialize in on the one hand and also trying different areas of interest. I need to keep writing books when I can. Why? Because I want to write books. I want to tell stories. But I also want to be paid writer so I need to find opportunities to make good money at this. It can be a precarious thing to balance the creative and the practical sides of this business.
This is a business where you must be ever mindful of the next gig. You can't afford to sit back. I've made that mistake. I've fallen to a false sense of security. The book projects did that. The trick now is not repeating the mistakes and finding a way to thrive as a working writer.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Kris Rusch's Latest Business Rusch Post
I don't know who reads my blog, but I wanted to share the latest edition of the Business Rusch, the weekly business blog of bestselling author Kristine Kathryrn Rusch. She always has so much to share about the publishing industry and about writing too.
In her latest post, Kris talks about a recent post written by her husband, bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith, about the ways that publishing are defined and how he gave his opinion on those divisions have shaped up. Kris also talk about being writer and how you define yourself as a writer over the course of your career.
Click below to read the post:
In her latest post, Kris talks about a recent post written by her husband, bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith, about the ways that publishing are defined and how he gave his opinion on those divisions have shaped up. Kris also talk about being writer and how you define yourself as a writer over the course of your career.
Click below to read the post:
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
New Release: A Kingdom Of Shadows
Here's the summary:
The great contest is days away. Alan Serandos, an ex-soldier with no future prospects and no hope, plans to win. The prize: The hand of Princess Mariel and a place in the royal family. Meanwhile dark forces have plotted to disrupt the contest and by doing so threaten to topple the kingdom of Calos. An ancient pact will be broken and Mariel will find herself a pawn in a greater game of noble houses and malevolent magic.
A Kingdom Of Shadows will be available in all major ebook formats. I am including the major links as they go live. Smashwords lets you download in various formats including for the iPad.
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