Fortune and glory? #writing

From Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom:

Short Round: What is Sankara?

Indiana Jones: Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.

Swap out Sankara for publishing, and most non-writers might believe that being a published author is a guarantee of fortune and glory. After all, it is for the authors they've heard of - EL James, JK Rowling, Stephen King, and so on. Even several of my friends think I must be rich and famous because I'm an author, and that the fact I haven't upgraded my car, house, hairstyle, wardrobe etc is simply confirmation that 1) all authors are indeed crazy and eccentric, and/or 2) I'd rather hoard my fortune Smaug-like instead of spending it. Alas, I wish that was true!

Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and the supernatural with a romantic soul. And I'm going to tell you a hard truth about being a writer. It ain't all fortune and glory. Sorry to break it to you. Fortunately it's a truth I learned before becoming a published author, so it wasn't quite the shock it might have been. I was extremely lucky in having a fellow author, way ahead of me on the publication path, who took me under her wing, supported me, and told me the good, the bad and the ugly. It's saved me a lot of heartache and disappointment, as well as saved me from some potentially disastrous mistakes. To this day, published just over three years with eleven titles currently live and more to come, I'm still not earning what it considered a living wage. And by that I mean something my government considers enough to live on (it isn't, but the politics of that are another topic).

So maybe I write bad books? Well, apparently that isn't the issue if EL James's success is anything to go by (at this point I'm referring to general reputation, since I've neither read nor plan to read her books, so I have no opinion on them personally). *engages modesty mode* Reviews and feedback seem to say my books are okay. In which case, maybe it comes down to visibility. Unless you're a big five author with marketing backup, and/or have a big budget for promotion, skills as a marketer yourself, and/or are just plain out lucky, you might not make a lot of money with this writing and publishing gig. Most of my colleagues work a part or full time job as well as trying to fit in the writing and marketing of their books.

In a few more years, I may well be in that position, and writing will once more take a back seat. At the moment I'm a stay-at-home mum with the luxury of having six hours a day, five days a week during term time to work on my books. When my youngest starts secondary school (age 11+), my eldest will be 17, and there's less reason for me to be home for them. As it is I feel more a burden on the household than an asset right now. In the past two months I've had my best sales ever, with the return of my debut novel to the virtual book shelves (still my best seller to date). But even that isn't paying minimum wage level, and has already begun to tail off. 

A Time Travel Romance

Mind you, this isn't a complaint. I love what I do. I never expected to ever be published, and even having just a handful of happy readers, some of whom will hit Buy the instant I have a new release is beyond my expectations. It's just amazing! In that I consider myself successful. But it doesn't pay the bills, and at the end of the day I have to face the practical decision of earning an actual income. It probably won't be writing.

I don't want to put anyone off trying to achieve their dreams. My eldest aspires to be an author. But she's seen the realities of what that involves and we've talked it over a few times. I've encouraged her to follow her ambition, but to have backup plans too. So I want other writers to know that writing isn't a get rich quick scheme (apart from the exceptional few who are talented and/or get lucky). It's a long, slow climb for most that can take years and multiple titles, if it happens at all, and especially with the publishing world in the most turmoil it's ever been in. For me it's been totally rewarding on a personal level, and for that I am grateful. Just don't expect fortune and glory, 'kay?

Find me at my website or follow me on my favourite hangout - Twitter - as @pippajaygreen

Good Critique Partners are Hard to Find

The one thing I think all writers should have in their arsenal of writer tricks are good critique partners.  I don't mean beta readers. People who read one of your works in progress once in a while. I mean someone who reads all your work, knows your style, and understands how you work. Someone who you know is looking out for you and will tell you the truth and not try to undermine you.

Way back when I first started writing with the hope to become a published author, I struggled with whether or not my writing was good enough or if there were areas that needed help. Friends and relatives all thought what I wrote was wonderful. But I knew in my gut it wasn't good enough. I had a short story published in a magazine and wrote freelance human interest articles for the local papers, but I wanted to write novels- specifically mystery novels.

Trying to get into a mystery writer group back then was hard. You had to be published in the genre to be allowed in. I wasn't. I wanted help honing my skills so I could make a sale.

I switched genres and started writing western historical romance. At a writer's conference I was directed to Romance Writers of America. I was ecstatic to see they had workshops and conferences to help me hone my writing skills. They also had contests. A way to get feedback on my writing.

I entered one of the contests. I waited with anticipation to see what the judges would say and how they would help me with my writing. The packet arrived with the judged pages. The first judged entry had my eyebrows knitting together. The judged didn't explain what I did wrong only changed my sentences - lots of my sentences, with no explanation.  I put that to the side and picked up the next entry. The same thing. The judge rewrote my sentences but didn't explain why. I was confused and a bit hurt that they'd practically rewrote the whole entry and not a word about what I was doing wrong.

The third entry sat on the table. I eyed it hesitantly. Would this be a duplicate of the first two? I picked it up. Yes, it showed reworded sentences. But in the margin was explanation after explanation of what I was doing wrong. I was excited. This person was teaching me what I wanted to know. And at the end of the entry, she'd made a notation that she wrote historical western romance too and would love to connect with me. Her email address and name were on the back page of my entry.

I emailed and thanked her for explaining what I was doing wrong, and we became critique partners. She had the structure of writing knowledge and I had the western lifestyle and horse knowledge that she needed for her books. We were critique partners for six years until her life took over from her writing. We are still good long distance friends. I knew she wanted the best for my writing and I wanted the best for her.

I've had a couple other critique partners since my first CP and now I have two wonderful ladies who have my back and I have theirs. We send finished manuscripts to each other knowing we'll get truthful and helpful comments. One is a friend I met through a local RWA chapter. She's a horse person and we clicked from the get go. She writes contemporary westerns and is good at asking why a character does this or that, keeping me honest in what is happening and true to the character. The other CP is an author I contracted and edited while I was an editor with a small press. When I left the press she asked if I would be her critique partner. I agreed. She has a knack for story and can tell me when I need more emotion or have strayed from the concept of the story.

I would never publish a book without the input of both of these critique partners. Critique partners, to me, are essential in putting out a good book that editors, publishers, and readers will want to read.

www.patyjager.net
Writing into the Sunset