We started working on income taxes this past weekend, and
the process reminded me that it’s time to talk a bit more about the business of
writing. Do you consider your writing a
business? Should you? What difference
does it make? Let’s start by having you
answer a few questions –honestly, mind you, not what you think polite society
expects you to say. Then we’ll look at
what your answers say about you as a writer. Here are your questions.
Remember, I don’t want to see the answers, and no one else will see
them, either. This is just you, the
writer, talking to your honest self. 1. What kind of
writing are you doing right now? ·
A secret diary or journal that no one else will
ever see. ·
Absent-minded ramblings, in the hope that one of
them will send you off chasing a new idea. ·
Little vignettes that could become short
stories. ·
A recipe collection or family stories or local
touristy notes. ·
A “How-To” book. ·
A scholarly study of an important topic. ·
The Great American Novel. 2. Why are you
writing? ·
Because I can’t help it. ·
Because I have something to say that no one else
has said. ·
Because I am trying to sort out my own feelings
about a problem or issue. ·
Because I want to save other people from making
the same mistakes I did. ·
Because I have a skill that I want to share. ·
Because I love telling stories. 3. If you could
choose your audience, who would your readers be? ·
No one.
This is private. ·
Only my family and closest friends ·
A local audience of people who are interested in
the same subject. ·
People who think like me. ·
People who need my help and advice. ·
Everyone. 4. If your writing
became a book, what format do you think it would take take? ·
Just a copy of my dog-eared manuscript ·
A glossy coffee table book with lots of pictures ·
A professionally-published hardback (case-bound)
book ·
A paperback book sized to make it easy to carry
around ·
An ebook ·
All of the above 5. What publishing
services would you be willing to pay for? ·
Nothing.
I want to do it all myself, because it is my book. ·
Substantive editing, with suggestions on how to improve
the content ·
Copy-editing to catch all the spelling and
grammatical errors ·
Help with layout and cover design ·
Publicity and marketing assistance ·
Guidance and hand-holding at every step of the
way. 6. What is your
ultimate goal? ·
The satisfaction of completing the book(or
essay, or poem, or collection) ·
A book I can pass on to my friends, my family,
and my neighbors. ·
A publishing contract with a well-known
publisher ·
A published volume sitting on the shelf of my
local library and/or bookstore ·
A review of my book published in the local
newspaper ·
Best-seller status on Amazon ·
Making the best-seller list in The New York
Times ·
Royalty checks coming in every month 7. What would you be
willing to do to help sell your book? ·
Increase your presence in social media outlets
(Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) ·
Write a blog several times a week to try to
attract readers ·
Join a writing group ·
Send out press releases about your activities as
a writer ·
Go on a book tour, stopping in bookstores across
the country to sell and sign your book (at your own expense). ·
Volunteer to give talks at all sorts of civic
organizations, libraries, and schools ·
Pay for reviews ·
Give your books away in hopes of increasing
readership |
