Monday, August 26, 2013

For Love or Money

by Marilyn Brant

I have this daily quote calendar on my desk, and the saying that popped up a few days ago was this: "Something is only work if you would rather be doing something else."

I agree with that to a certain degree. As tough as writing a novel (or a poem or a short story or even a blog post...) can be some days, I rarely wish I were doing something else. Well, sometimes I wish I were watching more episodes of "Under the Dome" with that handsome Mike Vogel or reading Jane Austen yet again, LOL. But, for the most part, I love writing. The whole messy process of it. The crazy puzzle that we need to solve in order to create a story, draft it, edit it (repeatedly!) and, eventually, bring it into the world. I get a strange energy from it and -- as an introvert -- anything that gives me energy, rather than drains me of it, is always a good thing.

But, I haven't always had an income from writing (or I had one, technically, but it wasn't large enough to so much as cover the monthly phone bill), so there were jobs I needed to do to help pay for our family's expenses. My plan was to find jobs that would not only bring in an income but would also build my writing skills and understanding of stories. That way, I figured, it wouldn't just be "work," it would be "experience."

When I first started writing fiction, I'd just left my teaching position to be a stay-at-home mom to a little baby boy, so, initially, my work was all in the house -- taking care of him and our rented apartment and handling all of our finances while my husband, who's a high school teacher, worked at the school full time and provided us with necessities like food and insurance. When our son started elementary school, though, I wanted to contribute more directly and, yet, still be able to be home when our son got back from his classes. So, I expanded on the the freelance writing I'd begun to do while my son was a baby, and queried more magazines, hoping to write for a few of them in subjects that fascinated me -- like music, the arts, travel and, of course, parenting. I got regular assignments from a handful of publications, some regional, some national, and I also became a part-time book reviewer for a large-circulation magazine.

Not surprisingly, although this was all very enjoyable work, it wasn't much more lucrative than fiction writing, which had netted me exactly $500 when I won first place in short-story contest. (And, let me tell you, that was a BIG deal for me then!) My pre-motherhood profession would have required me to be away from home too much, so I thought about what I could do within the realm of literature that might pay a bit more and still be as interesting to me as writing. I was fortunate to find a part-time position at a library, and I worked there for 3 1/2 years -- learning about how librarians chose the women's fiction and romance books in their collection and which popular novels really got patrons excited and talking. When I finally got my first book contract, I couldn't believe my debut novel would be one of the ones on their shelves. I still get a thrill when I see my set of women's fiction books in the stacks or spot the electronic reference pages that they have for my ebooks. There's no price that can be put on that feeling.

With the tidal wave of changes in the publishing industry, I've become a hybrid author, involved with both traditional and self-published novels...and my "baby boy" just became a high schooler. I've needed to learn more in recent years about marketing and promotion than ever before, and I can't say that the advertising aspect of the profession is my favorite part -- my favorite is still the writing. It always will be. But promo and social media have their gifts, too. I've met more people who share common loves (like Mike Vogel and Jane Austen ;) on Facebook, Twitter and blogs like this one than I ever would have imagined. It's helped to make the writing experience one of both love and (at least some) money...

**BTW, for readers interested in money-saving deal -- my three-book romantic comedy boxed set, The Sweet Temptations Collection, is on SUPER SALE for just a few days this week!! The digital collection is only $0.99 (reg. price $8.99) on both B&N and Amazon right now to celebrate the end of summer. Please pick up a copy and spread the word!!**

12 comments:

  1. Thank you for the post Marilyn! I think the key word--at least in the beginning of a writing career--is diversification. Whether that means multiple gigs, multiple genres, multiple publication models--no matter, but unless we hit The List right out of the box, most of us have to diversify...at least for a while.
    xoMaggie

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    1. Maggie, you are so right!
      I hadn't thought of it in terms of diversification before but, yes, that's been very true for me... And it's also been interesting and inspiring to see the other paths that our fellow authors have chosen as they build their careers. I have friends that work at day jobs in completely different fields from writing and others who write full time but in about 4 or 5 varying genres (and much more quickly than I usually do!), so we all get to choose what works best for us.
      Thanks :).

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  2. Marilyn what a great post and it's so obviously from your heart. If only we could all do what we love and make enough to keep us healthy, happy and insured :)
    When I first became a reader I was totally CLUELESS about what authors did except that they wrote the books I wanted to read. My love of reading quickly grew to include authors, bloggers and publishers too. The path of today's authors is a very precarious one isn't it, and I have a new respect for authors. I know one thing for sure without that marketing we would have never met and what a real shame that would be.
    What I'm truly grateful for is that the global reading community is also becoming more educated about the trials and tribulations of all in the publishing world.
    Love you and your books
    deb

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    1. Deb,
      You are truly one of those friends that I find myself ever thankful to social media for having been the means of introducing us!!
      An author's job is far from easy, but when writers have supportive readers, bloggers and book lovers who are in our corner and so willing to lend a hand, we are lucky people indeed. I'm in awe of how supportive you are to SO MANY writers and feel incredibly fortunate that our paths crossed ;).
      xoxox

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  3. I love reading about journeys to publication--thanks for sharing yours. I, too, tried to write for magazines when I was home with my kids. Didn't create a landslide of income for me either! :)

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    1. Sara,
      I know! I wish freelance writing had provided a more solid income for both of us...but I suspect the avenues for that had already begun closing up by the time we were doing it. I know the free content on the Internet was making it harder for print magazines to stay afloat 10 - 15 years ago, let alone add on new staff. But, fewer mag/newspaper assignments did force me to work harder on fiction, so in that sense I'm grateful!

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  4. You are an inspiration darling. Loved to read how you found what you loved and guided yourself to achieve one of your gifts, balancing family and what really is important. Like I shared with you before, comparing being an author to a real estate agent, it takes a lot of time and effort to invest in a project, hoping someone out there will buy and enjoy it to receive compensation. I've learned it isn't as glamorous and easy as it seems, that's why I enjoy supporting so many of you in this field.
    By the way, I recommended your recent book to the library and they are adding it to their collection! I'll take a pic when it's there! :D

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    1. Lorelei,
      YAY!! So glad the library decided to add it to their collection, and thank you again for recommending it to them! Thanks, also, for your kind words and supportiveness, not just toward me but on behalf of the other authors as well. You help to make this roller coaster journey worthwhile ;).

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  5. Hi Marilyn! I love this post. Writing is my passion and I'll do it whether I make money to or not. But I do have to pay the bills somehow, so I have a day job, too. Luckily, I like what I do, and as a grant manager, I do get to use my writing skills - just no fiction allowed! :)

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    1. Oh, Lucie, thank you!
      I'm so glad the post resonated for you. I think our experience of loving a form of expression but also needing an income-generating position is one that many writers, artists, actors and musicians share. And LOL about the "no fiction allowed" when it comes to grant writing!! Yeah, I guess they wouldn't appreciate that...but I bet the job itself has sparked at least a few fun story ideas ;).

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  7. With mba personal statement i could do within the realm of literature that might pay a bit more and still be as interesting to me as writing.

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