So I was thinking about the discussion from yesterday…being a young author and all…and I think everyone is right that there is no inherent disadvantage in being young…or old…or in between. However, I do think that as a young person I want to come off as extra professional. I want to be taken seriously, I want to convey that, for me, writing is a career path not just a whim, and I want to lay the foundation for that course of action.  But treating writing as a business should not only affect the way I present myself, I think for all writers, whether they wear braces or win bingo, ought to try to see writing as a series of business decisions.

Here are some of the ways I came up with:

1. Finish what you start. We were talking about this a little over at AW, but yanno that little twinge you get when you’re in the midst of working hard on a project that needs to get done? And smack in the middle of crunch time you get an idea for a book that you want to write right then and there. But what should you do? Take time to write it for a few days or finish the task at hand?

I’m gonna say finish the task at hand. Because, at least for me, I’ve found that it’s my writerly means of procrastination. It would sort of be like giving away your beloved dog Fido for a wobbly-legged puppy. If you don’t finish what you start, you’ll have nothing to sell.

2. Network. I know from the outside writing can seem about as “team” oriented as figure skating, but creating a support network is as important in your career as in any other field. Take the time to walk amongst the living. If you can’t attend conferences, then keep up with your correspondence. Email other authors. Ask how their work is coming. Provide support for them. You can’t just be a taker. Business relationships are based on mutual trust and understanding.  

3. Diversify Your Assets. Ok, you know what I said about finishing the task at hand? Well, that’s still true. But, as every serious writer knows, you’ve got to always be working on something. If you’re in between revisions, get going on the next project. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. This means experimenting, too. Maybe you’d write adult fiction, but you have a great voice for teens. If you never explore, never diversify your assets, you’ll never know. Try different things. Look what it did for me? Did I start out writing graphic novels? No way. But I gave myself license to try and that’s when I landed an agent.

4. Build a Resume. Write articles. Take on work for hire. Volunteer for SCBWI or Friends of Lulu. Do something that will increase your knowledge of the business and build experience. However, “build” is the operative word. Don’t take projects just to take them. Wait for the right projects. I was sad this summer when I turned down a job writing for a video game. But you know what? It wasn’t enough of a step up from where I was for it to be worth my time. Had I taken it, I would not have had the time to devote to SCOUT once I landed an agent.

5. Know business ettiquette. Publishing is a “small” industry. People do know each other. And if you’re querying more than one project before you get an agent or editor, chances are you are going to be querying the same ones more than once. I’m sure you know that you don’t want to burn bridges, but you also don’t want to leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth due to your lack of know-how. Wouldn’t you rather your aftertaste be minty fresh? Therefore, know beforehand what to do in case of multiple offers from agents. Know how to properly address agents and editors in queries. Know to whom to address your questions. And, before embarking on any career (not just writing), understand “what’s normal” in the industry. It’d be pretty frustrating for an agent to send you the agent-author agreement, have you read it, and then be railed against for asking 20% for foreign sales. (“How dare you up your percentage!”) No, research upfront even if you think you might be jumping the gun.

6. Seek counsel from those who know. Would you act as your own doctor? No. You go consult someone because they know better than you. I hear about this a lot from writers with their agents. And I am absolutely not saying that there are not legitimate reasons to disagree with your agent. However, I sometimes hear of the same writers disagreeing with “the industry professionals” or agents in general or their agent in particular. Agents are there to give you advice. For instance, I asked my agent about doing work for hire and he gave me his honest opinion of the value in that. Maybe not what I wanted to hear, but yanno, I don’t have the inside experience. That’s what he does for a living. But beyond that, there are always writers more experienced or more knowledgable. If you’re hearing the same advice over and over again, then there might be something to it. Like say, if your book is 150,000 words for a debut novel and you are getting no bites. Hmmmm….folks who “know” just might be onto something when they advise to pare it down.

Alright! Now if that doesn’t make you want to put on your power suit and stuff in a couple of shoulder pads I don’t know what will. Let’s go do business!

Status: I am a busy bee. But my project for today is to continue working on SCOUT’s synopsis. I am expanding it from 5 pages to between 10 and 12. This synopsis is a challenge because I’m supposed to incorporate dialogue and really flesh it out. It’s a fun new twist on the typical this happened, then this happened synop though.

Also, an editor at a fabulous publishing house read Fumbling with Fiction and emailed my agent asking to see SCOUT. How cool is that? I’m happy SCOUT seems to be generating some interest. Hope that keeps up through the submission process. It does motivate me, though!