“No one can make a living as a writer.”
“Don’t give up your day job.”
“But what do you really do?”
I think everyone who has broached the subject of writing a book has heard those oft-repeated and well-worn phrases. Interestingly, they are usually offered up by people outside of the writing profession – well-meaning friends, relatives, colleagues, a neighbor.
One year ago, when I decided to give up the corporate life and become a (gasp) professional writer, I heard those words so many times that I wanted to scream. The number of people who said, “Well done, great idea, I’m sure you can do it”, could be counted on two fingers and half a thumb.
Looking back now, I can state that along with my two true amigos, Persistence & Tenacity, it was a (nearly) unwavering Confidence that I could do this that carried me through. Of course there were days where I thought it couldn’t be done, but in each case within 24 or 48 hours I was back on track and proving that yes, it could be done. My first novel has now been accepted for publication, and I am working on another project for the same publisher. So how did I do it?
Firstly, I followed up on an approach from a publisher looking for a ghost writer. This may seem an odd thing to do, but wait and I’ll explain. I was asked to ghost write in a genre I’d never heard of: Wild West Christian Clean Mail Order Brides. I love a challenge, and I had plenty of hours in the day to complete this type of work (having, some may say foolishly, given up my 50-hour weeks and monthly salary as an executive). I researched the genre, found out all I could about 1800’s America, read up on Bible quotes, and presented my first 10,000-word story.
Over the next 12 months I wrote multiple stories for this publisher and my ghost-written stories now have a large following of fans, fans who eagerly anticipate the arrival of each new book. This exercise has been very much a learning experience. I write every day, I make corrections as suggested by the beta readers and editors, and I have built a greater understanding of what the reader wants. I get paid for the completed work and I forfeit all rights to fame or royalties, but I have leveraged as much as I can to my advantage and treated the whole experience as an intensive writing course.
The books are not under my name, but I have gained a lot of knowledge in the process. The day my publisher emailed me and said the latest book had been released to six five-star reviews, I made up my mind. Confidence pushed forward, quickly joined by Fearlessness, and Persistence & Tenacity cheered from the sidelines. My next book would be published in my name.
Of course, over all this time I was also working on my own manuscripts. Like many writers, I have a folder of semi-completed manuscripts and first drafts. I found a manuscript that could definitely use some tweaking/re-write/oh, I’ll just delete everything except the bones and start again – and that’s what I did.
Utilizing everything I’d learned in my year as a ghost writer, I made that manuscript sing. Or so I thought. I sent the completed manuscript away to a publisher who I had randomly selected from the internet, and I was lucky to have the document arrive in the inbox of a sympathetic editor.
She was kind enough to send a critique of my work, along with her rejection email, and she did so in such a way to inspire more Confidence and make me want to try again. Persistence & Tenacity did a slow clap and Fearlessness twerked to the strains of All Shook Up. I rewrote the manuscript, following the editor’s suggestions, and I submitted a copy to another publisher.
When I received the “We love it!” email, I couldn’t believe what I was reading for a minute or two. The first email was followed by a writing contract, signed and sealed, and my book is due for release in the Fall to the US and Spanish markets. We are currently working on a cover and a marketing schedule and I couldn’t be happier.
Yes, you can make a living as a writer, and you can be a published author. Keep going. I’ll send my friends over.
